TJ Dema returns from poetry tour

MPHO TLALE
Staff Writer | Friday July 5, 2013 00:00

 

In an interview with Arts & Culture, TJ said that her experiences in all the three countries were different.  She said, 'All the three countries have something unique to offer the eye and ear.' She said that the worst thing that any traveller can do is to compare places instead of living up and enjoying the moment.

In Germany TJ performed at the Berlin International Poetry Festival where she said she performed alongside other seven poets, including Don Patterson, Isa Lyfe and Kosal Khiey, among others.  She pointed out that in between she ran multi-lingual workshops with translators at a special needs school as well as address teenagers who reside in a rough neighbourhood.

TJ said the Singapore experience was a different one as she performed at a bookshop and a cafe.For her Portugal trip, TJ highlighted that she performed in Lisbon at the invitation of the Gulbenkian Foundation where she was invited alongside South African poets Joan Meterlekamp and Vonani Bila.

She reflected that apart from sharing their poetry they also had a panel discussion on their own work, poetry in general and the state of poetry in the Southern Africa region.TJ stated that even though she is not as disciplined a writer as those who sit down on a daily basis to write between times, she works daily on her craft by reading, listening or talking about literature.

She points out that she takes her poetry seriously and does not underestimate the audience.  Furthermore, she said that she loves her job when she is invited to participate in a project.'I mention this because I have administered a number of literary projects locally and it drives me nuts as an arts administrator that I have to always chase some local poets around to ensure that they benefit by meeting deadlines or responding with a simple 'yes' or 'no' to a request,' she says.

On talking about the poetry scene in Botswana, TJ said that through attending UB Writers Workshop poetry sessions or any open mic sessions around town, she has been able to establish that like everywhere else there is lots of talent. She said that what remains to be seen is how many of those are in it for the long haul.  She said that 'I am the first to acknowledge that we are far behind a number of countries (certainly behind where we should be) when it comes to arts funding for literary festivals, residencies, publishing or pretty much a kind of arts programming but either we all sit and wait for the national lottery to start funding the arts or for government to establish an independent functional arts council or we do what we do, what we say we love doing regardless of the circumstance.'