Siphokazi Jonas participating in the Vrystaat Arts Festival 17th July

Weeping Becomes a River

If a Shakespearean actor, a Christian missionary and an isiXhosa praise poet walked into a bar, their conversation would sound like this collection’s poems. Siphokazi Jonas is a weaver of seemingly discordant worlds; growing up in an Afrikaans dorpie during the transition years of a newly democratic South Africa made this a necessity. Her work as a spoken word poet often fuses poetry, theatre, and film, exploring the impact of linguistic and cultural alienation. Her poems ask questions about navigating tradition, religion, and migration between rural and urban spaces. Weeping Becomes a River is a timely reflection on the cost of being the early test subjects of South Africa’s democratic project. 

Siphokazi Jonas is a South African poet, playwright and actor with an MA in English Literature. She headlined as the first Featured Poet at the Poetry Africa Festival in 2021. She received a Best Short Film South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) as co-producer of the poetry film #WeAreDyingHere. Her work has appeared in Poetry London, Atlanta Review, Versopolis Review, The Poetry Society and Stanzas.