Folding a River

Dr Tawona Sitholé is a poet, playwright, mbira musician, educator and facilitator. He is Lecturer in Creative Practice Education with the UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Education, Languages and Arts (UNESCO RIELA).Professor Alison Phipps is UNESCO Chair for Refugee Integration through Education, Languages and Arts; Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow; and Co-Convener of Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network.

• Introduction     10Part I – Freedom to moveLabyrinth     14 a guide to the traveller     16 Obedience     19 leopard hunter     20What is your peace?     21 our squinty house     23With holding     25second handling     25We are freer than we believe     26b is for black, c is for captain: alphabet-themed ­misadventures of a terribly seasick crew with stoic ­colonial disposition in unrelenting tidal waves of ­historical inadequacies     27 The waiting     28rukweza farmer     30 Part II – Freedom to createWarrior bird     34forest songs     35Silence     36speaky clean     38Wanted     39handmade     39There is also this to tell     40maybe it is     42The one I am     44sleeping awake     46I remember writing my first poem     48emissions     49Part III – Freedom to wonderWindCalm     52thinkwalking     53When     54there are things     54At GorseBloom     55rootikali korekt     57Abyss     58four fires     59At my lips     60i don’t need anything     61I want to make more time for roses     63how beautiful is life     64 Part IV – Freedom to bearIn that garden     68meticulous the gardener     69 It’s time     73show and tell     74Star Earth     76a breath of myst     77Folding a river     79running return     81 Can you hear my river?     86 meander     88Crossing the Volta     90weathering withering whethering     92No matter how poisoned the land     94nothing much said     96These trees     98musasa     100The rotting season     101as     103Black in history     104arc     106  Great northern divers     108leathers and smartphones     110Beads     113baddy lost goody     115Part V – Freedom to praiseWounded     118chifumuro     119The wolf moon – and its phases     120kuziva mbuya huudzwa (learning comes through listening)     125 Look!     130 every now and again     130A day as full as the moon     131jenaguru     132Poor in spirit     133rupture     135The HeartBeats     137urban tears     139The earth is covered in darkness     141the spirit of darkness     144Night watching     146do hesitate to     148Blessing     149crannog means shama     150At Nehanda’s tree     152the station area     153Epilogue – Warriors cryWe are nature: pasichigaré     158 pasichigaré: we are nature     164Acknowledgements     169About the authors     172