“…The struggle of black people inevitably appear in an intensely cultural form because the social formation in which their distinct political traditions are now manifest has constructed the arena of politics on ground overshadowed by centuries of metropolitan capitalist development, thereby denying them recognition as legitimate politics. Blacks conduct a class struggle in and through race. The BC of race and class cannot be empirically separated, the class character of black struggles is not a result of the fact that blacks are predominantly proletarian, thought this is true…”- (Frank Talk Staff Writers in ‘Azania Salutes Tosh’ – circa 1981)
front cover:
Tosh by Steve Gordon
back cover:
Kippie by Basil Breakey
Amandla Embongi by Menzi Thango (Bhiyoza Publishers, 2019)
The poet is an eloquent speaker. The poet uses a figurative language, poetic language and literary techniques. For example, you find a king called a bull, calf, heifer, buffalo, beast, lion etc. The poet is a brave man, wherein in the ancient times he was a man who did not look aside when the king went astray but rebuked him. Likewise, when a king did well, the poet praised and praised everything that had happened. Kings loved poets because of their courage. Hence the author of this book titled his book ‘Amandla Embongi’, which is translated as ‘the power of the poet’. The poems found in this book are modern poems which speak to the present time. The poet uses a poetic language to rebuke the society. (Title is in isiZulu)