Teboho Phalatsi, 24, was only nine when he lost his father. It was a loss that hit him extremely hard and to cope with his grief, he threw himself into writing poetry. It was an endeavour that proved thoroughly therapeutic. The result, after years of experimentation with form and style, is a brand of poetry that is both authentic and moving.
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Although Phalatsi is a qualified electrician, it is in poetry that he has found a niche.
He says writing and reciting poetry is what now defines him.
Phalatsi, who is now known as Teboho oa Seroki, says he had always wanted to play with words even when he was still a primary school boy at Rantuba Primary.
His first recollection of himself coming across poetry was when he was reading an anthology titled, Poetry for Pleasure.
He says when he was at Rantuba Primary School, he would memorise and recite poems to some of his classmates. There were also times when he would be called up to do so during school assemblies.
He says the students and teachers all loved his charisma and the manner in which he delivered his poetry.
Phalatsi says the feedback he received from his peers pushed him to go the extra mile in his poetry journey and he began to write his own poems. And when his father died, he was overcome with grief.
Yet that moment also gave him an outlet – to transform his raw emotions into poetry.
A few years after his father died, when he thought he was over with the mourning, Phalatsi says he was asked to write a poem about orphans. Phalatsi wrote from the heart, pouring out his emotions once again as he expressed how orphans feel.
He says his teacher was impressed. It also satisfied his ego.
Phalatsi began to perform in front of bigger audiences. The first was when he performed in drama sketches in different plays which included ‘Monna-oa-Thaba-li-Maqhooa’ and ‘My Uncle Grey Bhonzo’.
When he went for high school, Phalatsi continued to write and recite poetry, earning several awards for his outstanding work.
Phalatsi has toured several countries like Botswana and South Africa for poetry shows.
“In 2016 and 2017 while I was doing Form D and E, respectively, I was position one in high school competitions. The following year I went to a poetry competition which was held in Bloemfontein and I won,” he says.
“I then featured in another competition held in Eastern Cape and also did wonders there as I won the prize money at stake. There, I earned the nickname ‘Pleasure the Poet’ after I told the audience that I had been inspired by the anthology, Poetry for Pleasure.”
He says has always found it easy to meet the demands of formal showpieces and has never been overawed by big occasions. What has helped him is the groundwork that he did when he was still a student.
“I have not had a problem with stage-fright,” he says.
“I went to Botswana for a poetry festival and performed so well that I won. I also featured again in the “All Africa Literature Competition” in Botswana, which had representatives from all African countries.”
Phalatsi says he is the current holder of the All Africa Literature Competition title.
Most of Phalatsi’s poems touch on the subject of love and compassion. It would appear Phalatsi is an idealist who wants to spread love and empathy for the oppressed and downtrodden.
He says people must develop a sense of empathy towards their counterparts and treat others in a more dignified manner.
“My poems are all about history, love, abuse and culture. If we follow in our great grands’ footsteps, it’s easy to know who you are; our culture is thus who we are so I follow my roots,” he says.
“For love poems, I believe in unconditional love which is love without limits. I want to resuscitate the spirits of those who have been broken and break those who are perpetrators of heart-breaks. This is because the birth place for love is within the heart and language of true love is forever. I believe in love fairy-tales,” he said.
He says he also highlights issues of abuse in relationships.
“I want to light up the candles so that people do not abuse each other but love and care for one another,” he says.
Phalatsi says he grew up looking up to great poets such as Mzwakhe Mbuli, Khotso Nkhatho and Seepela Manong who is currently his mentor.
He says a fundamental aspect of poetry is the message. He is also keenly aware of the role of rhythm which lays the foundation of a poem’s flow. The rhythm then affects the audiences’ mood, he says.
He says gestures come in handy to bolster and inflict a certain feeling on the audience that can make them relate to the poem.
Like any other poets, Phalatsi infuses in his poems the common poetic devices which have stood the test of time.
These include personification, metaphor and rhyme which he embeds with rich vocabulary coupled with idioms and proverbs.
Phalatsi says a good poet is someone who is humble and able to share the feelings of others, adding that arrogance has no place in poetry.
He says poets are counsellors who often soothe souls.
Phalatsi, who speaks English and Sesotho fluently, says a good poet should be able to evoke and appeal to emotions of the audience and display unbending passion towards their work.
While he is confident speaking and reciting poetry in English, he remains fiercely pro-Sesotho and recites most of his poems in his mother language, a language he says is firmly rooted in him.
Calvin Motekase
