The Notepad Poetry Manifest-o; A Seed, A Promise
Updated: Sep 22, 2021
When we first spoke about Notepad Poetry, Africa, and I... we spoke about all the beautiful things we loved about poetry and creative writing. And the more we spoke we were mapping out what we wanted it to become in the future...
We knew that there's so much raw and undiscovered talent here in our city. We knew this because of the era that ties us together - the Mid 2000s. The era of Hype Magazine, downtown ciphers, and inter-high school rap battles. This was a time where hip hop was so alive in the city, that other elements like break-dancing and graffiti were also quite visible. I'll say that from this, we learned the power of collective, culture, and platform. Cause it didn't matter where we did it, as long as we gathered, and ciphered; hearts would always pour.
We realised that much of that vibrant energy has faded mostly because; there hasn't been progress in the platforms that exist for us to convene and share our art. For example, where there was once a place called Softtale Bar & Lounge... now there are offices for mine contractors (last I checked anyway).
This is the gap that brought us together - Africa and I. I guess we both believed in a revival for the city so much, that we made it our personal mission to manifest that into reality. Personally, I've put aside some of my own projects as a poet and musician, and put some energy into the vision of Notepad Poetry. And it so happened that at that time, I was learning how to manifest and use the Law of Attraction. And that's the reason I suggested that we write the Notepad Manifesto.
Sabelo's Entry
If you've grown up being told that your dream job should be in the mines and power stations... then you know you are from Witbank. You grew up with the reminder of blasts as they lightly tremor past everything in the house. This is the hope of every parent for their child in city of coal...
But what if you had a notepad that told you a different story? And what if you believed in that story? Because you co-authored that story. With every stroke of your pen; you paved a new possibility for your self. Every word... every pun, every figure of speech, every stanza and verse, they built this fortress within you.
We are for all... for you who knows this story. For those who carry this dream like buckets of water from the community tap... Who draw life and inspiration from the tap of poetry. We are for you who will never give this dream up...
We are for the pristine and premeditated forms and structures... we are for the messy jottings. We are for the grammar Nazis. We are for the typos and ill handwritings - In pencil or pen. We are for the digital ink on your phone. We are for all who steal time away from reality and borrow from imagination.
We are Love, Compassion, Ubuntu, Poetry. We are your Notepad.
~ Prophetic Ink
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Africa's Entry
Based in a place popular for its industrial prowess, where masses praise, celebrate and endorse academic excellence in science . We know how it feels to be a young writer with itching fingers, an explosive imagination and a Dream.
We know how hard it is to see Authorship as successful profession, when you are constantly taught that intellectual brilliance depends only, on knowing how to extract minerals and recite the rules of calculus .
At Notepad, we believe that the most purest of crystals are purified from the darkest ores. We believe that to write, is also to excavate; and a book is a tool of development in all departments of existence in our communities .
We hold close and dear, the belief that Literature is key to an innovative, financially stable and knowledgable community. The belief that words are weaponry and Art is artillery
~ Africa Zwelibanzi
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Your Entry
Notepad Poetry may have been started by us, and has now grown to a team of 5 amazing creatives and entrepreneurs... it is much bigger than us. That is why I'm asking you to help us manifest this beautiful new era of poetry everywhere you go. For us, it's about building an economy around a poem, and making poetry into a respected achievement.
So, what does Notepad mean to you? What does poetry mean to you? Why are you on this blog post? What heights do you want to see in the poetry and literary arts industry? Go ahead and write your own Notepad Manifesto... and if you're up for it, please share it with us. We'd love to hear what poetry means to you.