牛牛资源

On Thursday 3 December the Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies (CCDS) and Centre for Feminist Research host a spoken word performance by Toni Stuart: poet, festival organiser and educator, recently named on the South African Mail & Guardian’s list of inspiring young South Africans.

Toni is also a 牛牛资源 graduate, completing her MA Writer/Teacher with us this year as a 2014/2015 Chevening Scholar. We caught up with her to find out more about her work and 牛牛资源 experience.

Toni was first introduced to 牛牛资源 by friend and fellow poet Raymond Antrobus while he was studying for his MA Writer/Teacher here. Raymond was also taking part in our Spoken Word Educators Programme (SWEP), working with school children to develop their confidence, self expression, oral communication and literary skills.

Invited in to teach for the day at the school where Raymond was based, Toni got a taste for what being poet-in-residence was like and also learnt more about our MA 鈥� a course taught by the Departments of Educational Studies and English and Comparative Literature.

鈥淚t sounded like exactly what I wanted,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 course that allowed me to develop my creative writing and teaching practices simultaneously, with a specific focus on developing my own pedagogy and 鈥榩oetry syllabus鈥�. I don鈥檛 know of any other course like it in the world. And, the SWEP - started by Peter Kahn and now with Jacob Sam-La Rose as director - is the only one of its kind in the world as well.鈥�

After , Toni and her audience will be taking part in a discussion circle exploring the use of stories as medicine. As a 32-year old mixed heritage South African woman poet, she believes her work 鈥� and that of her generation 鈥� is to heal the wounds that they have inherited from their parents鈥� generation and from the past.

鈥淪ometimes these wounds are apparent and we鈥檙e able to address them directly, other times they are unconsciously passed down through many generations,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y experience of working in the NGO sector in the past, and in the arts sector now, is that self-care is fundamental if we hope for our work to have a meaningful impact in our communities, and, that in order for our work to be sustainable we need to ensure we are taking care of ourselves first.

If we do not eat, our bodies have no fuel to function. In the same way, if we do not take care of our other needs - mentally, emotionally and physically, we cannot expect our creativity and thinking to thrive and have an impact.

鈥淚n a world of increasing speed, creating spaces where we can slow down, connect with ourselves and each other, are vital. This is what writing gives me - a space to listen to and connect with myself and to listen to and connect with other people. It is through true connection that we find healing.鈥�

On studying at 牛牛资源

While studying at 牛牛资源, Toni found a home in our Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies, completing her MA dissertation under the supervision of the Centre鈥檚 director, Professor Joan Anim-Addo.

Her research and writing on South African mixed race identity didn鈥檛 immediately connect with the Centre鈥檚 focus on Caribbean literature, but the Centre turned out to be a perfect fit. It was a place where Toni 鈥渄idn鈥檛 have to divorce my politics, my identity and the exploration of both of these, from my poetics鈥�.

鈥淲hen I submitted my dissertation proposal, Maura Dooley thought that Professor Joan Anim-Addo would be the best supervisor for the work I wanted to undertake. I wanted to explore and write about South African 鈥榤ixed race鈥� identity (known in South Africa as 鈥榗oloured鈥� - many generations of being mixed, with a wide and varied heritage, as opposed to first generation mixed race) and wanted to use Black British and Caribbean poetry and poets as my influences.鈥�

Toni sought out Caribbean, South African and African-American literature for both her 牛牛资源 dissertation and her new poetic writing, naming work by Kamau Brathwaite, Kelwyn Sole, M. NourbeSe Philips and American poet Tyehimba Jess鈥� acclaimed collection leadbelly (about blues legend Lead Belly) among her inspirations. Professor Anim-Addo鈥檚 鈥業moinda or She Who Will Lose Her Name鈥� (2008) 鈥� the first libretto to be written by an African-Caribbean woman 鈥� was also a key influence.

"A creative and academic home"

鈥淚 am so thankful and blessed that Joan said yes to supervising this young writer she鈥檇 never heard of or taught. I found a creative and academic home in which all of the parts of me were acknowledged and valid, and where I was supported to wrestle with how these different parts all impacted upon and integrated with my creative and academic practice.

鈥淭he opportunity to work with Joan, to be guided by and learn from her, has had a profound impact on me. I have found a mentor and teacher, and most importantly an elder, who I hope to continue working with for many years to come.鈥�

Currently based in London, Toni will be returning to South Africa early next year to continue her work as a poet, performer and educator. She鈥檒l be expanding on her research into Krotoa-Eva - a Khoi woman who played a pivotal role in South African history in the 17th century - and expanding her show on the theme into a longer one-woman performance. Other projects include an interactive poetry installation, Here to Listen, and an all-female poetry band, whose debut performance will take place in London in December.

She also plans to continue working with the CCDS in whatever capacity is possible from a distance 鈥� 鈥減articularly around poetry in the diaspora, sharing skills and resources, and hopefully a few international exchanges at some point in the future鈥�.

Toni describes the Centre for Caribbean and Diaspora Studies as 鈥渧ital鈥�. She says that 鈥渋t鈥檚 not just about Caribbean or diaspora literature. It鈥檚 about creating a space where students whose heritage is of the diaspora feel at home to explore this in their academic work, if they so desire.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about making the academic environment more accessible. It鈥檚 a space where the community and the academic space meet. In 2015, in our increasingly global, trans-national society, CCDS is an integral part of the university environment.

鈥淭he Centre鈥檚 existence and work allows students of colour to see that our heritage and lived experiences are also valid, that we have a right to be in the academic sphere, on our terms, determining how our histories are told, archived and mapped, and that we are not merely engaging with our histories and cultures as 鈥榯he other鈥�.鈥�  

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Join us on Thursday 3 December from 6pm for . Entry is free, open to all, and there鈥檚 no need to book.

Find out more about the and at 牛牛资源.

Visit and for more information.

- With thanks to Professor Joan Anim-Addo for her help with this article -