We are so pleased to be visiting today with Khaya Ronkainen, who blogs at POETRY? WHY NOT? Khaya lives in Finland, a land I am eager to hear about, since Khaya is our first poet from this country. And she grew up in South Africa, a country dear to my heart. Between the beautiful landscapes and poetry, we are about to be hugely entertained and intrigued. Let's not waste another minute.
Sherry: Khaya, every poet has a story and, from looking
around your blog, I suspect you have a most interesting one. Let’s start at the beginning. Where did you grow up?
Khaya: First, I’m honoured to be featured in
this amazing site, and amongst its talented poets. Thank you so much, Sherry. I
hope my answers will give enough glimpse into my world.
I was born in a small town, Umtata, in
South Africa. It’s the same place where Nelson Mandela was born. That’s my
only claim to fame!
Sherry: Wow, and what a claim to fame that is!
Khaya: During my childhood, and as the political landscape was changing, my mother had an opportunity to buy a
smallholding farm from another small town, Engcobo. We then moved from city to
the countryside. By countryside, I’m talking about the most remote rural area
I’ve ever lived in.
Engcobo, Eastern Cape, SA
Then, in my teens, I came back to the
city and joined the boarding school life, but continued to spend school holidays
at home in the country.
I’ve also spent a great deal of my
adult life in Johannesburg; the economic hub of the African continent. So, I’m both
at home in the city and country.
Sherry: What an amazing childhood! It sets me dreaming! When you look back, is there someone you feel was a
big influence in helping you become the woman you are today? Who encouraged
your dreams?
Khaya: Oh Sherry, the answer to this question
is a book on its own. But to give a brief answer, without a doubt both my
parents had a huge influence in helping me become the woman I am today.
In their own different ways, through
love, sheer hard work and sacrifices, they instilled in me a strong sense of
self. By this I mean, knowing one’s strengths, what it means to be brave, and willingness
to take risks. They also made me realise that luck has nothing to do with it.
Sherry: They sound like most wonderful parents. They gave you roots and wings. South Africa has always claimed part of my heart – because
of the wild animals, and also because of the spirit of the people of South Africa
who, while some may not have much materially, seem to know a joy we in North
America lack, for all of our excess. What do you carry of South Africa in your heart?
Khaya: I mentioned above the village in
Engcobo as the most remote place I’ve ever lived in. What I didn’t mention is
that it was also (and remains) one of the poorest villages in South Africa. Yet
I’ve never experienced, from anywhere else, so much generosity and joy than I
did there.
And so, in my heart I carry fond
memories of my childhood. A smile from the sincere warmth with which people treat both members
of the community and strangers. Stories found in our robust traditions and diverse
cultural heritage.
Sherry: I have observed that generosity in those who live close to the land, and who may have little other than the rich culture and kindness in their hearts. It seems more elusive among those whose values are material.
We are eager to know what your life is like now. I am so intrigued that you live in Finland, which I do not know much about. We are all ears!
Khaya: My life is the same yet different. What
I mean is that I continue to enjoy the same things in life. What is different
is the place, and the fact that now I have a husband to navigate life with.
City neighbourhood in autumn
Tampere, Pirkanmaa, Finland
Another thing that hasn’t changed is
the continuous living between city and country lifestyle. My husband and I have
the pleasure of living in the city due to work, but spend most holidays in the
country.
Sherry: Wonderful photos! Beauty all around you, at all times. This is felicitous, for a poet. Smiles.
Sherry: Wonderful photos! Beauty all around you, at all times. This is felicitous, for a poet. Smiles.
Countryside activities during summer
Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland
Khaya: My field of work is constantly
changing. At present it’s in the education sector; a completely new experience for
me to work in the public sector.
Sometimes I give talks around schools
Because I come from a business
background; that is, I have climbed the corporate ladder working in Finance,
Healthcare & IT sectors.
Sherry: How wonderful, to work with children. When did you make the life-changing move from South Africa
to Finland, Khaya? How did you feel, when you
arrived there, and how did you manage to become acclimated?
Khaya: Officially, I moved from South Africa
to Finland about ten years ago. But for a number of years, we lived abroad
before my husband wanted to come back home, and here we are! So, in a way Finland
chose me, that is, I fell in love with a Finn.
A leap from sunny South to freezing
North has been the biggest adventure of my life, thus far. As a child, I used
to read books about faraway places with snow and white Christmases but never, even
in my wildest dreams, did I think I’d end up living that life.
Sherry: Wow! When you say "snow", you really mean it! It looks so beautiful and, yes, very cold.
I understand Finland has very advanced social
systems. What impresses you most about it?
Khaya: What impresses me is the
accountability and transparency on how public funds and taxpayers’ money are
used in creating a dignified and decent living for all. The accessibility of
education, free and everyone’s right, regardless of background, impresses me the
most.
Sherry: It impresses me as well. In North America, we are losing rights left and right at the moment.
When did you first begin to write? Did it help
you with the culture shock of finding yourself in a new place?
Khaya: Ah! The famous question…*laughs*. I
can’t say for sure. As a child I preferred to write than to talk. This means I
did a lot of letter writing, you know, more like the Dorothy Osborne kind of
writing; long reports about rural life to my cousins and friends living in cities.
But it was when I moved to Finland
that I actually started putting meaningful stories down. It was a way of
dealing with culture shock, and so words became my friends.
Sherry: I love that: "words became my friends." They do give comfort. When did you branch into poetry?
Khaya: I don’t think I branched out into
poetry, Sherry. I’ve always been in it, even before I attempted to write it. I’ve
always been a lover and a reader of poetry with influences such as S.E.K.
Mqhayi and Tiyo Soga (Xhosa poets/writers), to name just a few.
I even had a crush on John Keats
himself, during my high school years…*laughs* when a boy trying to impress me
recited Keats’ Endymion. I thought, wow! I want to do that. But then I went to
study business and got swept away a bit, whilst I chased the bottom line.
So, I returned and pursued poetry
seriously, when I got stuck in my novel writing; a project that is still
pending. Luckily at the time, I was also doing studies in English Philology (as
part of a career change), and the process of writing poetry sort of came
naturally.
Sherry: I love that you branch out in all directions, exploring all life offers. What do you love about poetry? What makes it sing for you?
Khaya: I love how poetry pushes limits with language
and form. Its ability to make us pause, be in the moment, and remind us that
water is still wet. The process of birthing a poem; the whisper, the nudge, the
build-up and the release that eventually leads me to write with urgency. That
like any other art form, poetry doesn’t belong to the creator but to the people.
To quote one of my writer friends, Khutsie Kasale, “Poetry is something more sacred and authentic. It is a gift
of words birthed through the artist that come straight from the hands of God.”
So, I love that poetry means different
things to different people depending on where it finds them.
Sherry: Such a good explanation! I read on your blog that you come from the Xhosa
people, who have a strong tradition of oral storytelling. Do you think that is
reflected in your poetry, that you are carrying on the tradition in your work? Do you remember a grandmother or someone in your
family, who told great stories that caused you, as a little girl, to dream?
Khaya: I mentioned earlier on that I don’t
think I branched out into poetry, I’ve always been in it. By this I mean, a
Xhosa child, (or an African child for that matter), learns quite early in life
who they are. That is, a knowledge of their origin, past history and culture because
African cultures pride themselves on clan names.
So, a child learns about the notion of
iziduko/izibongo through chanting of
a multitude of family clan names; ancestors and heroes (living and dead) from the
elders.
Chanting of clan praises is poetry
itself; oral poetry that overlaps with a song. Thus, in my writing I’m always
trying to emulate that rhythm and harmony.
Sherry: I envy you that rich cultural heritage. I see it, too, among the First Nations people where I live - such an ancient, proud, traditional culture.
Would you like to share three of your poems here,
and tell us a bit about each one?
Khaya: Before I share, it’s important to
point that my work often examines duality of an immigrant life; loss and gain. And
the “I” doesn’t always mean the writer but the speaker.
Word
Roots
Of
origins I do not know
Theories
varied and accepted
Making
sense and no sense
Words
are my friends.
Words
that go forward
In
prose and in books
Words
that return
In
verse and in song.
Of
classical and medieval
Renaissance
and modern
It's
Twa, the forage and pastoral
Tshawe, the ancestral heroes
I seek
Diminished
words found
Not
in history books
Accepted
words whose
History
is esteemed
It's
Nongqawuse's words I thirst;
A
prophecy from uQamata
Words
older than writing
Dramatic
and creative
Praise
poems of no particular
Historical
period. Folk tales
Of
Tokoloshe terrifying
Children
and adults alike.
Infidel
words, beginnings
I
do not know but whose
Oral
tradition leaves me
Smitten
in a trance
Speaking
in tongues
Descending
the Great Lakes
Borrowing
from Khoi
To
click a sound.
A
tradition of Xhosa poetry
Whose
metre measured not
In
literary magazines, yet rhyme
Rings
loud in Grahamstown
Words
murmured teasing
With
foreplay, words chanted
Exploding
into a climax
Do
scratch an itch
Spoken
and sung
Barbaric
and censored
Roots
of word
I
seek.
Khaya: This poem examines relationship with
languages. It was inspired by a Poetry Festival held in my city, Tampere, in
2015. The theme was Syntyjä, Syviä,
loosely translated as “root of words”.
Journeys
I’ve Travelled
I’ve been to the north
I’ve been to the south
I’ve been to the south
Journeys —
left me floating in between
(where both worlds depart)
and with no claim to either.
left me floating in between
(where both worlds depart)
and with no claim to either.
Suburbia no longer white
we sip tea and spend hours
discussing weather, whilst
the sun shines in black rural.
In song and dance we quench
— thirst vanquished.
we sip tea and spend hours
discussing weather, whilst
the sun shines in black rural.
In song and dance we quench
— thirst vanquished.
I’ve been to the city
I’ve been to the country
I’ve been to the country
Allow me the misguided view
with diluted memories, for
I build a world with these
smatterings of my life.
with diluted memories, for
I build a world with these
smatterings of my life.
Khaya: I think this one is self-explanatory.
Summer
What would you have me say
of you?
Ours is an obscure
relationship
You led me believe I was
your baby
A summer baby―
Because down south, October
simmers
Spring overlapping with
summer.
What would you have me say
of you?
As if immaterial, now you
tell me I am
An autumn baby―
Because up north, October
teases
Skies weep fearful of
winter.
Khaya: And the last is a poem excerpt from my
upcoming chapbook that I’m hoping to release in spring 2018. I wrote it in
celebration of the centenary of Finland’s Independence.
Sherry: Thank you for these, Khaya. You express yourself so well. I especially love the Xhosa words included in your poem. And we look forward to your book.
When you aren’t writing, what other activities do
you enjoy?
Khaya: During my spare time, I can be
found wandering in nature, hiking and backpacking, amongst other things, with
my husband.
Sherry: The landscape is so beautiful! We look forward to checking your photos out. Many of us are armchair travellers! Smiles. Is there anything you would like to say to Poets United?
I found Poets United through my writer/blogger
friends, whom I met at Prompt Nights hosted by Sanaa Rizvi at A Dash of Sunny.
Sherry: We are so happy that you found us. Thank you so much for this most interesting visit. We look forward to enjoying much more of your work, Khaya.
Wasn't this wonderfully interesting, my friends? Do come back and see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!
