We Are The Ancestors - HRH Zolani Mkiva

HRH Zolani Mkiva (MP) is a Member of Parliament in the Republic of South Africa, and perhaps best-known as President Nelson Mandela’s Poet Laureate and Cultural Advisor. Zolani serves as the Chairman of the Select Committee on Public Enterprises and Communications; the  Secretary-General of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA); and President & Director-General of the Institute of African Royalty (IAR).

Among numerous awards and accolades, Zolani is the recipient of the Presidential National Order of Ikhamanga in Gold for promoting African culture globally. He was also awarded the All Africa KORA Award in 2002 as the Best Traditional Artist in Africa; a SATMA Lifetime Achievement Award; the Sharq Toranolari Award in Uzbekistan; a Die Woche Award in Germany; an Angel Film Award in France, and the No-Borders Documentary Award from the New York Feature Film Festival. He was also named 2023 International Man of the Year by the HAPAWARDS in Los Angeles.

Mkiva is an artistic director, music producer, composer and author. He is highly regarded as an organic intellectual and spiritual heritage practitioner who has published works and contributed to several anthologies globally. His works have been translated into several languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi, Dutch, French, Spanish, Russian and Swahili. He has invested in the creative industry and established several festivals in various countries, including the Kingdom of Eswatini International Poetry Festival; the Kingdom of Lesotho International Poetry Festival; the Mhlekazi International Poetry Festival in Zimbabwe; and the Mntwanomhle Wine & Fashion Festival in Zimbabwe.

son of the soil

I do not have perfumed lips
But I speak the truth

I do not have cat eyes
But I can see the true colors of the universe

I do not have donkey ears
But I can hear what make sense and what is a nuisance

I do not have a dog nose
But I can smell and distinguish between carbo-monoxide & oxygen

I do not have a big heart
But I do have passion for love and I love people

I do not have soft hands
But I can deliver my people from shame

I am the son of the soil
Like daughters of the land

I am the filament of freedom
I am the pistil of peace
I am the calyx of consciousness
I am the corolla of peoples cause
I am the pollen of prosperity
I am the anther of amicable solutions

I am the stem of our society
The son of the soil