A poet, philosopher, painter, sculptor and musician, Lefifi Tladi has never been one to confine his creativity to a single category. True to his name, he brings light to the dark, in Setswana, Lefifi is darkness and Tladi, lightning. Born in 1949 in Lady Selborne in what was then Pretoria his career has stretched across the globe and genres. In 1966 he co-founded a youth club known as De-Olympia in Ga-Rankuwa which was transformed into an art studio, gallery and museum of contemporary Black art in 1971. He also founded the Malombo Jazz Messengers which later became Dashiki. Members included Gilbert ‘Gilly’ Mabale (flute and saxophone), Oupa Rantobeng Mokou (vibraphone), Laurence Moloisi (guitar), and Tladi on drums and vocals. Dashiki’s live performances merged music with poetry influenced by the socio-political situation in the country as part of the Black Consciousness’ contribution towards conscientizing their audience. Their performances were highly sought after at university campuses across the country. Forced into exile, due to his continued work against the apartheid government, he established the Tuka Cultural Unit, a cultural formation for organising group exhibitions and sustaining working relations with artists in South Africa. In 1977, they participated in Festac ’77 – the pan-African international festival of arts and culture in Lagos, Nigeria. His collection of calligraphic forms which he calls “Alphabets of Fire” was created as a symbolic intervention as South Africa was negotiating itself into a new age and were presented in an exhibition titled “Xedzedze” (whirlwind) in 1995 at Unisa Art Gallery. His paintings are exhibited in international museums and galleries, and he continues to work with artists, such as Kgafela oa Magogodi, Joe Malinga, Moss Mohale, Louis Moholo, Solly Mokolobate, Gibo Pheto, Mohau Kekana, and Abbey Cindi, just to mention a few In 1983, Tladi recorded a live album, Tribute to Nomazizi, featuring a homage to fellow painter, Winston Masakeng Saoli. He recorded Poetry for Artvanced Listeners in 1988 and was featured on the jazz album, Ingoma (1999), with fellow jazz musician Zim Ngqawana, and worked with Tlokwe Sehume, resulting in the release of the album, Naga ya Fya in 2001. In 2005, he released a recording of the Jazz and Poetry performance with Malombo Jazzmen which was staged at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Great Hall in 1973. He co-wrote the music score on Giant Steps, a 2005 documentary film about his life Much of Lefifi Tladi’s older written poetry is inaccessible and has been lost over the years. Most of what remains is archived at the Africa Open Institute at Stellenbosch University or housed in his memory. Honouring him as the featured artist at Poetry Africa this year, will allow a broader audience access to his incredible creative range and body of work.
