Bulelwa Basse’s work and talents have been widely recognised, by the Poetry Institute of Africa, the Department of Arts and Culture, and O – the Oprah Winfrey Magazine.
Bulelwa Basse is the founder of Lyrical Base Projects, an arts and culture organisation that works with writers from diverse marginalised communities to uplift and increase their capacity in creative writing, poetry and the performing arts.
An extraordinary poet affectionately known on stage as Miss Sassy Basse, she uses her talents to enhance her involvement with anything that connects to her passion. She does so to empower and motivate women in education, the literary and performing arts, and in the corporate world.
Basse’s work and talents have been widely recognised, by the Poetry Institute of Africa, the Department of Arts and Culture, O – the Oprah Winfrey Magazine, and more. She has played her part as an active citizen by empowering, teaching and representing her country as an arts and cultural exchange ambassador in India and the UK.
An excerpt from one of Basse’s poems, “A Woman’s Journey”, explores the obstacles women face:
A WOMAN’S JOURNEY
(Priceless is Her Worth: She is Woman)
Her love is nothing short of God:
She seeks connection
with every soul she meets
Found love, first,
before knowing who she was
In random tragedy
she learns hard lessons
Through loss of many sentimentals,
gains internal sharpening
Her eyes widen with awe
per universal orbit
And with life’s surprising schooling,
steps the world
with a little bit of wisdom.
© Bulelwa Basse 2006
