The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Centre for Jazz and Popular Music (CJPM) will host ‘Twosday: Jazz and Poetry Offering’ featuring award-winning performance poet and author Thandiwe Nqanda on Tuesday 13 October. Nqanda brings her distinctive fusion of Poetry, Jazz and live storytelling to the stage in an immersive performance exploring memory, loss, love, healing and spiritual reflection. Rooted in personal and collective remembrance, her work gives voice to experiences that are often left unspoken, creating space for audiences to reflect, remember and connect.

The performance forms part of CJPM’s Twosday series, a platform that encourages artistic exchange and collaboration across disciplines. By blending musical styles and disciplines – in this case Poetry and Jazz – Twosday encourages cross genre collaboration and creates innovative performances that push boundaries of the traditional concert experience. Thandiwe is the author of the debut poetry collection “No Time to Mourn” (2023). Her work has featured at major literary and art platforms including the Open Book Festival, National Arts Festival and Poetry Africa, while her poem “The Mourners” was published in “New Contrast” in 2024. She also co-wrote the theatrical production “Grieve, That is How You Survive”, which was performed at the National Arts Festival in 2023.

Poet and author Thandiwe Nqanda. Picture supplied

Her engagement with Jazz includes the musical poetry show “IT IS TIME” and collaborations with Jazz musicians including Kujenga, Vuyo Viwe, and The Guftahs. For this Durban performance, Nqanda will be joined by Makgashule Thothela on piano, Zolile Mgqatsa on bass and Bayanda Msomi on drums, with Thando Fuze as guest poet. Fuze is a Durban born poet, performer, writer, curator and cultural activist whose work explores identity, sexuality and contemporary social experience. She is also the founder of SHEfted Minds, a platform supporting and amplifying women artists and creative voices.

Together, the artists will create an intimate evening where Poetry and Jazz meet in a shared space of rhythm, memory and reflection. The Centre for Jazz and Popular Music is located at Level 2, Dennis Shepstone Building, Howard College Campus. Tickets are available through Webtickets or at the door. They are selling at R130 for general public, R100 for pensioners and R70 for students with a valid card. Doors open at 17h00 and the concert starts at 17h30.