Nkululeko Mdudu Biography

Nkululeko Gilbert Mdudu is a goat herder who grew up in the villege of Shiloh near Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. He was largely influenced by his grandfather, Simon Gilbert Mdudu who; along with his wife Beatrice Mdudu my grandma and the magic of the legendary true stories of their lives have shaped me. I am mad about my culture'and the world is a diamond', they said; but mainly about the story of how man creates his own Universe. All my poetry is from a place I call 'Ireshire' which is my world and soul. I have been called many things, but sadly not a poet. this could be due to the fact that poetry has always been a part of my life, only not as much on paper as on the tales that bind me to that place....the things one can do in dreams like have two birds in the hand but wake up only to find a closed fist , yes I have always been haunted, and helped by my dreams and the messages that lay hidden within them. Maybe I was not meant for this world for it is far too limiting, but from my limitations I have learned to fly inwardly to the planet of my soul. It all sounds mythical, as do I, sometimes, but a voice is what I'm looking for, not in language but in life. I struggle to understand the burdens I carry but I'm drawn to carry more; not as possessions but as pals.