Born Still

Malika Ndlovu, a writer-poet, arts project manager and applied arts practitioner (art therapies) is a mother to three sons and a stillborn daughter. She will share her personal story and extracts from her evocative poetic memoir “Invisible Earthquake : A woman’s journey through stillbirth” published by SA women’s press Modjaji Books in 2009. Since then Malika has been involved in various levels of advocacy in South Africa and internationally around this specific kind of womb loss, the need for strategic interventions and bereavement support, as well as initiated a mother-to-mothers support network and awareness-raising events under the banner of BAHI — the Borrowed Angels Healing Initiative in partnership with Laurika Steenkamp, a mother who experienced a similar loss.

MALIKA NDLOVU’s words and productions have appeared on pages and stages all over South Africa, as well as in Austria, Uganda, USA, UK, Holland, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Ethiopia and the Philippines. She is a curator and presenter for Africa’s unique poetry podcasting platform Badilisha Poetry Radio (www.badilishapoetry.com) Her publications include Born in Africa But, Womb to World: A Labour of Love, Truth is both Spirit and Flesh, Invisible Earthquake: a Woman’s Journal through Stillbirth and two published plays: A Coloured Place and Sister Breyani. This mother of 3 sons believes life is ultimate poetry and that creativity is medicine inherent to us all — whether we access this to great art for the public or to heal and grow ourselves, to honour our humanity. This prolific poet, performer and arts activist originally from Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal has lived in Cape Town for the last 17 years.