Botsotso 18: Poetry

The Botsotso literary journal started in 1996 as a monthly 4 page  insert in the New Nation,
an independent anti-apartheid South African weekly and reached over
80,000 people at a time – largely politisized black workers and youth –
with a selection of poems, short stories and short essays that reflected
the deep changes taking place in the country at that time. Since the
closure of the New Nation in 1999, the journal has evolved into
a stand-alone compilation featuring the same mix of genres, and with
the addition of photo essays and reviews. The Botsotso editorial
policy remains committed to creating a mix of voices which highlight
the diverse spectrum of South African identities and languages,
particularly those that are dedicated to radical expression and
examinations of South Africa’s complex society.

With over seventy
poets represented, this is a bumper edition of the journal and given the
number of interesting and accomplished poems received (over the past
two years since publication of Botsotso 17), we believed it worthwhile
to break from tradition and dedicate this edition wholly to poetry.