Ike Muila’s first poetry performances were between 1988 and 1990 with the Madimba music students at the Soyinkwa Institute of African Theatre in Soweto. Since then he has performed at numerous festivals such as Grahamstown, Arts Alive, Herman Charles Bosman, Berlin International Poetry and Cambridge Contemporary Poetry.
In 1998 he recorded a poetry performance video titled ‘Jikeleza Train’ in collaboration with New Coin and ISEA at the Grahamstown Poetry Festival. In the same year he won a poetry translation award from the English Academy of Southern Africa.
His poetry is featured on the cds Purple Light Mirror in the Mud (2001) and Roots and Branches (2007); his other publications include WE JIVE LIKE THIS (1996)and DIRTY WASHING (1999) – these being compilations of group and individual work with the Botsotso Jesters. The most recent solo collection of his work (which includes his drawings and a cd recording) is GOVA.
A member of the Botsotso Jesters poetry performance group, he is presently on the editorial board of the Botsotso Publishers Collective.
