Poetry, Playwriting, Theater · Queer, Lesbian · South African
About
Koleka Putuma is a South African poet, playwright, theatre practitioner, and creative producer whose work explores Blackness, womanhood, queer identity, race, religion, relationships, and the legacies of apartheid.
Biography
Born in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1993, Putuma studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Cape Town. Her practice spans poetry, theatre, performance, and creative production, with work addressing homophobia, womanhood, race, relationships, religion, and politics.
Putuma’s debut poetry collection, Collective Amnesia, was published in 2017 and won the 2018 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry. Her literary and performance work includes No Easter Sunday for Queers, Hullo, Bu-Bye, Koko, Come In, We Have Everything We Need to Start Again, and the spoken-word album Can I Get a Witness?
Putuma is the founder and director of Manyano Media, a multidisciplinary creative company that creates opportunities and platforms for Black queer women and other independent artists. The company works across theatre, film, readings, workshops, publishing, and other storytelling forms.
BQW Impact
Putuma’s work places Black queer women’s experiences at the center of contemporary South African literature and performance. Her poetry and theatre examine the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, religion, and history while creating space for Black queer perspectives.
Her creative practice engages questions of visibility, memory, identity, and representation within contemporary South African society. Through Manyano Media, she extends that work into creative production and storytelling by Black queer women.
Notable Works
Collective Amnesia (2017)
Putuma’s debut collection exploring Blackness, womanhood, history, sexuality, religion, relationships, grief, and memory.
No Easter Sunday for Queers (2019)
Play exploring queer love, homophobia, Christianity, violence, and the relationship between scripture and lived experience.
Hullo, Bu-Bye, Koko, Come In (2021)
Poetry collection addressing Black femme erasure, identity, memory, and visibility.
We Have Everything We Need to Start Again (2024)
Poetry collection exploring identity, self-discovery, transitions, and navigating young adulthood.
Learn More
Koleka Putuma’s Official Website
Official information about Putuma’s writing, theatre, poetry, creative practice, and current projects.
Institutional information about Collective Amnesia, including its 2018 Glenna Luschei Prize for African Poetry.
Institutional artist profile documenting Putuma’s literary and theatre practice, awards, and current work.
Putuma’s verified professional Instagram account.
Profile details
- Fields: Literature, Screen & Stage
- Roles: Poetry, Playwriting, Theater
- Gender Identity: Woman
- LGBTQ Identity: Queer, Lesbian
- Nationality: South African
- Ethnicity: African
- City: Cape Town
- State/Province: Western Cape
- Country: South Africa
- Region: Africa
- Language(s): English
- Topics: Queer Literature, Spoken Word