Tuckahoe NY Pride

Koleka Putuma is a South African poet, writer, and playwright whose work blends performance, politics, and intimate autobiography. Emerging from spoken-word stages, she became widely read for her debut collection Collective Amnesia (2017), which examines race, gender, sexuality, Christianity, land, and generational memory in post-apartheid South Africa. Putuma’s poems are direct and rhythmic, often addressed to institutions and audiences that demand silence or gratitude. Her most well-known poem, “Water,” confronts the legacies of colonization and faith while insisting on bodily and cultural self-definition. She has also curated literary projects and mentored younger voices. Her acclaim helped expand contemporary African poetics.

Excerpt from “Water”

For all we know
the disciples could have been queer, the holy trinity some weird twisted love triangle
And the Holy Ghost transgender
But you will only choose to understand the scriptures that suit your agenda
You have taken the liberty to colonise the concept of God

Photo credit Iskeem Semicimbi