Book Launch
RootBound by Mantiphe Moila
By Benevolence Mazhinji
Rootbound is Manthipe Moila’s debut poetry collection, which traces the tangled roots of an estranged father-daughter relationship. It is a deeply personal exploration of a bond that can no longer be reconciled because the father dies before they can bridge the distance between them. Moila said that the book is an effort to “facilitate this impossible conversation that could never happen”, and she uses her poetry to reach across the silence that has been left behind.
Moila initially began writing a poetry collection in 2019 which she submitted to uHlanga Press. That manuscript was rejected with feedback that it needed a sharper thematic focus. For her, this would begin a reflective process stretched across years of practice and an immersive reading of poetry.
There is a poem in her collection which she said was inspired by Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” and she titles hers, “Seven ways of looking at the story of us:. In this poem, she describes a row of Jacarandas lined with aphids that feed on tree sap and produce honeydew. She then draws attention to the dense, overhead spread of jacaranda blossoms and how they seem watchful, and this explores the theme of memory and the act of noticing what has been lost. The poem then shifts to the interior of a home where a packed suitcase creates a sense of physical absence, and the silence that fills the room captures the emotional weight of departure. Together, these images trace the ordinary and extraordinary ways that loss can leave its mark.
It is evident that Moila is a careful observer of the world around her and that her poetry feels intimate and attentive, often turning to plants, trees, and other elements of nature to explore emotions of grief and loss. She spoke about how she is surrounded by many plants in her home, finding comfort in the rituals of watering, pruning, and watching them grow. For her, this is a way of staying connected to nature, but in a space, she can shape and control and also use as a source of inspiration. She said, “I am not a cat lady, I am a plant lady”, and this is reflected in the themes of her poetry collection and even inspired the design for the book cover, which is an image of a plant that is blooming in different colours. The collection also includes poems titled, “Monstera Deliciosa“ and “Monstera Deliciosa Variegata“, showing how this botanical thread is carried though out the collection.
She also experiments with different forms of style, there’s a poem which is written in the form of a Tinder profile and one written like an invoice, and this encapsulates her range as a contemporary poet.
Manthipe Moila was born in 1994 in Johannesburg and studied English Literature at Rhodes University, where she obtained her BA Hons. Her poetry has appeared in publications like New Contrast, Kalahari Review, Tupelo Quarterly, Agbowó, A Long House, and Saranac Review. She will present Rootbound at the Open Book Festival this year in Cape Town.
