Napo
Napo Masheane was born in Soweto and grew up in Qwaqwa (Free State). She is a writer, director, producer, poet and acclaimed international performer. Napo is a founding member of Feela Sista! Spoken Word Collective as well as Co-Director of 'Colour of the Diaspora', an international collective of black women from the United States and South Africa. In addition, Napo is founder of Kalaneng Arts Track, a youth theatre organization created to support emerging artists. Napo won the Daimler Chrysler South African Poetry Award in 2005 and has studied and worked with Johannesburg University, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), Fuba School of Dramatic Arts, University of California, Los Angeles, Jungel Theater in Germany, Soweto Youth Drama Society, Farnebo College in Sweden and 'The Lion King' in New York City. Presently she directs and manages her own production company 'Village Gossip Productions cc'.
Napo's writing credits include:
As playwright/collaborator: Queens Daughters; Colours of the Diaspora; 'My Bum is Genetic; Deal With It; Faces; and Aah!Aah!Who?
As poet: Timbila Poetry Project Book (2001-2003 volume); and Crossing Borders - the British Council's online poetry collaboration. She is currently working on an anthology of poems, essays and prose entitled Caves Speak in Metaphors.
'I use my voice to reach out, inspire and move people from all walks of life beyond their imagination... My art has, for me, become a way to engage in active self-transformation from being object to subject. Only as subjects can we speak. As objects, we remain voiceless - our being defined and interpreted by others.' Napo Masheane
