Happy Publication Day to Owele by Sihle Ntuli!

By Ōtepoti He Puna Auaha | Dunedin UNESCO City Of Literature | Posted: Wednesday Jul 02, 2025

We’re thrilled to be welcoming 2025 Caselberg Trust Margaret Egan Cities of Literature Writers Resident, Sihle Ntuli to Ōtepoti in October with copies of his latest release, Owele, in hand. Also available now from uHlanga Press: https://uhlangapress.co.za/sihle-ntuli-owele

A family of rivers flows through the land. Their waters gather, merge and split. But even twins must create their own paths – where do their individual journeys begin, and how far must they travel to their shared destination, the vast and turbulent ocean?

In Owele, Sihle Ntuli meditates on the origins of his family, clan and language through the earthen-toned rivers of the Zulu world.

The history of the land becomes the history of the person – but do rivers flow to a beat as blood does? The answers are not always as clear as the surface suggests.

Shifting between English and isiZulu, Ntuli’s unique, jazz-inflected poetry here reaches a new level of innovation, vulnerability and delight.

Featuring photographs by Samora Chapman.

Congratulations and Happy Publication Day Sihle!