Writer: Jonathan Lefenya | Photographs: Teto Mokaila
When a motion to attend poetry shows echoes across social media platforms, true lovers of the art form heed the call and show up in numbers. On January 29, 2025, we congregated at Word N Sound, answering the invitation that called poets and spoken-word enthusiasts to rejoice at the first church service of the year. However, this was no ordinary church—poetry was the medium of prayer. As we edged closer to the end of the first month, we ushered in the year with an offering from Word N Sound x Inside Out Centre for the Arts under the AH Men project.
The evening’s venue was 48 Jan Smuts Ave, Forest Town, Johannesburg, with the event set to begin at 18:30 in a sold-out space. Upon arrival, we were met by a modern, minimalistic architectural landscape—grey walls, giant pillars, and a high ceiling, all set against a backdrop of lush trees and plants. The artistic structural design invited us to take a step into the future. The entrance—a winding, snake-like path—curved toward the big reveal. At the end of the trail, we encountered the first figure: a man with bear-like features holding, in both hands, screaming decapitated human heads. At this point, it became clear that we were not stepping into the future. Yet curiosity had drawn us in too deep to turn away.
Inside, we were engulfed by a warped world of figures—some hanging from ropes along the building’s walls—alongside photographs and mixed media that challenged everything we thought we knew about the correlation between man and animal. This surrealist world of myth and wonder was methodically curated to unsettle us, pulling questions from the deepest corners of our minds. What was the artist’s state of mind when he created this figure? What was he going through when he made the next one? These murmurs filled the room as the audience, caught between awe and bewilderment, tried to make sense of it all.
At the base of the building, at the centre of the room, stood the stage, illuminated by four vermillion-orange beam lights at its forefront. Sculptures guarded the space—hyenas and footless baboons lurking lifeless in the background. Yet nothing about them seemed out of place. Everything in the space felt as though it belonged, and we were the trespassers in this inanimate world. Unless we were willing to admit to ourselves that we are all animals at our core, we would remain unsettled—out of place.
The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as poetry lovers filled the venue, having travelled far and wide to witness the second offering of AH Men—following the successful first showcase at the Market Theatre Lab, which featured an incredible roster of poets, including Vus’umuzi Phakathi, KB Kilobyte, Masai Sepuru, Solly Ramatswi, Afurakan, and our featured poet, Modise Sekgothe. The host for the evening, the multi-talented, award-winning poet and trailblazer Afurakan Mohare, welcomed us into the space with an energy exercise. The room electrified, and once we had all settled into our seats, the main event was upon us.
The lights dimmed, and Modise Sekgothe walked onto the stage, accompanied by his looper, tongue drum, and kalimba. And so it began—the ethereal journey of a one-man orchestra. With two mics before him—one to loop his haunting sounds, the other to deliver his piercing poetry—he began layering: first voice, then hum; second hum, then voice; voice upon sound, until only a beautiful, haunting crescendo filled the space.
The performance felt like a pastor on a pulpit, sharing his sermon with the congregation. As he ascended, the audience moved with him; as he descended, they followed—trapped in an endless trance, breaking into cheers or falling into tears. There were moments during the layering when the room fell into a deafening silence, only for a harrowing hum to pierce through and settle in our hearts as harmony.
Through his lens, we journeyed into his reflections on manhood—how he defines it for himself through his lived experiences. His vulnerability left us feeling bare, as if we were made of glass, our insides placed outside for all to see. It takes strength and mastery for an artist to capture and hold an audience, making them hold their breath for the entirety of a performance without missing a beat. Many of us left the venue still carrying the hums of his songs, now ringing in our heads, swirling in our hearts.
AH Men doesn’t only explore what masculinity shouldn’t be; it also illuminates what true masculinity looks like, allowing space for vulnerability alongside the poet. The significance of this showcase cannot be put into words—especially in these times when masculinity has so often been wielded as a tool of harm. AH Men reveals that it can also be a tool for healing.
As announced on the night, six more showcases will take place in this space, with each artist revealed as their time approaches. The next showcase is on March 26, 2025, and both Word N Sound and The Inside Out Centre for the Arts hope to build on the success of this first AH Men show.
To close the evening, the founder and artist behind the space, Roger Ballen, shared a brief history of his work. Having been an artist for 55 years, his creations unsettle and provoke, asking: What does it mean to be human, if not to be the animal you were made to be? The animal that surrenders to its instincts?
