ARTISTIC PROFILE
We spend countless sleepless nights
Watching our pens and paper getting intimate
Back to back
Igniting flames
Sparking fires
Only we can extinguish
One stains the other with blue, red, black
Tattooing flesh on naked bones
Breathing life into dying souls
Leaving behind ashes of some divine poetry-making
Linda Gabriel, born in 1985, is one of the crop of exciting female performance poets to emerge out of Zimbabwe. Bilingual, her linguistic versatility is forged into brilliant poems written in either English or Shona, depending on which language effectively expresses what issue. The 35year-old powerful orator has been hooked on performance poetry since high school in 2001 and has since participated in major literary events in Zimbabwe, the rest of southern Africa and Europe. Mostly her work celebrates womanhood and its challenges. She uses the stage to tell untold stories and address taboo matters. Linda conducts workshops on creative writing and poetry performance in schools and refugee communities. She does performance lectures at universities and colleges. Besides being an artist Linda is a fashion designer, festival curator, events manager and a community developer. Linda is a University of Witwatersrand graduate and holds a BA (Hon) in Applied Drama and Theatre.
Previous Tours
- European Tour: Germany, Austria, Czech Republic. May – July 2019
- European Tour: Germany, Austria, Denmark. Oct – Dec 2018
- European Tour: Germany, Austria, Denmark. April – May 2018
- European Tour: Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway. Aug -Sep 2016
- European Tour: Switzerland, Germany, Denmark. May – June 2016
- Germany Tour: Feb – March 2016
- Germany 4 City Tour: Mannheim, Magdeburg, Halle and Berlin. June 2014
Guest Speaker/Lecturer
- University of Potsdam, Berlin, Germany. May 2018
- Center for Creative Arts and Culture, Zululand University, South Africa. April 2017
- Zimfest Oslo, Norway. Aug 2016
- Faculty of African Studies and Gender Studies – Humboldt University, Germany. June 2016
Solo Performances
- You Think You Know Me, The State Theatre, South Africa. 3- 5 August 2016
- BIGSAS Festival, Bayreuth University, Germany. 2-6 June 2016
- Every Tuesday from 23 June – 21 Nov performed at Maestro Lounge, Zimbabwe
- Guest Artist at Lyricist Lounge, Tanzania. Jan 2015
- One on One with Linda Gabriel feat Ticha Muzavazi, Zimbabwe. Dec 2014
- 11TH National Oral History Conference, South Afric. Oct 2014
- One on One with Linda Gabriel feat Batsirai Chigama, Zimbabwe. July 2014
- Workshops and performances in Cote d’Ivoire. December 2013
- Tour in Kigali-workshops and performances, Rwanda. Oct 2012 & September 2013
- Several Performances and workshops in South Africa, Malawi, Swaziland. 2008 to present
Collaborated and Shared With
Mutabaruka – Jamaican Poet, Zeena Edwards – UK Poet, Antonio Lyons- US Poet/Musician/Dance Charlie Dark – UK Poet, DJ Jay Scarlet – UK, Myesha Jenkins – US Poet, Natalia Molebatsi,
Lebo Mashile, Phillippa Yaa De Villers, Flo, Gcina Mhlope (South African Artists)
Papa Zai- Zambian Musician, Ticha Muzavazi-Zimbabwean Poet, Akiko Nakamura-Japanese Pianist Samantha R Thornhill – US Poet, Stanley O Kenani – Malawian Poet,
Dudu Manhenga – Zimbabwean Afro Jazz Diva, Chiwoniso Maraire – Zimbabwean Chimurenga Soul Diva,