Reatlehile Pitsi: Rediscovering her purpose through poetry and film

As poetry and freedom of expression are closely tied to human rights, Rovers Drama Club in Welkom marked International Poetry Day and SA’s Human Rights Day with a poetry competition. Participants submitted poems under 100 words, and Reatlehile Pitsi’s poem “Human Again” was the clear winner.

The tone transforms from pain and numbness to hope, vulnerability, and acceptance. The poem conveys the impact someone can have on another person’s life, helping them reconnect with their emotions and humanity.

Reatlehile credits Coach T-Bone Hlahane with helping her break out of her shell. “Without him, I would still be an aspiring filmmaker,” she says.

Poetry’s been a game-changer for her: “It helps me express my emotions and understand my mind. It has reconnected me with my inner world; filmmaking offered a way to bring that rediscovered humanity to life on screen.

A writer since 15, Reatlehile’s journey took an unexpected turn in China studying international business. “China’s livestreaming culture made me realise I love managing and producing – filmmaking is my calling,” she says.

Human Again

It took years to cage the little girl inside me.
It took technique and art to switch off my identity.
It took a dozen punches to my mind to silence my thoughts.
It took labour to build a backbone that screamed, “I don’t care.”
It took eons to find the right lens to view the world with derealization.
Until you graced me with your existence,
Opened all the curtains to my blind eyes,
Made me feel nerves that weren’t anxiety,
A taste of humanity, a glimpse of hope.
You were not supposed to make me feel human again.

By Cadesia de bruin