Pura Lavisa

Pura Lavisa is a spoken word artist, an activist, literary and multimedia scholar from eGcuwa, EC. His career began after completing a National Diploma in Audio Engineering at Cape Audio College [2000]. After obtaining a BA Degree in African Languages at UFH [2016] he pursued an Honors degree in Anthropology at RU [2017], with focus on rural community-based art organizations, primarily in the Eastern Cape, after-which he completed a Masters degree in Creative Writing focusing on both isiXhosa and English languages at RU [2019].

An Andrew Mellon fellow, he is currently reading towards a PhD in Journalism and Media Studies at RU, with his main interest on the intersections between literature and broadcast media, within a scope of Decoloniality and Indigenous Knowledge Systems. Having co-established Imonti FM [East London], been a Creative Director at Emthonjeni Arts Residency [Peddie], content producer at Chimurenga PASS [CPT], and a researcher for a Robben Island Memories documentary series project [CHDM] where he interviewed about 100 Robben Island ex-political prisoners and their families, mostly PAC and APLA Veterans, his activism remains rooted in Hip Hop culture as a performer, philosopher and pioneer of a rap genre known as Umculo Buciko.

Since the beginning of 2021 Lavisa was commissioned by the late Honorable Chief Ngangomhlaba Matanzima, as an author of this iconic leader’s biography, a project which is yet to see completion. Lavisa has recently been appointed as a Research Curator at Amazwi South African Museum of Literature which is based in Makhanda.