Ahead of his inaugural lecture at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Professor Kobus Moolman reflected on his profound journey with language and literature. For the award-winning poet and esteemed author, the seeds of his literary passion were sown in his teenage years at high school, where he dedicated his youth and finances to books over typical adolescent pursuits.

“I read very widely as a student, and it has followed me throughout my life. I spent money on books rather than clothes or anything else,” recounted the 61-year-old Moolman, whose passion for the written word has shaped not only his career but also his identity.

Raised in Pietermaritzburg, Moolman’s path to academia is particularly remarkable. He is the first in his working-class family to attend university. His parents, both of whom left school at a young age, instilled in him the importance of education. “My father might have left in Standard 5 or Standard 3. That was common in those days,” he shared, illustrating the challenges he overcame to pursue his academic dreams.

Professor Moolman has become a vocal advocate for the rights of those with disabilities, drawing upon his own experience living with spina bifida. This condition has significantly influenced his writing, allowing him to explore the intricate relationships between the body and language. “The way in which I’ve begun to understand the body and the relationship between the body and language, and different bodies using language differently, and how language can be used to show the body in its differentness,” he explained.

Since joining UWC in 2016, Professor Moolman has meticulously taught poetry, a subject he finds both simple and profound. In his upcoming inaugural lecture on August 6, he will address his unique approach to teaching this art form. “I teach students how to write a poem, and that seems like a very weird thing. A small thing, maybe a simple thing, maybe an impractical thing, maybe unrelated to the world type thing. But I do fundamentally believe that it is, in fact, all of the opposite. It is the very thing that makes…the human being human. It’s the very thing that restores a sense of self,” he remarked passionately.

Moolman’s academic journey began at the University of Natal, now the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he earned his BA in English and Drama in 1984, followed by two Honours degrees in Drama Studies and English. Years later, after working as an English teacher and sub-editor at the *Natal Witness* newspaper, he returned to academia, completing his Master’s degree in 2004 and ultimately attaining his PhD in 2011 with a dissertation focused on creative writing.

In his teaching and writing process, Moolman posits that poetry is so much more than a simple exploration of thoughts. “Writing poetry is not simply about ‘digging deep’ in the hopes that ‘it will come out’,” he asserted. “There’s something about language that I’m very interested in, particularly in poetry. I’m interested in ways that language can be activated, can be taught. You can show someone what this language can do, but it’s not straightforward; it goes round and round and round.”

For Moolman, poetry is not only a form of artistic expression but an essential means of questioning and understanding the world, highlighting its crucial role in nurturing self-identity and empathy among individuals.

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