Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation - NPO

26/02/2026

Following the historic Can Themba Merit Award for Mr Duiker Sang the Blues, the Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation highlights the author’s reflections at the International Literary Festival.

described Can Themba as a “soul searcher” caught in the turmoil of his surroundings while searching for meaning within.

The discussion delved into the creative process behind the story, examining its thematic intent, the issues it challenges, and its broader social implications. The author spoke on the importance of writing that connects personal experience to wider societal narratives, reflecting the complexities of contemporary life.

Looking ahead, the conversation shifted to future plans, highlighting ongoing projects and a commitment to exploring themes that resonate both locally and globally.

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24/02/2026

Following the historic Can Themba Merit Award for Mr Duiker Sang the Blues, the Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation highlights reflections at the International Literary Festival.

The panel explored svik / betrayal, a central theme in the story, and the ways it shapes characters like Ebenezer and Themba Duiker while speaking to the craft of South African short-story writing.

The discussion also addressed the significance of winning the award, named for the iconic South African writer Can Themba, whose work captured the complexities of urban life under apartheid.

Recognition through the award honours both a single work and the sustained labour of storytelling, emphasising the discipline, thematic clarity and social insight necessary to engage contemporary realities through fiction.

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Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation

24/02/2026

Following the historic Can Themba Merit Award for Mr Duiker Sang the Blues, the Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation notes the participation of in a panel alongside Vónbjørt Vang and moderator Kjersti Løken Stavrum at the International Literary Festival in Norway.

The discussion reflected on the trajectory of the work after recognition, with attention to memory, responsibility and the ongoing labour of literary practice across contexts. The engagement forms part of a broader commitment to sustaining dialogue between local and international literary communities and to supporting the continued movement of South African writing beyond its point of origin.

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18/02/2026

Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation
Issue: Participation at the Bergen International Literary Festival
Date: 18 February 2026

We acknowledge the recent participation of in the International Literary Festival in Bergen, Norway.

The visit followed the inaugural DALRO Can Themba Merit Award for Mr Duiker Sang the Blues, and continued the work of bringing South African writing into sustained international dialogue.

The foundation recognises the contribution of , , , Foundation, and editor in sustaining this movement of work across contexts.

At the festival, conversations centred on memory, responsibility and the demands placed on writers engaging unsettled histories. Reflecting on the exchange, Kwinika noted: “Literature still offers a place where difficult histories can be carried without being softened.”

A reading of Mr Duiker Sang the Blues placed the work alongside that of and .marton, situating distinct lived experiences in dialogue. Engagements also included discussions with , and , as well as a panel alongside .vang moderated by Kjersti Løken Stavrum examining literary recognition and ongoing practice.

During a reception hosted by Bergen Municipality at Håkonshallen, dialogue with Vincent Mrimba reaffirmed the role of cities and institutions in sustaining artistic communities.

The foundation regards this engagement as part of a continuing trajectory. The forthcoming stage adaptation of Mr Duiker Sang the Blues and participation in the Festival in Durban will extend these conversations within local literary space.

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Literary Exchange Dyondzo Kwinika Foundation

18/12/2025

We are proud to share that Mr Duiker Sang the Blues by has been published by the .

The story is the winner of the inaugural DALRO Can Themba Short Story Award and forms part of a growing body of work committed to grounded South African storytelling.

This work was made possible through the support and collaboration of , the University, and the Market.

Read the story here:
www.johannesburgreviewofbooks.com/2025/12/15/read-mr-duiker-sang-the-blues-by-dyondzo-kwinika-winner-of-the-inaugural-dalro-can-themba-short-story-award

24/09/2025

On Heritage Day, we reflect on the stories that carry our histories forward.

“Winning the inaugural DALRO Can Themba Merit Award connects me to a lineage I admire. Can Themba’s stories in Drum revealed society in microcosm, proving that literature could carry witness as rigorously as journalism or activism. His legacy is not just precedent but permission, a reminder that the stories we tell matter, that care and fidelity to life are inseparable from art.

Mr Duiker Sang the Blues is my answer, partial and fractured. Fathers and sons, absence, the brittle ways we preserve humanity amid failure. Memory moves in fragments. Music threads through it because grief and hope coexist, unresolved. Township streets, children’s games, communal survival shape each line, each pause, each beat.” — Dyondzo Kwinika

On this Heritage Day, we honour Themba and all who turned memory into heritage. Gratitude to , , , and Foundation for carrying this story into the world.

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19/09/2025

On 8 September we joined the Moving Spirit Book Club at Constitution Hill to honour International Literacy Day.

In a place that carries the weight of history, we were reminded that literacy is not only about books. It is about dignity, freedom, and the right to imagine new futures.

For the Foundation, it was a moment to recommit to protecting stories, voices, and access to knowledge for all.

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23/06/2025

Dyondzo shares his journey as a writer and reflects on themes of grief, identity, and holding space.

We invite you to watch and reflect on stories that truly matter.

📽️ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QPRONLJCzm4

26/05/2025

“Alf Kumalo’s Miriam Makeba Performing in Lesotho, 1981 stays with you. The sweat. The stillness. The sound you almost hear. I’m drawn to work like this. Not for what it shows, but for what it holds. It shapes how I write. How I collect. How I sit with images, long after they’ve left the wall.”
— Dyondzo Kwinika, Dalro Can Themba Merit Award Finalist 2025

RMB Latitudes 2025 was more than a display. It was a convergence of histories, voices and forms. Each piece carried layers beyond the surface. The fair reminded us that art is both a record and a call to reckon with our past and present.

We align with spaces that nurture this depth, where creation meets critique and tradition dialogues with the present. The works invite reflection, challenge and listening.

As a foundation, we support moments where artists push boundaries and stories unfold in complexity. These encounters deepen our understanding of culture and identity.

Art never stays still. It stays with us. It shapes how we see the world.

📍 Shepstone Gardens, Johannesburg
🗓 25 May 2025

14/05/2025

“I write about what we don’t say.
What we’re not allowed to feel.
Thank you to the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award for naming me a Top 10 Finalist.
From Soweto to the 🌎” — Dyondzo

Meet Dyondzo Kwinika, a Top 10 Finalist for the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award✍️📚

A big congratulations to Dyondzo, whose short story captivated the judges with its originality and nuanced narrative.🎉🙌📝

In His Own Words:
“As a writer, I am drawn to themes often left unspoken - silence, stigma, sexual shame - particularly as they manifest in the private lives of Black South African men. I am invested in the psychological architecture of masculinity, its generational distortions, and how it inhibits our capacity to love, to mourn, to change.”
— Dyondzo Kwinika, Finalist

We’re proud to celebrate his achievement as we shine a light on the powerful voices shaping South African literature👏📝🎉

Stay tuned as we continue to introduce the incredible Top 10 finalists in the DALRO Can Themba Merit Award✨

06/05/2025

We’re thrilled to share that our very own Dyondzo Kwinika has been named a Top 10 finalist for the prestigious DALRO Can Themba Merit Award!

This recognition is a powerful reminder of the talent, resilience, and storytelling spirit that drives everything we stand for.

Congratulations, Dyondzo — your voice continues to break ground and inspire.
The journey is just beginning.

06/03/2025

Officially admitted! ⚖️

Congratulations to Dyondzo Kwinika on his admission as an attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

A milestone achieved, a new chapter begins.

Wishing him success on this journey.

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