Sarah Mkhonza

"If I never left [Swaziland] I think I would be dead—that’s what my son told me, I never took the time to think about that, but when I did—he’s right."

"[The problem isn’t always] just freedom of speech as much as harassment of academics, It’s political."

"I thought they fought with ants / over their contents, the bodies / of souls, mingled with dirt, / but found they fight for me / to look at them and wonder: / who lies in there so silent?"

"I thought I was alone / and yet there was a contest, / fighting for my gaze / to turn in their direction."

"My eyes wandered, / thinking of my loved one, / whose message was so clear."

"When people need you, that’s when you start writing."

"It’s good to know that people here want to listen, [In Swaziland] I was writing, knowing the government didn’t agree."

"At least I get to speak freely, but it’s hard to adjust to being free, Maybe if I had [always] lived [in a place with free speech] it would be normal for me to be myself"