Loyal to Poetry – Meet The Resilient And Passionately Gifted Wordsmith, Ronald Mtatabikwa

By Takudzwa Kadzura 

Painting pictures with words is a complex class of literature. Poetry is understood by many as a form of art that is centralized on the interplay of words and rhythm. In focus is Ronald Mtatabikwa, otherwise known as Mr. Loyal, a Social Work student and artist who has found solace in expressing ideas, sharing emotional response and powerfully advocating for the youth through witty word play.

Mr. Loyal is a spoken word artist, poet and storyteller based in Harare. Just like the majority of fellow compatriots in the industry, the 22-year-old’s journey started whilst he was in high school and it is only in 2018 that he settled for the decision to pursue this cause. Mr. Loyal recalls how he never missed getting classmates in jaw-breaking laughter whenever an opportunity to speak came his way. Poetry, being an abstract literary form of expression, shows how his story becomes more intriguing - to him, poetry is a product of a people-inspired meditation.

Through interactions with this writer, Mr. Loyal reiterates how the arts industry at large has left little space for poetry with only a few prominent names feeding off this career. Much inspiration is drawn from Social Work class lectures at the Midlands State University where his light shines brightest and the institution is attributed for handing the youthful poet at least a stepping-stone.

Since 2018, Mr. Loyal has managed to perform on quite a number of different platforms and stages. These include The Virtual Peace Summit in Southern Africa (2020), where he was the youngest on that platform which had foreign dignitaries, and the African Diaspora Theatre Guild Festival which was screened in Canada (2020). He is a Finalist at the Amazing Talent Auditions (2020) and the finals are set for early next year. Mr. Loyal was also a Finalist at the Kanyanisa Africa Poetry Slam (2019).

The young creative appreciates gracing the national broadcasters which has boosted his resilience. He has recently launched a talk show called Tariro where young entrepreneurs, hustlers, creative artists and many other youths pursuing their dreams get a chance to tell their stories through in-depth interviews. The move has received wide acclaim from fellow youths who are grinding to make ends meet while chasing publicity as a marketing tool.

Ronald Mtatabikwa is a multitalented chap, with multimillion dreams and a vision to create opportunities so that we by-pass poverty. You can watch his most successful video performing a poem called Dai Wakandida on Nash TV here

You can subscribe to his channel via this YouTube link.