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Lee Mokobe: How Can We Make Sense Of Ourselves Through Poetry?

Part 4 of TED Radio Hour Episode The Artist's Voice

How can art be a tool to better understand ourselves and the world around us? Poet Lee Mokobe shares what it was like to grow up trans in South Africa, and how language can be a tool for change.

About Lee Mokobe

Lee Mokobe is a slam poet based in South Africa. Their writing tackles social justice issues and explores LGBTQ identities through the lens of a Black transgender immigrant in America.

Mokobe is also the co-founder of the youth arts education group Vocal Revolutionaries, for which they received the inaugural Adobe Creative Catalyst Award and the Awesome Foundation Grantee. The volunteer-run organization holds poetry and art workshops and motivational talks for South African youths.

Mokobe has performed all over the world included at the Barclay's Center, The LGBT Center, LA YouTube Space and Vidcon. Their work has been featured by The Fader, Al Jazeera, New York Public Library, Philly.com, Soulpancake media, OkayAfrica and Leeway Foundation.

This segment of TED Radio Hour was produced by Diba Mohtasham and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Rachel Faulkner. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour. She is a journalist, podcaster and media entrepreneur, and her work reflects her passion for investigating how technology and business are transforming humanity.
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