Conversation with South African poets - 7: Liyema Mkabile

This time, I've chosen a poem by Liyema Mkabile in Botsotso, titled Doek: Black and Female.  There was no way I could think of to respond to this poem that didn't seem like cultural appropriation, so instead, I resorted to Google again, to try to take my whiteness out of the way. The following "poem" is pretty much just Google search results, but I think it tells a telling tale, while also keeping me in the position of outsider "googling" in. 

As usual, you are invited to read the original, here, and post your own response in the comments section below.


Doek

a "poem" "by" Jean Watermeyer, after Liyema Mkabile

Doek
a headscarf
Definitions from Oxford languages
Doek on Fleek - how I tie my doek!
Fleek: extremely good, attractive, stylish
"my hair is fleek right now"
How to wear a traditional doek
Head wrap tutorials
240 My doek style ideas in 2021
180 best doek style ideas
kopdoek: a kerchief or bandana worn as a head covering
Look it up now!
a square of cloth worn mainly by African women to cover the head
obsolete. a cloth or handkerchief
doekie
Wrapped with pride and dignity
5 ways to tie your doek for the office, including the tricky "top knot"
doek for sale
Easy wrap doek: Black
double layer, triangular kopdoek, designed to protect against the thermal effects of an electric arc flash
all white picnic with a touch of orange
Doek! a literary magazine
calendar Doek
A thin doek is easy to tie
Namibian writers
Define doek.
Black doek movement urges women to walk away
How South African women are reclaiming the headscarf
#doek




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