Mongane Wally Serote
Mongane Wally Serote | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 May 1944 Sophiatown, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African, Motswana, British |
| Education | Morris Isaacson High School, Sacred Heart Commercial High School |
| Alma mater | Columbia University University of the Witwatersrand |
| Occupation(s) | Poet and cultural activist |
| Known for | National Poet Laureate, 2018 |
| Political party | African National Congress |
| Awards | Order of Ikhamanga in Silver Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize |
| Website | Foundation Website |
Mongane Wally Serote (born 8 May 1944) is a South African poet and writer. He became involved in political resistance to the apartheid government by joining the African National Congress (ANC) and in 1969 was arrested and detained for several months without trial. He subsequently spent years in exile, working in Botswana, and later London, England, for the ANC in their Arts and Culture Department, before eventually returning to South Africa in 1990. He was inaugurated as South Africa's National Poet Laureate in 2018.