For years she has been walking beside me
You could say she has been more loyal than my shadow has ever been
For she is with me all the time.
*
I tried to dodge her, I swear I did my all
But she keeps tracking me down – it’s creepy.
*
She always knows where I am and what I do
I tried changing locations but she keeps popping.
I guess you could say we are destined to be together forever.
*
But something about this friendship doesn’t seem right
I don’t love her as much as she loves me.
I won’t lie she gives me butterflies in my tummy
I can’t really tell if it’s good or not
But I wonder if she is worth me pursuing this friendship.
*
The more time passes, the harder it is to get rid of her
But I have found a way to block her out.
She keeps trying to creep in but I told her I can’t do this anymore.
*
She is mad at me I know,
And I do miss her at times for she was always one with me.
She made it easy for me to feel comfortable in my little shell
But with her around, I wasn’t growing
And so I had to let her go
And now I am prospering more than ever.
Her name is “Doubt” and I pray she hasn’t made it into your life
Jane Mpholo is a multi-award winning theatre Practitioner and an Audience Development Specialist at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) . She has been active on both the national and international platforms with collaborations with practitioners from the Netherlands, USA and Australia, to name a few. Jane is a senior judge for the World Monologue Games and World Monologue Film Festival. Her highlights as a writer include being chosen as one of the 5 top playwrights for the NATi Yong Sterre program for her script "The Dawn", making it to the top 20 playwrights list for the African Women Playwrights Festival of Plays for her script "The Naked Truth" (which she later turned into a short film) and having her script "Fragmented" on the program for Teksmark 2022. Her autobiographical show "Psalm 69" has proved to be timeless and has showcased on both the national and international platforms such as the Global leadership summit 2018. Jane is a panel member for the National Arts Council and is a former FS Provincial Liaison for the BASA Debut Program. She is a recent graduate for the BASA Cultural Producers Program, an initiative between British Council; BASA, Common Purpose and the Manchester International Festival. Her short film "Cleanse" which looks at the life of a woman under oppression as a domestic worker has won multiple international awards and aired on DSTV pop up channel 150 (Woordfees TV 2022). Jane is also one of the contributors for the Stemme/Voices monologues 2022, an initiative by the Suidoosterfees.
Jane practices as a professional actor (has over 40 theatrical shows under her belt), playwright, producer, dramaturge, facilitator, arts coach , speaker and mentor. She is passionate about inclusive education and creating a safe space for audiences to engage in discussions pertaining to the social ills of the world. She is a true advocate for human rights.
Amongst the many awards and recognitions....she is a three times Kyknet Fiesta Nominated artist and made it to the lists "Mail and Guardian Women Changing South Africa" and the "Sunday World Unsung Heroes 2022".
