Kemera’s Biography
Kemera Moodly is yearning, searching, stumbling and soaring. She is quiet and soulful, sometimes sorrowful. Few people document the emotional roller coaster of life. Kemera does, with all its twists and turns. She’s a poet who has been scribbling her thoughts since she was a child. The journey of putting pen to paper has seen her publish four books with another in the offing.
Throughout school and university Kemera felt mostly out of place, often misunderstood and content to be alone.
“I had to put down what was going on in my head. It was therapeutic. I was lonely but not isolated. Sometimes people in a group feel more alone inside the group than out. Writing is my outlet.”
Kemera is 29 years old. She lives in the South African port city of Durban and works in human resources. She graduated from university with a degree majoring in industrial psychology.
Footprints
In 2020 Kemera published Footprints, an anthology of poems and short stories described at the time as ‘tender, vivid and imaginative.’ Kemera’s writing is heartfelt and delves into a host of issues from recollections of her grandfather to travels in India. She’s not tactless but speaks plainly. She’s sentimental but not soppy.
“In a few months I will be 30 and in the society I come from you should be married by this age. I don’t feel bound by societal convention. I wrote something on belonging and being content and it nags me. Belonging is not something external, you find it within.”
Chronic Pain
In recent years Kemera suffered chronic headaches. Nothing would relieve her constant headaches. “I had a headache from the moment I opened my eyes every morning and I went through a string of medical practitioners. The Covid-19 lockdown was a period of prolonged agony because I couldn’t go for treatment.”
Kemera eventually found a clinician who could treat her chronic pain and the relief was radical.
“Over time I healed and after a period of darkness I found light. It was a painful and sorrowful journey. Sickness doesn’t only impact you, it impacts your loved ones. My family understood my pain, but very rarely did others understand. And that’s when I realised that if I can’t try to help others through my writing, what’s the point of writing?”
Making sense of the world
Kemera says her job as a writer is to rationalise human existence by putting it into words, realising that the exercise is subjective. How do we make sense of the world and what do we regard as important? Kemera’s aim is to move her writing from a selfish pursuit to something worth sharing. “If I write something I measure it as worthwhile if it is useful, it should be worth your time and it should also be thought provoking.”
Inspiration
Canadian poet Rupi Kaur is Kemera’s biggest inspiration. But Kemera is wary of being too influenced by anyone.
“With Instagram so saturated, everybody wants to be the next Rupi. I don’t want to copy anyone. My purpose as a writer is to be myself and to speak from the heart.”
Kemera says her writing is in part an expression of gratitude for her blessings, chiefly a loving and supportive family.
Flamenco and Poetry
When Kemera was a child her mother played guitar, a gift from her dad when he could least afford it. “I grew up with that guitar and started taking lessons at the age of 10. My parents were open minded and exposed me to a range of music. I bought CDs with my allowance and I discovered Flamenco music. In another life I may have been a Spaniard.”
Kemera’s love for Flamenco took her to Spain in 2018 and she has written movingly about the impact it has on her, particularly watching Vicente Amigo perform. “Music is also my joy and inspiration. My parents listened to Simon and Garfunkel when I was in the womb and it stayed with me, especially the song: I am a rock.”
A verse from the song reads:
“I have my books
“And my poetry to protect me
“I am shielded in my armor
“Hiding in my room, safe within my womb
“I touch no one and no one touches me.”
Kemera identifies with this. “When I am in my room, listening to music and reading and writing, I don’t feel alone. I am at my best when I reflect on human existence and pen a verse.”
Q&A with Kemera
Question: Actor Matthew McConaughey speaks about motivators in life, about having something to look up to; something to look forward to and something to chase. How does that resonate with you?
Answer: I look up to my parents. I have never been religious. I am spiritual. I believe God is everywhere, not only in a temple, a mosque or a church. God is in flowers, trees and people. I don’t perform rituals to worship. You speak to God through what is in your heart and how you treat people. I look forward to whatever life has in store for me. I chase my dreams and ambitions. Hopefully what I have written has value. I would like to be recognised for that, but I am not chasing fame.
Question: What is the best part of your day?
Answer: The solitude of my room in the evening when I can listen to my music alone and I love it.
Question: What has been your biggest lesson in life?
Answer: No matter what you go through, there will be a light. You have to find it because only then can you overcome your anger, your pain, your sadness.
Question: If you had to write your obituary, what would it say?
Answer: “I am not sure. Philosophy 101 says happiness is not guaranteed but suffering is. If you give birth, you inadvertently give life to suffering. So why procreate? If you want to leave a legacy, you can write a book. I have done that.”
Published Books
Teardrops from my pen
"This is an anthology that reflects many ideas, observations and experiences that have touched my being and filled my eyes (and heart) with tears. It may have been a seemingly insignificant news broadcast; a drive through a foreign city; a reflection on my recent history; or perhaps a compassionate look at the beggar while waiting at the traffic light on Kenneth Kaunda Avenue. Whatever it may be, my simple words attempt to mirror the many emotions I have felt within."
Footprints
"As the poems, essays and stories in this anthology are a testament to, the author's heart has been shaped and influenced by her interaction with people whose paths she crossed. Sometimes the footprints have been gentle, sometimes deeper. Perhaps it was a passing glance, a fleeting smile, a distant observation or intense connection: 'My spirit was renewed, and my eyes were opened to some previously unknown beauty and I’ve attempted to express my emotions and these experiences.'"
Tomorrow's Light
"I believe a writer has an unspoken duty to give the reader something to think about, something to be inspired by, something to relate to, and something to turn to in times of darkness. This anthology was born out of a desire to simultaneously comfort and inspire others, as well as to help myself.
If my poetry moves your spirit in some miniscule way, then my purpose is served. Wherever you are in this world, may you always find a way to tomorrow's light.'"
You speak to God through what is in your heart and how you treat people. I look forward to whatever life has in store for me. I chase my dreams and ambitions.