Philosophical and ideological intertextual resonances in OK Matsepe and Vonani Bila’s selected poems

Abstract

This article explores the philosophical and ideological intertextual resonances between OK Matsepe’s Ge wa ditšhila ka moka re ka o hlaswa and Vonani Bila’s The Toilet Cleaner at OR Tambo Airport. It argues that the two poems share thematic, ideological, and philosophical affinities, particularly in their treatment of the concept of work and its place in (South) African society. Drawing on intertextuality theory and employing a close textual analysis, the article foregrounds how these resonances reflect deeper ideological and philosophical continuities. The study is motivated by the critical need to increase scholarly engagement with the works of Matsepe and Bila – two South African poets whose contributions remain underexplored in literary criticism. By focusing on inferable rather than explicit intertextuality, the article contends that intertextual connections extend beyond linguistic echoes to encompass shared philosophical and ideological visions. Ultimately, it calls for greater recognition of contemporary African poets whose works engage meaningfully with the sociopolitical realities of the present.