Siya Dlamini is a poet, storyteller, cultural curator, and arts strategist based in Mbabane, Eswatini. He uses poetry as both mirror and microphone; reflecting the textures of everyday Swati life while amplifying nuanced conversations around identity, memory, language, and becoming. His work moves between page and stage, blending lyrical vulnerability with social commentary, often exploring the quiet tensions between tradition and modernity.

He is the Founder and Director of Umsamo we Culture, a creative agency dedicated to strengthening the artistic ecosystem through programming, partnerships, and knowledge-sharing. Through this platform, he curates Poetry & Acoustics, an intimate live music and spoken word concert series designed to create intentional listening spaces for mature audiences, working professionals, and culturally curious youth. His approach to curation is rooted in experience design, crafting gatherings that feel sacred, thoughtful, and sonically rich.

Siya also leads Lalela & Listen, a capacity-building initiative equipping poets, podcasters, singer-songwriters, and voice artists with practical tools for packaging, recording, and distributing their work sustainably. His broader vision centres on cultural preservation, creative entrepreneurship, and positioning Eswatini’s voices within continental and global conversations.

As a Master of Ceremonies that has graced stages like MTN Bushfire, Standard Bank Luju Festival and Good Neighbors at Nirox Sculpture Park, he continues to bring warmth, poise, and poetic rhythm to every stage. Whether writing, producing, or facilitating dialogue, Siya’s work is guided by a commitment to storytelling as legacy, an offering to the present and an inheritance for the future.