Zenariah Barends was a student, community and cultural activist during the late 70s and 80s. She has worked at Molo Songololo, as a lecturer and researcher at the University of the Western Cape, as an investigator at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), at the Community Chest and in the corporate environment.
A singer, poet, dancer and DJ, arts has infused her life since she was a little girl when her mom first took her to join the Wilvan School of Ballet in Kensington. Believing that art is critical to being human, she was one of the founding members of the Cape Cultural Collective in 2007 and served as chair of the board from 2019 to 2022. She was one of the contributing poets to At Truth’s Edge, the 1st poetry anthology of the CCC.
