THE University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) has once again transformed Durban into a platform to share and celebrate cultural reflections and discourses through the 21st edition of Poetry Africa International Festival.
The festival, which started on Monday at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (UKZN, Howard College), will culminate in a finale at the BAT Centre on Saturday. The festival is not only for poetry but also provides workshops and community outreach programmes at different venues around Durban.
Audiences will be enthralled by the variety of delivery approaches from four prelude-poets and 18 seasoned dynamos of the spoken word, hailing from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, USA, Spain, Ukraine and Reunion Island and of course South Africa.
This year’s line-up includes the likes of South African male poets such as Kelwyn Sole, a poet with six individual published collections of poetry under his belt. Qwa-qwa native Hlox The Rebel, is a must-see as he will certainly entertain with his bold and brazen verses. Durbanites will be familiar with Durban-born poet, Minenhle Mthembu, winner of the best male poet at the 2013 Original Material Awards.
Rounding up the KwaZulu-Natal natives is Ukhozi FM resident poet, known as “Imbongi”, for his powerful use of the vernacular language, Siyabonga Mpungose. No line up is complete without stand-up poet, storyteller, essayist, columnist, and spoken word theatre directorKgafela Oa Magogodi, who has graced stages across Southern Africa and abroad.
Influential female poets, Myesha Jenkins, Natalia Molebatsi and Siphokazi Jonas are also part of this year’s South African line-up. Jenkins is a writer and poet who currently has two poetry collections to her name.
In an effort to bring audiences a plethora of culture, the festival is flying in the best that other African countries and the Global-North has to offer. From Ukraine, founder and curator of the International Ukrainian-African Literature Project Hannah Yanovska, and Oksana Rozumnaprofessional linguist and author of two books of poetry shall be taking the stage.
The above-mentioned storytellers, activists and pioneers of poetry will be spaced out across the six day festival. Samthing Soweto will wrap things up in proper kasi-soul style celebration at the closing night hosted at the BAT Centre. All festival participants will be present for both the opening and closing night to ensure that the audiences get their fill of what this year’s Poetry Africa Festival has to offer.
Tickets for the finale happening at the BAT Centre are R100 and can be purchased at Computicket or one hour before the performance begins at the box-office. For more information go to www.cca.ukzn.ac.za, call 031 260 2506/1816 or email Maju Radebe at radebem3@ukzn.ac.za. Like the Poetry Africa Facebook Page or follow @PoetryAfrica on Twitter for instant updates about the festival.
