The 11 winners of the 2024 AVBOB Poetry Competition, representing each of South Africa’s official written languages, were celebrated in grand style at the AVBOB Poetry gala dinner on September 18 at the Pretoria Country Club.
The event showcased the rich cultural diversity of the country and highlighted AVBOB’s continued commitment to fostering linguistic heritage through poetry.
AVBOB CEO, Carl van der Riet, delivered the keynote address, describing poetry as an essential toolkit for making sense of our most deeply felt experiences.
As South Africans prepared to celebrate Heritage Day on September 24, he paid tribute to a rich and diverse local poetry scene.
“I want to encourage every poet to reimagine life and explore the possibilities of what is and what could be.
“Poetry offers individuals and communities the freedom to express their innermost thoughts, bypassing logic and inviting us to listen with our hearts.”
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He also introduced a new category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition.
“As we find ourselves in the seventh year of celebrating poetry, it is rewarding to introduce a fresh element to the project, ensuring its longevity.
“We introduced new beginnings as a fifth writing category this year. This is in addition to the original themes of birth, hope, death, and love.
“This new theme invites poets from all walks of life to explore the possibilities of a fresh start and capture the joy of embarking on new journeys and chapters through the art of poetry.”
The winner in each language category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition secured an R10 000 cash prize, an R2 500 book voucher, and an elegant trophy.
Each guest at the gala received a copy of the annual anthology, I Wish I’d Said, launched at the event.
The top six poems in each language appear in the anthology – each with an English translation.
A selection of commissioned poems, as well as one Khoikhoi poem by the prolific poet, Toroga Denver completed the anthology.
The editor-in-chief of the AVBOB Poetry Competition, Johann de Lange, and the Siswati Editor, Prof Stanley Madonsela complied this comprehensive collection.
According to De Lange, poetry has a unique ability to express what is profoundly personal and to provide a shared language of mourning or celebration when we need it most.
“When we read and write strong poetry, we remember we are not alone. We know that others have been there before us, looking for words just as we are now.
“The wonderful thing about a competition as this is it encourages participants to reach deep inside themselves to find the words that keep hope alive.”
This year, attendees were entertained by violin and beatbox duo Beauty and the Beat, blending timeless music and modern poetry.
Their vibrant soundscapes set the scene for the event’s emcee, Tumelo Mothotoane who assisted in introducing each winner to AVBOB CEO, Carl van der Riet.
Fezile Mpela, Siyasanga Papu, Hanli Rolfes and Nozi Langa delivered moving poetry performances.
The winners were Salvia Ockhuis for Afrikaans, Sarah Frost for English, Nosipho Noxolo Nxumalo for isiNdebele, Athi Simamkele Dyantyi for isiXhosa, Siyabonga Nxumalo for isiZulu, Moses Seletisha for Sepedi, Moeketsi Golden Mokotjo for Sesotho, Othusitse Moses Lobelo for Setswana, Junior Gcina Nkomo for Siswati, Humbulani Julia Tharaga for Tshivenda and Amukelani Deborah Mashele for Xitsonga.
To order I Wish I’d Said SMS the word ‘POEM’ to 48423 (at a standard cost of R1,50 per SMS) to have it posted to you at a cost of R240.
Alternatively, email your order to tertia@naledi.co.za or find it at selected bookstores.
Visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za to access the AVBOB Poetry Library and to register for the 2025 AVBOB Poetry Competition which is open for entries until November 30.
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