Lydol, a poet hailing from Cameroon, will perform at the Poetry Africa International Festival this weekend. Photo: Supplied.
Eye Can Walk
Participants in the walk, intended to help raise awareness about life without sight while fundraising for the KwaZulu-Natal Blind and Deaf Society (KZNBDS), will be blindfolded before walking the 5km or 8km route with the assistance of a guide.
General manager for the KZNBDS Navin Sreechand says, “Since I’ve joined the society, I have become more aware of the challenges blind people face. As an able-bodied person, you don’t even think about it. The Eye Can Walk gives the community a chance to see what challenges blind people face.”
Venue: Kings Park Stadium, October 9 at 08:00
Tickets: R70 for 5km, R90 for 8km walk
Registration: www.eventtiming.info/events.php
Enquiries: Fundraising@bdskzn.org.zapr or 031 309 4991
St James Church in Morningside celebrates their 120th anniversary with a concert featuring Melvin Peters on organ/keyboards and Jeff Robinson on saxophone, performing an unusual repertoire of fine music entitled Unconventional.
The concert includes a live organ accompaniment by Peters to a popular 1920 black-and-white movie, called The Scarecrow. The short film is a family-friendly silent comedy, starring Buster Keaton, and the live accompaniment pays homage to pianists who played live music for silent movies.
Peters and Robinson are well-known for jazz performances, but in this instance, they include a broad range of music from other genres. The unusual combination of organ and saxophone allows for an interesting programme focused on improvisation.
Venue: St James Church, 115 Venice Road, Morningside.
Date: Sunday, October 9 at 15:00.
Tickets: R100, which includes post-show refreshments.
Enquiries: Tessa Lee on fundraisingstjames@gmail.com
Melvin Peters and Jeff Robinson offer a unique repertoire of organ and saxophone music. PHOTO: Supplied, Pexels
Poetry Africa International Festival
The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) hosts the 26th iteration of the Poetry Africa International Festival from October 6 to 16.
The theme is Poetic (In)Justice: Voices that Breathe, Move and Transform, and the festival is an ode to the depth of perspective that poetry affords us in seeing and articulating (in)justice. This year, the festival is taking place in Johannesburg and Durban, and some of the sessions will take place virtually.
Poets will battle it out in the semi-final of the Slam Jam competition, which is a festival highlight, on October 7. The winner will walk away with a prize of R22 000 and an international trip to participate in the World Slam Competition 2023. On October 8, South African and international poets take to the stage to present poetry that is defiant in content and presentation.
Although much of the programme will be presented in Durban, the On-Tour programme travels through KZN and Johannesburg, and some seminars and readings will be offered online.
The Buzz is a local, community market that started during the Covid lockdown. Now a regular Saturday feature in the heart of Westville, it’s the perfect place to find unique gifts, organic vegetables, creative clothing with local flair, decor, jewellery, second-hand books and decadent treats.
Venue: 38 Pitlochry Road, Westville, every Saturday, 09:00 to 14:00.
