Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Wonder Guchu
11 September 2007
Harare — POETRY Africa International Festival to be held in Durban South Africa next month will include a special package for Zimbabwe.
The package, titled Hello Zimbabwe, features Chirikure Chirikure, Comrade Fatso and Chiwoniso Maraire who will be part of 20 other poets drawn from 10 countries.
Now in its eleventh year, Poetry Africa, which takes place from October 1 to 6, will be hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Centre for Creative Arts.
The event will open with a series of pre-festival performances at Flavours of Durban, a Celebrate Durban initiative on September 29 and at the Awesome Africa Music Festival at Midmar Dam on September 30.
Other participants are Stanley Onjezani Kenani (Malawi), whose poetry encompasses the rhythm of African life in a mesh of metaphors, folklore and song; Senegalese poet and arts activist Habib Demba Fall; and theatre practitioner Keamogetsi Joseph Molapong (Namibia), whose incisive poetry critiques the harsh inequities of post-independence Namibian society.
The eclectic mix of poetic voices, styles, forms and cultures includes the nuanced verse of acclaimed writer, theatre and film director/producer, Nathalie Handal and the visceral power of Oni the Haitian Sensation whose colourful poetry focuses significantly on social concerns and sexuality.
The strong musical thread in this year's Poetry Africa incorporates the uniquely resonant voice and maloya blues of musician and poet Danyel Waro (Reunion) in his long-awaited first visit to South Africa, and accompanied by group members playing island percussion.
With a string of poetry awards to her credit the prolific young Korean-American Ishle, has been described as "brilliant, fiery, intelligent, raw, funny" and she too, with guitar, brings a musical approach to the performance of her poetry.
From East Africa comes the dynamic Kenyan poet and spoken-word theatre artist, Shailja Patel, whose show Migritude has played to packed houses and standing ovations since it was launched in December 2006.
The diverse array of South African poets at the core of Poetry Africa include respected poet and playwright Angifi Dladla, whose hard-hitting and complex poems have been published widely both locally and internationally, and the equally established Arja Salafranca, whose lucid poetry offers us intimate glances into intensely personal worlds.
The multi-talented Napo Masheane, currently enjoying great success and acclaim with her play "My Bum Is Genetic, Deal with It" and Haidee Kruger, a poet of startling technical ability and lyrical finesse, in addition to gracing the Poetry Africa stages, will both be launching their poetry collections at the festival.
The festival lineup also presents the evocative and provocative poetry of television writer and stage actress, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers; Danie Marais, whose stunning debut poetry collection In die buitenste ruimte (2006) has been awarded the Eugène Marais Prize, the UJ Debut Prize and the Ingrid Jonker Prize; and Durbanite Syd Kitchen, whose success as a musician should not overshadow his prowess as a poet. Kitchen published a cult-hit poetry collection in the 80s, and has "four more in the oven".
Other Durban participants include versatile young poet and theatre actor/dancer Zorro, and Mphutlane wa Bofelo who, eschewing the American slam stylistic and thematic template, twice won Poetry Africa's Durban Slamjam title.
The festival also includes special guest appearances by poetry luminaries Dennis Brutus, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Ari Sitas, and Kobus Moolman.
Special festival components include a focus on local Durban poets and the promotion of indigenous literature.
Saturday the 6th sees a full day of activities at the BAT Centre, which includes poetry workshops, open microphone opportunities, a special focus on praise poetry entitled 'Emkhathini neziMbongi choreographed by local poet Miracle, and the Durban SlamJam, all culminating with the Festival Finale on Saturday night.
The Finale begins with the Durban Poetry Showcase, a collaborative platform that incorporates the talents of poets from numerous active poetry organisations in the city, including Live Poets Society, Keen Arts, Nowadayz Poets, Young Basadzi, Poets Corner, and Pour a Tree.
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