Harare — POETS from the region will have a chance to shine when they take part in the inaugural Sadc Poetry Festival set for Windhoek, Namibia, this weekend.

The Prince Claus Fund is bankrolling the festival which was conceived by Township Productions of Namibia in conjunction with Arts Initiates Zimbabwe.

It opens on Friday running up to Sunday.

Various poets from the region are expected to take part in the three-day event whose aim is to "foster a culture of networking among poets as well as producing a poetry anthology after the event", according to the organisers.

A workshop facilitated by University of Zimbabwe lecturer and prominent author Memory Chirere assisted by Polytechnic of Namibia senior lecturer Jairos Kangira has been scheduled for Saturday.

The lecturers are expected to discuss the role of poetry in society, and why it had been shunned in previous years.

Recitations by the likes of Tebogo Makgetla and Keselofetse Ditsabatho (Botswana); Moffat Moyo and Milensu Kapaipi (Zambia); Khadija Tracey Heeger (South Africa); Phinda Mkhonta (Swaziland) and Cynthia Marangwanda from Zimbabwe will then follow the next day.

The Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre, Township Productions as well as Gentlemen's Club are some of the partners in the festival.