Durban's Poetry Africa festival celebrates cultural reflections and discourses at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (UKZN) and the BAT Centre this week.
The 21st edition of the festival showcases not only poetry, but also offers workshops and community outreach programmes, at venues around Durban, from October 16 to 20.
Audiences will be enthralled by the variety of delivery approaches from four prelude poets and 18 seasoned dynamos, from Nigeria, Zimbabwe, the US, Spain, Ukraine, Reunion and South Africa.
This year's line-up includes Kelwyn Sole, a poet with six published collections, while QwaQwa poet Hlox The Rebel will entertain with his bold and brazen verses. Durban's Minenhle Mthembu, winner of the best male poet at the 2013 Original Material Awards, and Ukhozi FM poet Siyabonga Mpungose, also known as “Imbongi” for his powerful use of the vernacular language, will contribute. No line-up is complete without stand-up poet, storyteller, essayist, columnist and theatre director Kgafela oa Magogodi.
Influential woman poets Myesha Jenkins, Natalia Molebatsi and Siphokazi Jonas are also part of this year's line-up. Jenkins has two poetry collections to her name. Molebatsi is a writer, performance poet, workshop facilitator and programme director, who has presented and performed in shows in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Holland, Italy, Nigeria, Senegal, Azerbaijan and England. Lastly, Jonas has written, produced, and performed in three poetry productions: Poetry Under the Stars, Wrestling with Dawn and Conspiracy Theory.
From Ukraine, founder and curator of the International Ukrainian-African Literature Project, Hannah Yanovska, and Oksana Rozumna, professional linguist and author of two books of poetry, take the stage. Zimbabwean-born Andrew Manyika, known as “the Gentleman of Poetry”, will bring his debonair charm to the festival, as will Dike Chukwumerije, a Lagos-born performance poet with eight books to his name.
Poetry Africa has also pulled in Spanish poet and cultural activist Eduard Escoffet and Reunion Island-based actress, storyteller and author Judith “Kaloune” Profil, who will perform with “the mbira”.
New York-born poet Miles Hodges, featured in the series Russell Simmons Presents Brave New Voices, will add Hollywood humour to Poetry Africa.
Tickets for evening sessions at 7pm, at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, are R60 (students and pensioners R40). Tickets for the finale at the BAT Centre are R100 and can be purchased at Computicket.
For more information, go to www.cca.ukzn.ac.za, call 031 260 2506/ 1816 or e-mail Maju Radebe at [email protected]