Warm Weather And Hot Poetry On The Horizon

The Poetry Africa Festival returns from 6-11 October with a line-up of international and local voices championing this year’s theme: Poetry: an architecture of social justice. With in-person events at the Seabrooke’s Theatre in Durban and a globally accessible online programme, featured events include a keynote speech by Ari Sitas, global poetry dialogues, student workshops, copyright sessions, and a celebration of the New Coin’s 61^st anniversary. 

As signs of spring are beginning to be seen in South Africa, something else is blossoming. The schedule for the Poetry Africa Festival is warming up with the weather, and the full schedule and tickets for the event will be available on Webtickets.

The festival, hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal embraces the theme, Director Ismail Mahomed shares, “Poets and participants will be afforded the opportunity to explore how poetic expression can serve as a structural framework to build and sustain movements for equity, inclusion, and transformation by bridging societal divides, giving voice to the marginalised, and challenging injustices. Growing inequality and conflict across the world call for urgent and innovative interventions. Where weapons have failed to find solutions, words always remain an option,”.

Five days of engaging conversations, performances, and presentations will begin on the 6^th of October. The official opening of the festival at 6pm will be held at Seabrooke’s Theatre. Aris Sitas, sociologist, poet and civil activist, will deliver the keynote address. A fierce advocate for the confluence of creativity and social justice, Sitas, reminds us in his poem, Our little tropical stars,  “From the hill my dear on a clear day you can see the class/ struggle forever”.

Outreach sessions at various Durban tertiary institutions will begin earlier in the day. Online audiences won’t miss a beat, since the digital programme includes two sessions daily; covering topics such as the African Poetry Book Fund and the role of African literary magazines. Performances and dialogues will be livestreamed, ensuring a seat at the poetry table for poetry fans around the globe.

A highlight is the conversation between Dr Nick Makoha (Uganda/UK) and Prof. Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica), hosted by South Africa’s Quaz Roodt. This trio will explore the intersections of language, identity, and social justice.

Later that evening, an international panel will tackle the festival theme head-on: poets Kiptoo Kiprono aka Dominion (Kenya), Sébastien Refesse (Reunion Island), Olena Huseynova (Ukraine), Kwame Dawes (Ghana/Jamaica), and Vanessa Daniels (Brussels) will bring a wealth of experience and a wide variety of perspectives on the power of poetry. 

• Dominion, Kenya’s reigning Grand Slam Champion draws inspiration from his ancestry and history to tell stories that honour the past while breathing new life into contemporary pain. F
• Refesseuses cello and to reclaim history and tradition through ‘maloya’, a traditional music form and dance with roots in the island's African and Malagasy heritage, often used for remembrance and protest. 
• Huseynova, writing through the war in Ukraine, document the lives of women and their struggle while maintaining their dignity. 
• Dawes, and Daniels complete this prestigious international lineup. 

Curator of the festival Siphindile Hlongwa said, “At a time when international borders are contested and barriers omnipresent, poetry builds bridges, and we are proud of the international bridges and relationships that Poetry Africa builds not only across our continent but across the world.”

The festival will continue throughout the week with readings, screenings and performances, On the 9^th of October, Poetry Africa hosts a special evening dedicated to the celebration of 61 years of New Coin, South Africa's enduring poetry journal. This historic gathering features readings and reflections by renowned local and international poets, such as Chanda Katonga, Grace Storm, Huda Fadlelmawla, Kole Ade Odutola, Malika Ndlovu, Mitja Lovše, Mvuzo Sibiya, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Rogelio Guedea, Sarah Uheida, Tishani Doshi, Vangile Gantsho, Vuyokazi Ngemntu, Wanga Fosiko, and Zama Madinana.

Saturday, the 11^th of October, will require participants to be on their toes for a packed day of events. From the Chalkboard Slam competition to sessions on copyright and digital authorship, hosted by DALRO, writers will gain essential knowledge on ownership in the age of AI and social media.

By the close of day on the 11^th of October, attendees of the festival are sure to have formed everlasting memories and acquired words, tools, and a renewed courage to face the world.