[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Poetry Africa in Durban, 1-6 October

[Patrick Bond]

(Dennis Brutus to be feted on 3 October.)

11th Poetry Africa - International Poetry Festival in Durban

Durban: 1 - 6 October 2007

Twenty poets from 10 different countries will descend on Durban for an
exhilarating rollercoaster of words, rhythms, and ideas at the 11th
Poetry Africa international poetry festival which takes place from 1 to
6 October. Hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for
Creative Arts, Poetry Africa kicks off with a series of pre-festival
performances at Flavours of Durban, a Celebrate Durban initiative, on 29
September (Main Stage - outside City Hall at 20h00) and at the Awesome
Africa Music Festival at Midmar Dam on 30 September. The intensive
week-long programme starts with introductory performances by the full
lineup of participating poets at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on
opening night 1st October, and will thereafter feature 5 poets every
evening, through to 5th October, before the Festival Finale at the BAT
Centre on 6th October.

The eclectic mix of poetic voices, styles, forms, and cultures includes
the nuanced verse of acclaimed writer, theatre and film
director/producer,Nathalie Handal (France/Palestine) and the visceral
power of Oni the Haitian Sensation (Canada/Haiti) whose colorful 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.

The striking line-up of participants from Africa this year includes
Stanley Onjezani Kenani (Malawi), whose poetry encompasses the rhythm of
African life in a mesh of metaphors, folklore and song; the popular
Senegalese poet and arts activist Habib Demba Fall; and theatre
practitioner Keamogetsi Joseph Molapong (Namibia), whose incisive poetry
critiques the harsh ineq-uities of post-independence Namibian society.


 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. “What
Arundhati Roy is to imperialism/fascism/racism in prose, Patel is to
them in poetry.” - The Gulf Today.

Poetry Africa this year includes a special Zimbabwean package entitled
‘Hello Zimbabwe’. This comprises the iconic performance poet
Chirikure Chirikure, author of three volumes of award-winning poetry,
and the beautifully voiced mbira player Chiwoniso, winner of the UNESCO
Prize for Arts, and KORA Best Female Vocals of Africa Awards nominee.
Completing the Zim trio is Comrade Fatso, a purveyor of “Toyi-Toyi
Poetry” - urban street poetry that mixes Shona with English, mbira with
hip-hop, and poetry with the struggle to survive.

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. There are further launches of
poetry books by Vonani Bila, Kobus Moolman and Gail Dendy.

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. The pre-festival showcase,
hosted by Gcina Mhlophe, at Flavours of Durban on 29 September includes
a fantastic array of young and experienced Durban talent. Poets include:
Bullet, Ayanda Chamane, Baxolile Dimane, Nokulunga Dladla, Busiswa
Gqulu, Syd Kitchen, Sthembiso Madlala, Mxolisi Mtshali, Sakhile
Shabalala, Furrah Simbeku, Mphutlane wa Bofelo, Siphamandla Xaba and
Zorro. The programme also includes Madala Kunene and Danyel Waro.

Saturday the 6th sees a full day of activities at the BAT Centre, which
includes poetry workshops, open mic opportunities, a special focus on
praise poetry entitled ‘Emkhathini neziMbongi (Time Travel)’
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. The upbeat
SlamJam is also constructed around poets from these organisations.

Apart from the evening performances at the Sneddon and the BAT, a
packed daily programme includes performances, seminars, workshops,
poetry competitions, poetry in prison, and school visits.

The full programme of activities, plus participant bios and photos, is
available on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za ( http://www.cca.ukzn.ac.za/ )Enquiries
to 031-2602506

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of
KwaZulu-Natal), the 11th Poetry Africa festival is supported by the
Department of Arts and Culture, Humanist Institute for Development
Cooperation (HIVOS), Royal Netherlands Embassy, Stichting Doen, French
Institute of South Africa, Ethekweni Municipality, and the City of
Durban.