Poetry Africa is an annual international poetry festival curated and presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban each year during October. The festival features Spoken Word & Publish Poets in performances and dynamic engagements which includes panel discussions, campus and school visits, poetry exchanges, book launches, open mic sessions and a slam jam competition. The festival provides a vital platform for celebration and critical reflection about the contribution of poets in the movement for social change both nationally and internationally. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Poetry Africa festival supports academic scholarship in contemporary poetry. The festival is a dynamic player in the cultural economy of the broader eThekwini; and plays a vital role in advancing the city’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature.
The 28th Poetry Africa festival ended on the 12th of October with the crowning of Olive Olusegun as the Slam Champion 2024 at the Seabrooke’s Theatre. Olive Olusegun uses poetry, performance, art, and architecture in various mediums to story tell and “story reveal.” She was placed second in the 2023 Slam Jam finals, but this year she went one better and will be representing South Africa at the 2025 World Poetry Slam Championships in Mexico.
The annual Slam Competition marked the end of an exciting festival that die-hard poetry fans and new poetry lovers alike were captivated by. The closing event and Slam Jam Finale came at the end of one of the most popular days of the festival. Workshops and discussions focused on the substantiality of poetry careers, with practical information and actionable advice shared at the sessions. Celebrated poet Luleka Mhlanzi (pictured in featured image) was one of the panel speakers hosted by renowned poet vangile gantsho, for a World Mental Health Day online session titled “Healers Pot” on 9 October, focusing on poetry’s therapeutic and spiritual significance.
Young and old were catered for by the festival and the intergenerational component of the spoken word genre was celebrated through the recognition of older poets whose legacy continues to resonate. Younger poets were inspired and acknowledged with the Schools Slam Competition earning ecstatic applause for the young contestants. Nondumiso Mathibeli from Isibonelo High School in KwaMashu was the overall winner, and the panel of international judges was impressed by the quality of the poetry and performances presented by the new generation of poets.
For the first time, the Poetry Africa Festival introduced a new segment called ‘Perfect Pitch,’ where nine poets had the opportunity to present their projects to seven festival directors from Nigeria, Italy, Lesotho, Ghana, Belgium, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia. Remarkably, all nine poets secured deals with these international directors. The Poetry Africa team will continue to monitor the progress of these partnerships, working closely with the festival directors to ensure that these creative exchanges come to fruition.
“The festival theme, “Somehow We Survive” was threaded through the events of the festival, and one thing was certain: poetry is not only surviving but thriving on the continent. South African poets continue to create work that is meaningful and impactful and responds to the current milieu locally and globally. The reach of international poets and their influence on local writers was a treasured aspect of the festival,” says Siphindile Hlongwa, the curator of the Poetry Africa festival.
Equally, the inclusion of 71 poets from 23 countries and their respect for local poets and poetry was a heartwarming component of the programme. Convening so many participants from such a wide variety of places was a remarkable feat, and the sterling efforts of the organising team at the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal did not go unnoticed. The tenacity of local poets was personified on the spectacular production (R)evolution of Words. Staged in Johannesburg and Durban, the poetry show explored the South African poetry canon and contemporary voices, including poems from the Grade 11 and 12 curricula. Written by Lebo Mashile and curated by Jade Bowers and Quaz Roodt, this vibrant and energetic production was rewarded with enthusiastic applause and cheers by a very appreciative audience.
Ismail Mahomed, director of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal, said: “We are delighted that the 28th edition of Poetry Africa has been a huge success. The dynamic between poets and audiences was inspiring. We are most grateful to our artists and audiences for once again affirming Poetry Africa’s status as one of the leading events on the continent that celebrates the spoken word genre. We also thank our many sponsors, funders, and partners for sustaining Poetry Africa as a flagship literature event, which gives credence to Durban’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature.”
The growing popularity of this event and the high regard with which the broader artistic community holds it have ensured that poetry lovers have already marked the dates of 2 to 11 October in their calendar for the 29th edition in 2025.
