HARARE - SADC Poetry Festival, a collaboration between ArtsInitiates Zimbabwe and Township Productions of Namibia will from September 25 to 27 host poets from the region. The festival is being funded by Prince Claus Fund and has the Franco-Namibian Cultural Centre, Township Productions as well as Gentlemens Club, as partners.The three-day event will be officially opened on September 25 before the workshop scheduled for the FNCC on September 26. The next day, September 27 will see the poets moving around selected areas in Windhoek performing live to the public.
So far seven poets have confirmed their participation and others are expected to report back by the end of the week. These include Tebogo Makgetla and Keselofetse Ditsabatho (Botswana); Moffat Moyo and Milensu Kapaipi (Zambia); Cynthia Marangwanda (Zimbabwe); Khadija Tracey Heeger (South Africa) and Phinda Mkhonta (Swaziland).
University of Zimbabwe lecturer, poet and author, Memory Chirere. will facilitate the workshop on September 26 when participants discuss poetry development in their countries as well as how to treat poetry construction. They will also discuss why poetry, once regarded as a dead literary genre, has suddenly sprung into life, especially among the youth. The other workshop facilitator will be Polytechnic of Namibia Senior lecturer, Dr Jairos Kangira.
Africa has been defined by non-Africans. They have written books, presented papers categorising the African. SADC Poetry Festival says now is the time to look at the continent as My Africa, My Home: Redefinition, said the festival director.
ArtsInitiates Zimbabwe focuses on training artists in various fields and media personnel especially arts and culture journalists. Through its website www.artsinitiates.co.zw the organisation promotes budding writers by publishing their poems and short stories. The site also runs arts and culture stories. The website is edited by award-winning author and former Herald entertainment editor and deputy news editor Wonder Guchu.
Township Production a Windhoek based organisation is co-directed by poet, theatre director/ producer and actor Joseph Molapong and poet, musician Christi Warner. The outfit has produced four anthologies featuring upcoming poets in Namibia.
Post published in: Arts