Poetry Africa Festival announces dates, theme and tour

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) will host the 26th Poetry Africa International Festival from October 6 to October 16. 

The theme is: ‘Poetic (In)Justice: Voices That Breathe, Move and Transform’, and the festival is an ode to the depth of perspective that poetry affords us in seeing and articulating (in)justice. 

This year, the festival is taking place in Johannesburg and Durban, and some of the sessions will take place virtually.

The Centre for Creative Arts and the University of Johannesburg’s Arts and Culture Department have, for the past decade, informally collaborated to bring down a small cohort of poetry students from Johannesburg to participate in the Poetry Africa Festival. 

This year, they have made their relationship official and are launching the first Poetry Africa On Tour.

Poetry Africa On Tour is a three-day live programme from October 6 to October 8 that will break Poetry Africa out of its geographical shell and extend its footprint and imprint to Johannesburg and other local cities and provinces. 

This staging has created a space for the poetry community outside of Durban to shift into the role of engaged makers of the festival and has expanded the repertoire of what can be experienced through it. 

It also marries mobility with accessibility by delivering some of the live offerings of the festival to the doorstep of an audience in Johannesburg who may not have the capacity to attend the main event.

“We hope that this installment of the festival will afford poets – who are doing the unsung labour of nurturing poetic practices and reach in their respective locales – the opportunity to plug into the thriving and enabling ecosystem that has formed around this unprecedented platform for poetry on the continent,” said Quaz Roodt, Art Coordinator at UJ.

On October 6, the festival will present What’s a Woman’s Worth?, featuring Philippa Yaa De Villiers, Lebo Mashile, Roche Kester, Vangile Gantsho, Nomashenge and Belita Andre. 

It is a first-of-its-kind focus on women-by-women performance and a cross-generational probing into the vast spectrum of degradation to the celebration that determines the worth of a woman. 

The show will take place at the Keorapetse Kgositsile Theatre, Kingsway Campus.
Belita Andre is a Johannesburg-based spoken-word artist of Nigerian and Namibian descent. 

She is at the forefront of the Johannesburg poetry scene as both a performer and organiser. 

October 7 is the day poets will battle it out in the semi-final of the 20th iteration of the Slam Jam competition, an annual festival highlight. 

The finals will take place in Durban, and the winner will walk away with an accumulative price of R22 000 and an international trip to participate in the World Slam Competition 2023.

On October 8, South African poets, Thando Fuze, Siphokazi Jonas, Xabiso Vili, Sabelo Soko and Modise Segkothe, joined by Mana Bugallo from Argentina and Lydol from Cameroon, will show if it is possible to tilt the scales of poetic forms toward abstracted and experimental dimensions in ‘Tilting the Scales’. 

The audience can expect an evening of poetry that is defiant in its content and presentation.

Lydol is a Cameroonian singer and actress and will be performing at the upcoming Poetry Africa festival.

For the 26th year in a row, the Poetry Africa festival in Durban sets the stage for poetry with a curatorial focus on quality, variety, renewal, and reflection. 

Poetry Africa offers a stage for beginner and well-established poets and gives audiences an overview of modern poetry’s new developments and current topics. 

In 2022, most of the festival programme will be presented live in Durban, with an On Tour programme with performances in Johannesburg and throughout KwaZulu-Natal. 

Lastly, a selection of seminars and readings will be presented online. During the ten-day programme, you can expect over 35 poets from South Africa, Africa and the world.

The entire programme will be available on poetryafrica.ukzn.ac.za.

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The most expensive poem in the world - the US$525,000 Poem

In November 2021, a poem was presented for sale at the Christie’s Auction House in New York. 

This was not a manuscript or a printed bound book – this was something a little different. The poem which was titled “Arcadia” was in fact a nine and 48-second long animation with an electronic music soundtrack and it was by the musician RAC. 

This poem was the very first collaborative NFT in the form of interdisciplinary art that had ever been put forward for auction.

The price it fetched when the hammer fell was $525,000, and the sale earned Arch Hades, the 30-year-old British poet who was born in Russia, the title of the “highest paid poet of all time”. 

Since its purchase, the poem has been displayed in Florence at the Palazzo Strozzi, and now it is due to be released as a published book as well.

The poem is made up of five rhyming cantos, and the work is a representation of a completely new medium and offers a new tone for a poet who already has over one million followers on Instagram and a three-agreed book deal with poems that look at the topic of lovers who are emotionally unavailable, summer evenings and the questions that might be asked about privilege. 

Hades (not her real name) went straight from university to work as a researcher in parliament, something that she does not like to talk about. 

She left to follow her dreams of becoming a writer, something she had actually always wanted to do.

She was just eight years old when her father was murdered in St Petersburg in an alleyway. Her family moved, changed their name and sent her to boarding school. 

She was lonely, had lots of free time and read a lot of books by dead philosophers during this time.

Arcadia took her just a month to write, and she completed it during lockdown before deciding to collaborate with RAC, who was a friend, in order to create an NFT – a project that was born from a simple lack of funds as a result of a cancelled poetry tour.

With the successful sale of the NFA, Hades has joined the growing population of Instapoets who have become famous in recent years, including Rupi Kaur, Greta Ballamacina and Brian Bilston, the self-proclaimed “Poet laureate of Twitter.” 

Each of them has taken their social media feeds and turned them into book deals, very successful ones that have made a significant contribution to the boost in poetry book sales of recent years.

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Young author releases a book that has a deep Xhosa perspective

A young Eastern Cape author has written a book aimed at anyone who wants to know more about the Xhosa culture and traditions, aptly named Don’t Upset ooMalume! A Guide to Stepping Up Your Xhosa Game.

Hombakazi Mercy Nqandeka said the guide to Xhosa culture with stories from daily rural life in the villages of Mqele and Bulungula, and lessons taught by her mother and grandmothers, hoped to help reconnect Xhosa people to their roots.

The “ooMalume” title refers to the crusty old uncle, or “malume”, who will wag his finger at disrespectful youngsters from the city who have lost touch with their roots and cultural identity.

The author, 33, is an agriculturalist by profession who started writing at high school, but only started to take it seriously at university.

“I went to study abroad in Ireland and France, and being away from home made me write a lot,” she said.

The book was written in English and isiXhosa, with every topic covered in both languages for good reason, Nqandeka said.

“It is not just a book for amaXhosa but for everybody who’s interested in learning about the Xhosa culture.

“I wrote everything in English first ,and then I translated it into Xhosa and it’s in accessible language.

“There are amaXhosa who have grown up in the cities also who don’t know the traditions and history, but it would be very limiting if it was only in Xhosa.”

And, yes, there is a special uncle in her own family, from whom she has learnt a lot.

“He’s the main figure we have at home because my father passed on when we were very young.

“I am also glad that people are now realising the importance of recording things and not only having an oral history.”

Nqandeka has a double master’s degree in agriculture, climate change and transition from the National University of Ireland and the University of Montpellier SupAgro in France.

When she returned from her studies, she did not find work immediately.

She moved home to live with her mother at the end of 2019, and then spent much of the next year in Mqele, in the northeast Eastern Cape.

“I started taking pictures of food, clothes, beads, nature and wrote stories of what they meant, and their significance.

“It just came out of me trying to find something to light up my days because there was nothing, and I was trying to figure out life.”

In doing so, she created a community of people on social media who wanted to learn more about her culture.

Then, as the posts grew increasingly popular, she had the idea to turn them into a book.

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Music, poetry, comedy kick off Bay Arts Festival

Music, poetry, theatre and dance are on the menu for arts lovers in Gqeberha as the inaugural Mandela Bay Arts Festival kicks off on Friday.

From 6pm, six productions of different genres will light up stages at three different venues to ensure no Nelson Mandela Bay arts lover is left out.

Dancers Sinoxolo Botha and Odwa Zwedala, musicians Wandiswa Gogela, Sibongile Tsoni and Ahlumile Mankeya and choreographer and director Nomaxabiso Rala will take to the dance floor to deliver Rala’s dance production, Paths Crossing.

Paths Crossing interrogates human bodies and their interaction with outside elements.

“The production is an exploration of who we are in relation to life, who we are alongside this life,” Rala says.

Rala started contemporary dance in 1998 and has conducted dance workshops in a number of schools in Gqeberha and East London.

Having started her dance education at Moving Into Dance Mophathong, she specialised in afro fusion, contemporary dance, history of dance and arts management.

She joined the East London Guild Theatre Dance Company in 2007 and has been a part of the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex’s Dance Season and the
Woman in Arts Manyano Festival. 

The dance production will be at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex at 6pm on Friday and again on Thursday.

A mixture of experienced and new comedians are set to tickle the audience’s funny bones with the travelling comedy production, Stand Up People.

Comedians include Siphelele Qoqoshe, Tsepiso Nzayo, Sqhazolo, Lonwabo Xatasi, Philile Mnunwa, Nkosinathi Maki, Ngcaphephe, Mbu Msongelwa, TD Jokes and Phakamisa Fayindlala while DJ MissJay will be behind the decks.

The show will start at the Masifunde Changemaker Academy at 6pm on Friday and move to the St Thomas High School Auditorium at 7pm on Saturday, Mandela Bay Theatre Complex at 7pm on Wednesday and the Mendi Art Centre at 7pm on Thursday.

For music lovers, Walmer musician Joliza brings his Bhacasoul Experience — a live music concert that pays homage to Joliza’s Bhaca ethnicity — to the Mendi Arts Centre at 6pm on Friday and 8pm at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex on Saturday next week.

Though he was born in Gqeberha, Joliza’s family is from Emawusheni village which was originally inhabited by a tribe known as Amawushe in KwaBhaca (formerly Mount Frere) in the former Transkei.

Even though his music reflects some elements of Afro soul, jazz and maskandi, Joliza calls his sound Bhaca soul music, a genre which leans more on traditional Bhaca rhythm elements of ukucwiya (spiritual singing), ukuvalela (spiritual humming) and ukusina (spiritual dancing). 

Veteran musician Sizwe Zako and his accompanying band present KwaXhosa — a music concert focused on highlighting the arts, culture and history of the amaXhosa — at the Athenaeum from 7pm on Friday, the Mendi Arts Centre at 7pm on Wednesday and back at the Athenaeum at 8pm on Friday next week.

Zako will take to the stage as the show’s musical director and first keys player.
He is accompanied by Khaya on second keys, Thembani on Bass, Mncedisi on percussions and Siya Koyo on vocals.

Nelson Mandela Bay dancer Junior Ferreira leads The Uprising, a moving production which tells the story of the famous 1976 uprising through dance and music, at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex at 8pm on Friday.

The show will return to the same stage on Thursday at 8pm.

The multi-award winning dancer’s previous productions include Marikana: A Greener Tomorrow, Women Die Here, The Whirlwind: Dawie Sterman Story and Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom.

The production will be at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex’s The Barn at 8pm on Friday, at 2pm on Saturday and Sunday as well as 2pm on October 1.

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We wake up and shine not because we are bright - Afro Poetry Times October issue carries the dosage for inspiration.

In his poem titled "Sweet hurting", the Afro Poetry Times editor uses the following words to describe positive energy when one feels down and out. 

....We wake up and shine not because we are bright. 

We glisten and sparkle not because our resumes are polished with doctrines. 

We smile and laugh not because hurt filled our hearts with candy.

We have hurt and cried,

We have consulted and muted....

When poetry challenges the inner most thoughts, it inspires the mind to wake up and shine. 

The fort of success is not a preserve for those who do not have problems. 

We are human and we all have challenges nomatter how rich or poor one may be. 

Just like the next hot beat, poetry has the perfect dose to energize the mind. That is what the Afro Poetry Times October 2022 edition seeks to achieve. 

Inspiration mirrored in poetry. 

Get your digital copy from anywhere in the world from PressReader - the leading digital distributor. 

https://www.pressreader.com/canada/afro-poetry-times/20221001

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Helenvale poets punch above weight with wise words

Poetry is one of the most difficult things to write, and even more so to have published.

But five young aspiring poets in Helenvale have since 2011 been taken under the wing of Brian Walter, a highly accomplished poet who won the 2000 Ingrid Jonker Prize for his debut, Tracks.

Each year, the Avbob Poetry Competition opens its doors to poets writing in all of SA’s 11 official languages.

From the beginning, the work of the youngest poets has often astonished readers.

This year, Avbob invited Walter to talk about his special interest in young poets.
Walter said poetry was a much-neglected field.

“There is not much encouragement for the writing and publishing of poems in SA.
“There are a good number of published poets writing in many of our languages in the metro, from areas such as Zwide, New Brighton and the northern areas,” Walter said.

“However, there is no outlet for this wealth of words. Where do readers buy poetry books?”

He said some members of the Helenvale Poets — five of whom he mentors — would be entering the Avbob competition this year, and he had encouraged them to do so in their individual capacity to get themselves established as independent writers.

Walter said it was always good for the poets to be acknowledged.

“Helenvale gets a lot of bad press and, indeed, there are many problems to be solved.

“But, using the title of one of [Athol] Fugard’s plays, People are living there.

“It is a privilege for me, in a small way, to enable the broader metro to see the human side of Helenvale, their hopes, aspirations, fears and the will to succeed.”

He said his young poets had read at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, South End Museum, Nelson Mandela University and Alliance Française.

“We hope readers will also turn to the poems written by the group, and to our books, available at the South End Museum.

“So, this focus is welcome, it spreads the voices of the poets wider and it is used to encourage further writing.”

At the end of Walter’s first year of mentoring, the Helenvale Poets had already put together their first collection.

At present, it has 20 members between the ages of eight and 20, and 11 published poetry collections under its belt.

Many of the members’ poems bear witness to growing up in the midst of widespread unemployment and gang violence. “Writing poetry provides a safe space in which these youngsters can process difficult emotions.

“Their poems have a raw, honest energy that makes their group readings unforgettable.”

He said Leonie Williams and Luciano Roberts, two of the older members, recently participated in an online reading by the Cape Town-based Black Consciousness Poets.

Walter stressed continuity as an important factor in the poets’ growth and development.

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Growth of African literature hailed

As literature from the African continent gains international stature due to its growth, it is commendable that Botswana is not left behind, said Botswana National Library Service director, Jacob Sekgoni.

Sekgoni was speaking at the recent Gaborone Book Festival. He quoted the country’s first president, Seretse Khama saying, ‘We should write our history books to prove that we did have a past and that it was just as worth writing and learning about as any other. We must do this for the simple reason that a nation and a people without a past is a people without a soul.’ He explained that even though the words were said many years ago, they were still relevant to date.

“I believe that the opening of the world and the economy post COVID-19 is an exciting chapter for all of us including such important events as the Gaborone Book Festival, which is the only existing book festival in Botswana, which was formed five years ago. I am happy that the Gaborone Book Festival Trust promotes the literary work of Batswana authors and writers, those new and established, and the literary works of other African authors who are invited this year and even in the past editions,” he said.

“This initiative could not have come at a more opportune time as our ministry, through the Botswana National Library Service, is mandated to promote and develop the literary heritage literature or local content by capacitating our local authors and writers and creating writing
forums to support the works of publishers nationwide. The Trust was set up to introduce a platform like this, as none existed in the past. There is a proliferation of literary platforms across the continent, and rightfully so,” he said.

He also said the Gaborone Book Festival also runs a School Outreach Programme that mainly targets low-income, highly populated, and hard-to-reach areas. 

He explained that those were communities on the margins of the society, where parents, guardians, and caretakers did not have the financial means to buy books for children.

He added that the Trust focused on those areas through activations especially Read Aloud sessions to ignite and plant a seed for reading at an early age. This also ensured that those communities were not left behind in the pursuit of a literate and well-informed society. He explained that reading for both children and adults was an essential lifelong life skill.

“The ability to read and write is one of the indicators of academic success for children. The inability to read excludes people from being active participants in the economy as illiteracy perpetuates poverty cycles. Having the capacity and appetite to read is essential to that process. Our libraries throughout the country have reading programmes that are responsible for inculcating and promoting the culture of reading among the general public. We are continuing to open more library branches for this purpose,” he said.

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Young South African writer who enjoys writing wins R20 000 for her short story

On Saturday 17 September Kamdebo Primary School in Lotusville, Aberdeen, made history again. Reshanique Jantjies, won two first prizes in the Growsmart provincial competition.

Reshanique, 12-years-old and in Grade 6, with her story titled, A Secret Passage, won the 1st prize for most creative story, as well as the overall 1st prize in the story writing division of the competition.

Growsmart is an educational initiative of Growthpoint Properties, presented in three provinces, Limpopo, Western Cape and Eastern Cape and consists of three divisions, mathematics, literacy and story writing. The prize-giving was hosted at the International Convention Centre in East London.

The total value of prizes Reshanique received is R20 000, which includes a laptop, fitness band, calculator, dictionary and much more. Reshanique’s mentor in the competition, Meagen Leslie, teacher at Kamdebo Primary, also received a prize of R10 000.

“This was the first time we enlisted for the competition, and we did not know what to expect. I just received an email from the department, informing us about the competition and for me it was simple: we had to!” says Daniel Pieterse the principal of the school.

Leslie explains that the whole competition started in February. Mentors received a few hours training, and the learners were equipped with all the necessary guidelines. 

Entries for the competition had to be submitted by 19 May and in the story writing division it included everything, from beginning to end – identification and building of characters, storyboard with storyline, summary of story, the story itself as well as the cover design for the storybook.

“Reshanique did all of it herself. I guided as and where necessary and her mother, Veronique Jantjies, guided her daughter carefully and consistently. But everything done and every word written, came from Reshanique herself. She is unbelievably creative.”

Leslie is still somewhat overwhelmed with their amazing achievement. “Who would think, you know, from small Aberdeen we came out and won.”

Reshanique is the second learner to put Kamdebo Primary in the limelight in a matter of weeks. 

Recently Logan Africa, a Grade 7 learner achieve second place in the Sanlam WOW Spelling Contest. Principal Pieterse is humbled by the exhilarating performance of his learners and teachers, "All but for the grace of God."

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The Missouri Review's 32nd Annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors' Prize

Deadline: October 1, 2022

The Missouri Review invites entries for its 32nd annual Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize. Winners receive $5000, publication, and promotion. 

Fiction or nonfiction entries up to 8,500 words, poetry entries up to 10 pages. 

Regular entry fee: $25. 

All-Access entry fee: $30. 

All entrants receive a 1-year digital subscription to the Missouri Review and a digital copy of Missouri Review Books’ sixth offering, Hello, I Love You, featuring previous contributors. 

All-Access entrants receive the same plus access to the past decade of digital issues of TMR. All entries considered for publication. 

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Tik Tok's #BookTok is rekindling a love for reading. "#BookTok Made Me Read It" shelves pop up in book store's

Colleen Hoover, CoHo to her fans, is a prolific author of at least 20 gut-wrenching romances and thrillers. 

But it wasn’t until her 2016 novel It Ends with Us, based on the relationship between her mother and father, captured the hearts of TikTok’s devoted and vibrant community of literature lovers, #BookTok, that her popularity exploded.

Proving the subcommunity’s huge realworld effect on book sales globally, It Ends with Us debuted in January at number one on the New York Times best seller list. At the time of writing, her books hold second, third and fourth place on the pre-eminent list.

In SA, It Ends with Us has been in the Exclusive Books top 10 since July last year. Hoover is one of several authors whose older books, some published more than five years ago, are gaining traction on TikTok.

The first book for discussion in TikTok’s newly launched TikTok Book Club — a virtual space for the TikTok community to discuss “new” titles — was Jane Austen’s Persuasion.

The choice of the 1817 romantic classic recognises the BookTok community’s love for the classics, with other titles such as #thegreatgatsby and #prideandprejudice also finding a fan base on TikTok. 

Austen herself has a dedicated community of followers who share their love for her books under the hashtag #AustenTok which has 16.2-million views.

Unlike other book clubs, anyone can join TikTok’s. A new book is announced every month, and members can read along and share their experiences in-app.

There’s also a #BookClub hub, so users can find out about the month’s title, and start creating and sharing their own reviews, book covers and latest literary crush. 

The TikTok Book Club will discuss a new book every month with discussions being led by five “BookTok Laureates ”— @Bmercer, @li.reading, @edenreidreads, @cocosarel and @jackbenedwards — who have more than 1-million followers altogether.

With nearly 65-billion views to date and some individual videos reaching upwards of 100,000 likes, BookTok blossomed over the past two years, bringing together book lovers around the world.

This community, made up primarily of young women, has real power in the industry. It is popular, trendy and evidently influential.

One of the platform’s most active communities, it has become the place to find #readingrecs and #readinginspo, share reviews and tap into fan culture, boosting book discovery.

Authors who catch the attention of BookTok can suddenly reach thousands of devoted readers who will add them to their #TBR (to be read) pile immediately.

It is revitalising the publishing and bookselling industries by allowing a new generation of readers to share recommendations without the backing of a publisher, media outlet or review column. 

Now, anyone can make books fly off the shelves and brands are taking note.
Overseas, book retailers Waterstones and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with TikTok to host events in which content creators can meet in person and also with publishers to get proofs of forthcoming releases and enjoy other bookish delights.

Locally, Exclusive Books showcases the most popular reads on its #BookTok Made Me Read It shelves. Shakti Pillay, content collaborator at Exclusive Books, says the ecosystem is thriving because the young audience — 60% are aged 16-24 — prefers recommendations from peers rather than “experts.”

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Pupils rewarded for their eccentric Xhosa poems

Three Merrifield pupils whose isixhosa poems won gold at the East London Eisteddfod are proud of elevating their home language.

Lilitha Madikizela, Zizikazi Bidla and Mbutokazi Mavuso said impressing the judges with their native language while delivering their poetry was a fulfilling feeling.

The three pupils said the language had the ability to express emotions and draw the attention of an audience.

Lilitha, in grade 11, was awarded a double gold and said it was her first time taking part in the isixhosa section but she had participated in the annual arts and drama festival for a number of years.

She said isixhosa was a beautiful language which needed to be embraced.

“Xhosa is a beautiful, emotive and powerful language. The adjectives convey meaning in such an exceptional manner with an emphasis on the message,” Lilitha said.

She said she felt like it was an honour to perform among beautiful and talented humans who understood their craft.

“All participants were highly talented. It was such a remarkable moment to be surrounded by such gifted people.”

Zizikazi, in grade 10, received a double gold for her poetry and said performing and seeing other talents was fulfilling.

“It felt great being able to compete with other learners and see how they had prepared their piece and performed them in front of everyone. The atmosphere was warm and safe. Everyone was there to see others shine with their skill.”

Zizikazi had been in the competition over the past years but had competed in the English section.

She said the beauty about performing in one’s own language was being able to express feelings and emotions.

“The poetry in your language makes the audience feel what you want them to feel at that very moment.”

“My language is isixhosa. This was the best thing to do because it is my home language and something I am proud of.”

She said her shining moment was walking bravely to the stage to share her craft and coming back victorious.

“My highlight was going to the stage and reciting my poem in front of a crowd I did not know and coming back with my double gold at my first isixhosa Eisteddfod,” she said.

Mbutokazi, in grade 12, scooped gold for her poetry.

“It felt empowering to compete at such a level in my language but exciting because of the support each performer received from the competitors.

“I enjoy performing in isixhosa because it is my native language. The cheering and the laughter inbetween our performances were the greatest highlights of the day,” she said.

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Poet Marilyn Nelson wins US$100,000 lifetime achievement prize

Poetry is indeed a rewarding career!

Marilyn Nelson has won the $100,000 Wallace Stevens Award, a lifetime achievement honor presented by the Academy of American Poets for “proven mastery in the art of poetry.”

“For decades Marilyn Nelson has written a poetry that is insightful, moving, and clear, brimming with history but aimed at the future," Academy chancellor and fellow poet Kevin Young said in a statement released Monday.

"Whether writing of her father’s generation of Tuskegee Airmen, in the voices of the enslaved speaking of freedom, or about the woman in the mirror, Nelson’s work is necessary and humane, and has led the way on the page and in the world.”

Nelson, 76, is known for such collections as “The Homeplace” and “Fields of Praise,” while also writing children's books and translating works from the Danish and ancient Greek. 

John Ashbery, Adrienne Rich and Sonia Sanchez are among previous winners of the Stevens award.

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South Africa’s Poetry Africa reveals keynote speaker

Poetry Africa 2022 will be hosted in the South African cities of Johannesburg, Durban, and Pietermaritzburg from October 6-16, 2022.

Poetry Africa is an international poetry festival first hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa in 1996. 

The Centre for Creative Arts other famous events are Time of the Writer and the Durban International Film Festival.

The 2022 edition of Poetry Africa will start on Thursday, October 6 with a variety of activities including panels, poetry slams, and loads more. 

Some of the scheduled speakers are Belita Andre, Lebo Mashile, Mana Bugallo, Modise Segkothe, Nomashenge, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, Roché Kester, Sabelo Soko, Siphokazi Jonas, Thando Fuze, vangile gantsho, and Xabiso Villi.

The keynote speaker for the festival is Diana Ferrus. Ferrus is a writer, poet, performance poet and storyteller. Her work has been published in various collections and some serve as prescribed texts for high school learners. 

In 2012 Diana received the inaugural Mbokodo Award for poetry. She has published three books, Ons Komvandaan, I’ve come to take you home (2010), Die vrede kom later (2019). I’ve Come To Take You Home was dedicated to the indigenous South African woman Sarah Baartman who was taken away from her country under false pretences and paraded as a sexual freak in Europe. 

This poem touched the heart of the French Senate and upon hearing it they voted unanimously that her remains should come home. 

Diana’s work has had and still has a bearing and influence on matters of race, sex and reconciliation.

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Kendeka Prize for African Literature 2022 shortlist announced

The shortlist for the Kendeka Prize for African Literature 2022 was announced on Thursday, September 15, 2022.

The Kendeka Prize for African Literature is awarded for the best piece of unpublished short story either fiction or creative non-fiction. 

The first edition of the prize founded by Kenyan writer and publisher Andrew Maina was won by Botswana writer Jenny Robson in 2021.

The Judging panel for 2022 is chaired by academic and writer Dr Siphiwo Mahala and includes novelist Bisi Adjapon as well as editor and columnist Faith Oneya. 

This panel announced the longlist of ten stories from 21 African nations that had entered on September 1.

They announced the shortlisted five stories on Thursday with the following five writers;

Star Boy, Adaoro Raji, Nigeria

Isithunzi, Beverley Ann Abrahams, Zimbabwe

Chained, Scholastica Moraa, Kenya

Ashes on Platters of Gold, Ola W. Halim, Nigeria

Until Mushrooms Sprout, Joe Nyirenda, Zambia

The award ceremony will be held in Thika, Kenya on Saturday, September 24. The first Prize is KES 100,000, the second and the third prizes are KES 50,000 and KES 25,000 respectively.

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Gaborone Book Festival highlights need to preserve culture by writing in vernacular

The Gaborone Book Festival was back for the fifth year in a row this past week running from September 15-17 at various venues. 

A panel discussion was held on Friday at Maitisong where author, Professor Rose Letsholo-Tafila explained that culture and language were intertwined.

She said it was hard for people to say who they are without language. She said it was through language that people define who they are. 

“It is painful to see a language die. Nowadays children speak English.
Everyone wants their children to go to English Medium Schools including the less privileged members of community. We have people in the Kalanga region teaching their children Setswana instead of their native language and if you ask why, they would say it does not have any importance in their children’s life.
If language dies, culture also dies,” she pointed out. 

She further explained that writing in iKalanga language was challenging. She added that she had to learn and refer to a manual for writing iKalanga published by some Kalanga speaking people.

She pointed out that writing in iKalanga was more difficult than writing in Setswana. 

She explained that she had to use little apostrophes and had to be conscious how certain words must sound. However, Letsholo-Tafila explained that the response to her book surpassed what she had expected.

She explained that people were interested in learning other languages spoken in Botswana including iKalanga because they were not taught at schools. 

“There is need for a change of mindset. This can only be done in a more systematic way. We must start from the top. We need change of policies. Our languages are important like any other language. We are so unused to reading our own languages.

"Language policies are showing that our language is not good enough to create jobs. It does not show that it is good enough to make an impact in the growth of our economy,” Letsholo-Tafila ended.

For her part, Dr Naledi Letshwao, who is also the author of Ithute Setswana and Ithute Kgomo, said as a linguistic she chose to write her books in Setswana because she realised that many children did not know the Setswana language and neither did they know the Setswana culture.

The show hosted many writers and poets from Botswana and across the continent. They included Angie Chuma Mogotsi, Dr Modiri Molema, Joe Kabomo, Kgomotso Jongman, Isaac Makwala, Keikantse Phele, Dr Nankie Ramabu, Zukiswa Wanner, Mandisa Mabuthoe who recited a beautiful poem and Chuma Nwokolo. 

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Zimbabwean author cum poet is living his writing dream

After years of collaborating with fellow authors, South Africabased Zimbabwean writer Meluleki Sibanda has gone solo to publish his debut novel, Akugwatshwa Ngokuzala.

The novel touches on various societal issues that people encounter such as teenage pregnancy, human and drug trafficking, xenophobia and crime.

The book was published by Radiant Publishing Company after it came first in a writing competition hosted by Barbara Clara Makhalisa Nkala Literary Trust early this year.

“My debut novel Akugwatshwa Ngokuzala is a story of a woman who was excessively proud about her children, not knowing what they do for a living,” Sibanda said as he expressed delight for living his writing dream.

“Being an author is a calling for me. My passion for writing grew in 1996 when I was in Grade Seven. I was passionate about reading and preserving the Ndebele language.

“I love reading Ndebele novels, especially Mayford Sibanda, Mthandazo Ndema Ngwenya and Dingindlela Dube’s books,” he said.

Sibanda co-authored an anthology of short stories titled Izigaba Zakwandonga Ziyaduma with eight other writers in 2013 and he has two short stories in that book.

“In 2014 under the Abalobi Bakithi Organisation, we published a poetry book titled Sigiya Ngolwethu where I have 12 poems. I published another book under Abalobi Bakithi again in 2015 titled Kunjani Nxa Kunje? and is still selling like hot cakes,” he said.

“In 2015, I co-authored an anthology of short stories titled Umhlaba Wenkohlakalo with Abalondozi Bolimi. I have one short story in the book. In 2020, we published a poetry anthology titled Izwi Lezimbongi by Inkazimulo Yesizwe and I have five poems there.”

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Poet Amanda Gorman recites powerful poem at UN General Assembly

South Korean pop band Blackpink and American poet Amanda Gorman took to the UN stage on Monday to urge action on climate change and other global goals that include achieving gender equality and ending hunger and poverty.

Gorman read a new poem in the UN General Assembly chamber in New York, a day before world leaders start making annual speeches to the 193-member body.

“I only ask that you care before it’s too late, that you live aware and awake, that you lead with love in hours of hate. I challenge you to heed this call, I dare you to shape our fate. Above all, I dare you to do good, so that the world might be great,” said Gorman to a round of applause.

 
Gorman and Blackpink were taking part in an event to promote the 17 sustainable development goals created by the UN in 2015.

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Rural poet gets chance to see her work published

Mdantsane poet Pheliswa Nonfenu, who goes by the stage name Nolinothi Ntombezinyanya, found refuge in writing poems when her schoolmates teased her when she struggled at school.

Today, she is a step closer to fulfilling her goal of seeing her work published.

This is after she won the Best Writer at the Mzantsi Arts and Media Awards recently.

The NU10 resident said it was being chosen by her life orientation teacher to participate in a school poetry competition that introduced her to the written word. She mixes isixhosa and English.

Her writing tackles daily challenges such as gender-based violence and femicide, love, faith and motivation.

Nonfenu believes poetry helps people get to know each other and build communities. She posts some of her poems on her social media pages.

“Even at school, when I wasn’t coping, it gave me a chance to express myself.
“I got strength from my ability to write poems.

“Other schoolchildren used to laugh at me; I struggled with reading, but I realised that I needed to continue writing and now for me to be a best writer among upcoming artists is a big deal,” she said.

“My friends put my name forward for the awards, and I got a call from the awards people to submit my work.

“People voted for me. I was shocked when my name was announced as the winner.
“I’m thankful to everyone who voted,” she said.

Among her accolades are second prize in an indigenous poetry competition by Somafco (Solomon Mahlungu Feedom College Trust) in 2020, first prize in the battle of colleges and community literature in 2016, best poet in colleges in East London and best poet in public high schools of Mdantsane in 2011. 

Nonfenu said the recognition placed her among wellknowns writers in the industry. She hoped it would open more doors for her.

She said the award came with money which she hoped to use to realise her dream.

She has written more than 50 poems; poets like Lebo Mashile and Jessica Mbangeni inspire her.

“I have been pushing for a while with no funding but I’m happy I won this prestigious award.

“It has opened doors for me and I will be able to publish my first book of poems from the money that comes with the award.

“This changes everything and it’s motivating me to not give up because I’ve had a tough journey.”

She has also written books — Imbeleko Yamgodusa Umntwana Wenkazana, based on her life story, and She Overslept, about her spiritual journey — that have yet to be published.

“I want to inspire other poets to never give up. I will be hosting a poetry concert for poets to showcase their talent and celebrate each other.

“Poetry and writing means a lot to me. I change people’s lives through my work.”

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Book Extract | Patrice Motsepe - On a mission to create hope and aspiration

The business aspect of Patrice Motsepe’s life is the golden thread. He grins when he talks about the "family enterprises – they made me what I am".

Involved in rebuilding the old shopping centre that the Motsepes once owned and ran in his home village of Mmakau in North West, he reflects on the people there who "always have the passion to try and make a difference".

"We have to create circumstances of hope and aspiration. I have been so privileged, immensely privileged. My father taught me that I should never stop working."

He goes back to those childhood pictures.
"You know, I once came home from boarding school – I think I was seven or eight – and I said to 'Daddy, the children at school, most of my friends, get taken on holiday'."

The Motsepe children had never been on holiday – when the other kids got the weekends off, the Motsepes were "standing behind the counter".

His father occupies "a very big space", Motsepe says, and it’s an opinion echoed by many leaders of the previous generation who hold ABC (ABC Motsepe football League) in the highest esteem. 

An example is former president Kgalema Motlanthe, who has spoken about the impact ABC had on him as an educator and an entrepreneur who never gave up.
"I had a beautiful unfair advantage," says Motsepe, "because, I’ll tell you, [my father] taught me things at a young age that [matter, such as] always be part of the community. At times my school fees weren’t paid and [yet he] would pay the fees of the students in the community. It was everything to him that people were educated."

It’s a tradition Motsepe has carried on in his own life, with the Motsepe Foundation paying for thousands of students to attend university.

"When you are young, you don’t understand it, and you [could] go through life and believe it’s all about yourself. But you realise that’s not correct, and you grow. If your community and your country doesn’t grow, you’re also retreating.

"It’s so wonderful to listen [to other people]. We get inspired as well as people getting inspired by us. There’s so many good people who say they will not give up on their country, and have that very real objective to build."

Motsepe sees SA as a pivot on the continent. This is not so much a default as his unwavering belief. He doesn’t despise people who emigrate, but he’s confused about their inability to see the "gifts" so evident in the country.

"[We have] to tell each other, this is not like any other country in Africa. We’ve got a real possibility at the moment to bring about generational multicultural and multilingual change, and these are in fact large things, but because they are somehow so difficult to put across, they [can feel like] small things."

Enlivened by this will to "South Africanise", Motsepe opens this out to the role the country has to play in the race against the climate crisis. "Bill Gates calls me and says, 'Listen, we’re putting this Breakthrough Energy [grouping] together', and before he knows it, [ I told him] 'I’m going to the COP21 in Paris', That buzzed his brain into all kinds of new arenas."

Gates, who drew Motsepe in as one of the world’s 28 high net worth individuals to be part of the initiative, identified Motsepe as an ally in the global south early on. Motsepe and his wife Precious Moloi-Motsepe were by that time already part of the billionaire’s Giving Pledge.

For that, says Motsepe, Gates called him and said, ‘We want a few families that will commit on a philanthropic basis,’ and since the Motsepe Foundation was already active, with the couple’s mindset tuned to contribute, Motsepe could agree to it immediately.

He often pays tribute to the everyday people who routinely deliver for their families and communities, against the odds, as compared to the macro-scope of being a signatory to the Giving Pledge.

"My message is, it doesn’t matter. The way that I actually see it, it doesn’t matter even if I give $100m, there’s an old lady who’s got a grant, she’s got R1,300 every month, and she gives some of her grants to her grandchildren or others, and because she does that for some time, she can’t even pay for meat, she can’t pay for vegetables. So those are the real heroes, because she makes a sacrifice. I give a big amount, but I’m still fine. My wife and children are still okay, you know. So those are the heroes we should celebrate."

Surprisingly, he seems star-struck when he talks about working closely with Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon in their ecological endeavours. The three men met in the 2010s. Motsepe and Damon – whose focus is on water – were on the same programme at the Philanthropic Roundtable of the Victor Pinchuk Foundation in Davos in 2014.

"When it comes to Leonardo, initially I thought that’s [just] Hollywood, but I was so impressed," he says, pointing out that DiCaprio has recently drawn attention to the critically endangered mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The Oscar winner also supports the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is facing unprecedented threats.

He talks about the "incredible experience" of seeing the gorillas, then adds, "But that is about wildlife, and [we’re also learning about how to get involved in protecting] life in the oceans, which is a good part of what they do."

The spotlight on the environmental damage from Motsepe’s mines will be unrelenting as he gains an increasingly larger space in energy provision in the future. He says he’s trying to face that head-on because "mines and many other industries [are big polluters]".

"Making sure that [we] know this target of [limiting warming to] 1.5°C must be at the heart’ of business," he says. "High standards should be set from the moment a business plan is drafted."

It’s encouraging that there are now "so many initiatives" to claw the planet back to sustain human life. But to Motsepe’s mind, "the ones that are doing the incredible work" can be found at the World Economic Forum.

He believes he benefits from being "part of that process", where the attention is on climate change and "how they are going to contribute" to maintaining standards around emissions.

It’s centred on excellence – the summit being the same for all, "to make the world a better place".

His thoughts turn to other billionaires who he believes are also giving this their best shot – like Johann Rupert, because "he’s with the heart and soul of Africa". 

He won’t hear a bad word about Rupert. He even tilts his hat at Rupert’s father, Anton Rupert, despite the mangle of arguments against them.

 This extract is from the new book Patrice Motsepe:  An Appetite for Disruption by Janet Smith and Jonathan Ball Publishers.

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South African poet writes a reflection of poetry written over 10 years

Writing lyrically about her feelings, emotions and life’s fleeting moments over 10 years meant former East Londoner Micharn Pollock produced a collection of 100 poems which has now been published in a book called A Long Look in the Mirror.

Pollock, who matriculated at DSG before obtaining a business science degree from UCT, lives in Cape Town where she spends time writing, acting, painting and modelling and has been a familiar face in television adverts.

“This book is a collection of poems that I wrote over 10 years,” she says. “There would be times where I would be writing all day long for days and then months of just thinking and not writing a thing.

Writing a poetry book was not something I was planning on during that time.

“In about 2002 I had a New York literary agent and had a poem published in an American anthology but then I decided to take time off from writing. It was only when I had a collection of about 100 poems that I decided to show them to Europe Books and they offered to publish my book.”

Pollock’s editor has poetically described the collection as “all the feelings that can have a place in a human soul remain stuck to the author’s blank canvas like insects enveloped in a sweetish substance. 

"The transience of feelings becomes eternal concreteness. She explores the beauty and frailty of humanity in the midst of our messy world, in the middle of our chaotic lives”.

A Long Look in the Mirror was published shortly before the author’s beloved mother Jan Pollock of local East London’s Pollock’s Photography passed away suddenly in August.

And although her mother never got to hold a copy of the book, she contributed valuable insights into its creation.

“My mother’s ceramics and prints are exquisite. She showed me all about colouring outside the lines, about finding my voice. My book was published while my parents were away on a trip in Zimbabwe and so unfortunately my mother never got to hold a printed copy, but she was very much a part of the process along the way — giving her advice on the cover, questioning my message in some of my poems and often being someone who would just listen as I read. This was something that she was so incredible at — just listening.”

Her father, well known photographer Rob Pollock was also an inspiration.

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The finalists of the US’ Kirkus Awards 2022 revealed

The finalists for the Kirkus Awards 2022 were revealed on Thursday, September 8, 2022. Here are the writers of African descent among them.

Kirkus Reviews is a US book review magazine that publishes previews of books prior to their publication founded by Virginia Kirkus in 1933. 

The Kirkus Prize was created to celebrate the years of criticism that Kirkus Reviews had contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. It is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction, and young readers’ literature.

Lesley Nneka Arimah won in the fiction category while Brian Broome won in nonfiction in 2021. 2019 was a truly Black year at Kirkus as Colson Whitehead won in the fiction category, Saeed Jones took the honours in the nonfiction category and Jerry Craft was recognised in the Young Adult Category. 

In 2020, Raven Leilani, Mychal Denzel Smith, Gordon C. James, and Derrick Barnes won in their categories.

The finalists for the prize were announced in a variety of categories on Thursday, September 8.

“This year’s crop of Kirkus Prize finalists is an exhilaratingly diverse collection of books on a wide range of topics from authors across the United States and around the globe,” said Tom Beer, Kirkus’ editor-in-chief. 

“Chosen by our hardworking judges from among the very best books our critics reviewed in the past year, these titles are truly on the top shelf of contemporary literature.”

These are the writers of African descent among the finalists;

Fiction

Judges: Author Deesha Philyaw (The Secret Lives of Church Ladies), bookseller Luis Correa, Kirkus critic Wendy Smith, and Kirkus fiction editor Laurie Muchnick

Finalist
God’s Children Are Little Broken Things, Arinze Ifeakandu

Nonfiction

Judges: Hanif Abdurraqib (A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance), librarian Lillian Dabney, Kirkus critic Sarah Norris, and Kirkus nonfiction editor Eric Liebetrau.

Finalists

By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, Margaret A. Burnham

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones, Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman, and Jake Silverstein;

Young Readers Literature

Judges: author-illustrator Jerry Craft (New Kid), librarian and educator Junko Yokota, Kirkus critic Alec B. Chunn, and Kirkus young readers’ editor Laura Simeon.

Finalist

The Year We Learned to Fly, Jacqueline Woodson and illustrator Rafael López.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony at the Austin Central Library in Austin, Texas on October 27. The ceremony, the first in-person one since 2019, will be live-streamed on the Kirkus’ YouTube channel.

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Meet the poetic family from Botswana

Often times, we meet individuals in a family who are incredibly talented. These individuals go on to carry their family names and make them proud. 

However, in the case of Kunkuru, a family comprised of a couple and their son whose poetry talents cannot go unnoticed, is a rare story. 

The Kumakwane family possesses a rare talent that seems might come once in a lifetime and never be replicated, as a wife’s sweet and beautiful ululation, son and father’s talent of playing with their mother tongue has set them on a fame path.

The trio is Kopanang (husband), Lesego Marry (Wife) and Kenneth Warona Tito who is the son. 

The Kunkuru family became known at the peak of COVID-19 in 2020 after the son recited the poem about Corona, which was played countless times on RB1. In an interview with the family, they said it was after that Batswana, especially RB1 listeners gave them the name ‘Kunkuru’. 

Kopanang, 38, said the poem captured many people’s emotions as it was during the time when COVID-19 ravaged the world and claimed too many lives.

“The radio played this poem countless times because It had verses such as: ‘Letsatsi la tsholofelo le tlaa tlhaba, Corona o tlaa swaba, Corona o tlaa nyelela semmuwane’. The poem was simply meant to console listeners and giving them hope that COVID-19 will varnish and we shall have better days. Batswana then called the poet Kunkuru rather than by his real name and the name Kunkuru originated from that scenario,” explained Kopanang.

In the village, Kopanang is popularly known as Mmadinotshi. He is a poet by nature. He also recited a poem entitled” Seromamowa sa Botswana weee” which is common to most of RB1 listeners. He said he also won the BTC Poetry award on 2019 and won a poetry record deal that had 12-tracked album.

He told Arts & Culture that he has been a Botswana Poetry champion since 2015, 2016 and 2019 under Presidential Arts competitions and even Constituency Arts competitions champion.

Kopanang is also an author. He wrote a Setswana novel titled, “Botshelo Bodiba” La Motsadi Petlwana” published by Macmillan Botswana Company in 2005.

 He said he has also written a poetic book entitled “Sepho” published last year by Macmillan.

On the other hand, his wife, a 31-year-old lady from Digawana village describes herself as a “support system to the boys”. 

She said she is an ululator (mmamogolokwane) who performs at family events and sometimes with other ululators (bomme ba mogolokwane) during the welcoming ceremonies of presidents in the country. 

She also said she was a champion in the constituency competitions when it comes to poetry. She added that she acts as an editor to the novels written by her husband and son.

Their son, 12-year-old boy doing Standard 6 at Kumakwane Primary School, released a six-track album titled Kunkuru weeee. 

The talented poet is also an author. He has written a poetry book titled “Ke a Boka” which was also published by Macmillan Company. 

He recently performed in Harare, Zimbabwe under CHIPAWO Festival.

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Win US$1000 in the MAYDAY Creative Non Fiction Prize

Deadline: October 1, 2022

$1,000 award and publication.

To submit, send an essay (2,000–7,500 words) exploring the theme of “Disappearance” (of people, places, things, etc.). 

Final judge: Darin Strauss, bestselling author of several books, including the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning memoir Half a Life and most recently the acclaimed novel The Queen of Tuesday: A Lucille Ball Story. 

Reading fee: $20. Online submissions only, please. 

Complete guidelines:  www.maydaymagazine.com

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Gaborone Book Festival 2022 kicks off on Thursday

The Gaborone Book Festival 2022 runs at the University of Botswana from September 15-17, 2022. It will be brought to you in partnership with IDM, Botswana, Maitisong, and the University of East Anglia.

The Gaborone Book Festival, founded by Keikantse Phele and Kenanao Phele, first ran in the Southern African country of Botswana in 2018. 

The event, which also run in 2019, 2020, and 2021 was aimed at fostering a love for reading among Batswana and residents of Botswana. 

It has hosted many writers and poets from Botswana and across the continent.

On April 12, festival organisers revealed the dates for this the fifth edition to be September 15-17 in the capital of the Southern African country. 

Since then, they have been sharing more information on the program and the artists who will feature over the three days.

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Teacher launches fourth poetry book

A High School history teacher from Zimbabwe has launched his fourth poetry book titled The Heart’s Detritus.

Beaven Chiweshe said he used the Covid-19 lockdown to complete the book. He officially launched it on Saturday. 

The 29-year-old decided to share his thoughts, expressions, feelings and emotions in black-and-white, through a poetry anthology.

“The poetry book, titled ‘The Heart’s Detritus’ is a book that mainly revolves around matters of the heart, including pain, happiness and sorrow.

“It’s a series of poems about what most people face and encounter in life,” says Chiweshe.

“I started to write this book in 2020 and, when the country was in national lockdown, it was a great opportunity for me to finish writing my book,” he said.

The Heart Detritus is Chiweshe’s fourth book after the Dreams of Golden Zimbabwe, The Central Message of Christianity and Life in the Shoes of a Short Man.

Among the authors who also graced the occasion, Humphrey Sambo lamented the way some traditional publishing houses treat new book writers, when they approach them, seeking the opportunity to publish their books.

“They tell you to wait for them to finish other books which are already on the market and the process will take too long with too many protocols to follow.

“My assessment shows me that they mostly concentrate on primary and secondary school books only, which are always on demand,” says Humphrey Sambo.

His publishers, Beyond Today, highlighted that all Chiweshe’s books are available at their premises at Batanai Gardens in Harare. 

The book will be taken to other provinces, around the country, and rekindle the spirit of reading, which is naturally dying in Zimbabwe, due to the advent of social media and films.

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Social Media Poem About The Queen Goes Viral

As the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II broke on Thursday, and people began to pay tribute to her majesty, a poem about the monarch and her late husband went viral on social media.

The poem is the work of Joanne Boyle, an English poet, and starts with the following lines:

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All set for Vrystaat Arts Festival 2022 in Bloemfontein. And it has its fair dosage of poetry and literature

In July, the Vrystaat Arts Festival successfully presented the first ever Mini-Market, on the Bloemfontein campus of the University of the Free State (UFS). 

Now the festival team is getting ready for a significantly larger festival, which will also take place on the UFS campus from 2-8 October 2022.

This Free State-based festival is an Afrikaans cultural festival, which also forges creative connections with Sesotho and English cultures as well as national and international creatives. 

The festival has an enormous artistic offer this year, from flagship theatre-dance-and-music productions in Afrikaans, English and Sesotho to literature, arts and crafts, sound art, and visual and experimental art.

Nowadays, the Vrystaat Arts Festival is one of the most important art festivals on the African continent, presenting a large variety of national and international productions and projects.

The Vrystaat Literature Festival is bursting at the seams again this year! Some of the leading Bloemfontein-based as well as prominent South African writers and poets on the programme to look forward to include Dianne du Toit Albertze, Annerle Barnard, Hannes Barnard, Zelda Bezuidenhout, Susan Coetzer, Pieter Fourie, Herman Lategan, Maretha Maartens, SJ Naudé, Elias P. Nel, Zarine Roodt, Madelein Rust, LindieStander, Zirk van der Berg, Amos van der Westhuizen, Irma Venter, Fanie Viljoen, Adele Vorster, and Chris Vorster.

Various panel discussions form part of the programme, including the UFS's annual Thought Leader-series, facilitated by Pieter du Toit. Turksvy Publications (Hannes Visser, Marlene Malan, and Daniel Hugo) brings an interactive workshop presented over two days, called the Turksvy skryfskool vir skrywers ontwikkeling.

The Tribute to Heroes-series will be presented at NALN again and this year we pay tribute to Jaap Steyn, Anna M. Louw and Elsa Joubert. The always popular Ruda-om-11-series, with award-winning journalist, Ruda Landman also returns with Landman interviewing, among others, Max du Preez, Charne Kemp, and Julian Jansen.

The De Schrijverswerf-project aims to establish a community of writers, poets and theatre-makers who are connected to the Dutch-speaking community through their language. 

This language commonality includes participants from the Netherlands, Flanders, Suriname, and South Africa. Four exciting project outputs, namely a Letter Exchange, a musical intervention called Lullabies, Folktales, Children's Songs and Nursery Rhymes, a visual art exhibition Tussen media, over talenheen comprising a striking presentation of poetry on canvas, and finally a week-long writer's laboratory, Schrijvers-Zwervers, with the final product to be presented on the last day of the festival.

Project partners of De Schrijverswerf include The Dutch Language Union in the Netherlands, Flanders and Suriname, and the Flemish Government in southern Africa.

Visit the Vrystaat Arts Festival’s website at www.vrystaatkunstefees.co.za to view the festival programme. Entrance tickets to the festival grounds and theatre productions are already for sale at www.webtickets.co.za.

For more information about this year’s Vrystaat Arts Festival, feel free to email az.oc.seefetsnuktaatsyrv@kram.

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In the grand scheme of things – Poetry by South African poet Alexander Matthews

I’ve gotten off lightly.
No incarceration in Ward 22 — or a concentration camp.
No chemical castration or conversion therapy.
I am not hanging from a crane.

I didn’t heed the siren call of suicide, though
At 17 it was wailing loudly.
I slept with a steak knife in my bedside drawer,
Willing myself nightly to use it.

I’m almost twice that age now and,
After over two years of living 10,000 miles away,
I’ll soon be home again —
Or, at least, back in Cape Town, the Mother City,
The city of my birth.

I invited my parents for lunch with my husband.
No reply, but Mom did email to say
We’re welcome to stay at their holiday home
(They won’t be there at the time).

In the shade of a tan-oak,
I hold my elbows and weep.
Steller’s jays flitter between branches.
I’m not sure what hurts more: Dad’s silence or
Mom’s attempt at being kind.

Still, in the grand scheme of things,
I’ve gotten off lightly.

                   Alexander Matthews

Alexander Matthews is a freelance writer and the editor of TONGUES. Originally from South Africa, he now lives in rural Mendocino County.

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Samira Bawumia Literature Prize announces 2022 winners

The Samira Bawumia Literature Prize (SBLP) has announced winners for the 2022 edition.

 
The Literature Prize is a biennial writing competition which was launched in 2020 to support and encourage aspiring young Ghanaian writers while contributing to the growing Ghanaian literary space.

The competition grooms talents through tailored workshops and also exposes their creativity through the publishing of their entries.

The maiden edition was climaxed with the publication of the Anthology “All Ghana a Stage” a compilation of the top 30 winning entries.

As part of activities under the second edition, a writing workshop was organized at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, in March 2022, to groom participants in areas of creative writing including poetry, imaginative fictional stories and short creative nonfiction.

This year, the SBLP in partnership with the University of Ghana Department of English held the “Evening With” series to bring together experienced writers to share their unique perspectives on engaging and fascinating content in the literary space.

Poetry: Khadia Alexandra Okai-Koi, Afua Awo Twumwa,Gabriel Awuah Mainoo
The organizers have congratulated the winners and have sent much appreciation to the judges for a successful competition.

Special mention also went to Henneh Kwaku Kyereh for emerging two-time winner and Yolanda Kwadey for her second appearance in the top ten for non-fiction category.

The First placed winners will be awarded laptops and cash prizes of ¢5000; the second placed will walk home with ¢3000, and ¢2000 for third-placed winners.

The 4th to 10th place in each category would have ¢1000 each.

Additionally, all top 30 shortlisted entries across all the categories will be published in the 2nd edition of the Anthology “All Ghana a Stage”

The Samira Empowerment & Humanitarian Projects (SEHP) is a not-for-profit organization founded and managed by the Second Lady of Ghana, Samira Bawumia, to improve the lives of women, children, and youth in underserved communities in Ghana through diverse social interventions in the areas of health, education, and economic empowerment.

Here is the full list of the top 10 winners for each category in no particular order.

SHORT FICTION
1. 1 Phinehas Osei
2. 2 Luther Dewilaa Fembeti
3. 3 Michael Amankwaa Adu
4. 4 Deladem Adom
5. 5 Elliot John Gyedu
6. 6 Esther Adoma Sarfo
7. 7 Emmanuela Sekoh
8. 8 Charlotte Derby
9. 9 Akua Serwaa Amankwah
10. 10 Kofi Berko

NON FICTION

1. 1 Henneh Kwaku Kyereh
2. 2 Makonk Najah
3. 3 Anna-Maria Poku
4. 4 Marian Oteng
5. 5 Emmanuel Ayamga
6. 6 Eugene Quao
7. 7 Yolanda Kwadey
8. 8 Najat Seidu
9. 9 Stephen Ofotsu Ofoe
10. 10 Francisca Akoto

POETRY

1. 1 Gabriel Awuah Mainoo
2. 2 Afua Awo Twumwa
3. 3 Khadia Alexandra Okai-Koi
4. 4 Nunya Apetsi
5. 5 Albert Asare Kweku
6. 6 Jonathan Kwao Tetteh
7. 7 Isaac Kwabena Nyamekye
8. 8 Sandy Adu
9. 9 Fiifi Buabeng-Baiden
10. 10 Success Agbenu

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Poetic triumph for health lecturer

Health lecturer and poet Dr Michael Leach recently won an award in a Melbourne writing competition.

The competition, run by Minds Shine Bright, was open to international poets, with Leach named a joint winner in the poetry category for his piece Emergence of Voice.

The poem recounts Leach’s life, focusing on his shyness as a child and eventually gaining confidence, which was the theme of the competition.

He said he was pleasantly surprised to win his category and proud of one judge’s comments about his work.

“She said the winning poems made her cry with the weight of the emotional resonance. It was quite amazing to hear that, my writing having that effect,” he said.

“The poem is about my own experiences of growing up as a very shy kid and gradually becoming more confident and finding my own voice over time. It’s a good news story and hopefully it can inspire others.”

The award-winning poet plans to release his first full collection of poems titled Natural Philosophies in November.

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Griffin Poetry Prize to award $130,000 for a single book of poetry - richest such prize in world

Scott Griffin thinks that Canadian poetry can stand on its own, competing with the best poetry in the world. 

And he’s putting his money where his belief is to create one big prize for a single book of poetry, with international and Canadian poets competing for a $130,000 award, making it the richest such prize in the world.

 
“It was time for a change,” Griffin told the Star in an interview before the changes were announced Thursday morning.

 
The Griffin Poetry Prize has been running more or less in its current form for 22 years, with two prizes being handed out for poetry written or translated into English, with one international winner and one Canadian winner each taking $65,000.

The optics of having a separate prize for the Canadians weren’t good, Griffin said, because “it was seen that the Canadians couldn’t measure up to the international poets, which was never really the case.” 

He cited Margaret Atwood, Anne Carson and Robert Bringhurst as proof, among others.

 
There was nothing stopping the judges from awarding both the international and Canadian prizes to a Canadian poet, but Griffin said “the judges were never going to go there."

The trustees who, aside from Griffin, currently include Ian Williams and Karen Solie, all felt the necessity for the prize to evolve. 

“There was a lot of debate amongst the trustees trying to get it right,” Griffin said. The format they’ve now settled on “raises the bar for the Canadians, but I believe they can compete and measure up to that higher objective.”

June was always Griffin month. For the past 22 years, barring the pandemic, the finalists would be flown to Toronto and feted over two nights: one an evening of readings at Koerner Hall; the next a gala where the winner would be announced in front of a crowd of invited guests.

 
That gala was affectionately called the “Poetry Prom” by those in the literary world. Filled with readings and dinner, and later a DJ spinning tunes, it was a night when you could see famous poets letting loose on the dance floor.

The party was “undemocratic,” Griffin said, because “we’d only have 300 people, while at Koerner Hall (the night before) we’d have over a thousand people and they wouldn’t know who the winners were.”

The “Poetry Prom” gala was also where the high school winner of the Poetry in Voice award mesmerized the audience with an unfailingly passionate reading of a favourite piece of poetry. The competition spans the country every year, with the winner flown in with their family.

 
Now there will be one big night of readings — with everyone on the same stage, experienced and novice alike — and awards, with a reception afterward at Koerner Hall.

 
The finalists will still be flown in. But where there used to be two short lists — four international finalists and three Canadian — there will now be a long list of 10 books announced in March 2023 and, in April, a short list of five books will be released. The winners will be announced on June 7, 2023.

 
There will also be a new $10,000 prize, awarded for a first book of poetry by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, along with a six-week residency in Italy in partnership with the Civitella Ranieri Foundation.

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