Winning is a slam dunk at Poetry Africa
An essential aspect of Poetry Africa, which will be held in Durban and Johannesburg from the 3rd to the 12th of October, is the crowning of the winning slam poet. Slam poetry, which originated in Chicago in the early 1980s, is a popular form of spoken word poetry where competitive poetry performances are staged. It has widened the reach of poetry in the past decades and has created an appreciative and diverse audience that previous genres may not have. Competitions are hosted all over the world, and national champions meet at the WPSO’s World Poetry Slam Championships, which take place annually in different cities around the world.
South African slam poets have always been warmly welcomed at the World Championships, with Xabiso Vili, the 2021 entrant from South Africa, receiving 165 votes to win the inaugural competition in 2022. In Brazil, in 2023, the 2022 Poetry Africa champion Kwanele Nyembe, progressed to the semi-finals. Lethu Nkwanyana, who was crowned South African Slam Champion last year and uses English and isiZulu to connect with his audience, will be representing South Africa at the 2024 World Championships, which will be held in Togo from the 12th to the 18th of November. The winner of the 2024 Poetry Africa Slam competition will represent the country in the World Poetry Slam in Mexico in 2025.
The top ten eligible finalists are Asiphe Feni, Busisiwe Mahlangu, Dshamila Roshani, Jonathan Lefenya, Khanyisa Mabasa. Masai Sepuru, Olive Olusegun, Sello Chokoe, Solly Ramatswi, and Tshegofatjo Makhafola. The Keorapetse Kgositsile Theatre in Johannesburg will host the slam semifinals on the 4th of October. The judges are Claudio Pozzani (Italy), Afurakan (SA), and Lynda Sibanda (Zimbabwe), and the exciting event will be hosted by Vus’umuzi Phakathi. That event will determine which five poets will compete for the title at the grand finale, and the five finalists will battle it out on the 12th of October at the Seabrooke’s Theatre in Durban. The final, hosted by Mandisa Vundla, will be judged by Allia Abdullah-Matta (USA), David Onyango (Kenya), and Lethu Nkwanyana (SA). Audiences will be treated to a performance by Lethu Nkwanyana on a programme that promises to be as entertaining as it is exciting.
At the 2024 Slam Jam finale, audiences will be thrilled and entertained as the seasoned poets compete for the crown. There are, however, aspiring young poets waiting in the wings. In their ongoing bid to grow poetry and poets and given the increasing popularity of slam poetry, Poetry Africa will launch a school’s competition this year. The inaugural competition will host ten schools from Durban and surrounding areas to compete in a high-energy slam, showcasing their writing talent and performances. An international panel of judges, including Hawa Kimbukwe (Uganda), Hatem Alshehri (Saudi Arabia), Sindiswa Zulu, and Nkateko Masinga (SA), will decide the winner.
Do not miss any of the excitement or slam action in Joburg and Durban. Tickets are available at Webtickets and the full programme can be viewed on the Poetry Africa website.
About Poetry Africa
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.