// Johannesburg, Durban & Bloemfontein - 3 to 12 October //
Wassup fam. The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is presenting the 28th edition of the Poetry Africa festival, and this year’s theme is Poetry: Somehow we survive. This year's poster is definitely my favorite compared to previous editions, and I already can't wait to see what this year's program entails. The theme is inspired by one of the poems by Denis Brutus, a leading South African poet, activist, educator and journalist. This year marks the centenary of his birth (28 November 1924). Denis Brutus died in December 2009. The theme is intended to inspire poets to write as a response to how the human spirit survives and is resilient to the constantly changing political, social and technological changes that impacts on our lives. Poetry Africa also shared some exciting news as they will be the proud host of the 2026 World Poetry Slam Championship: 08 – 10 October 2026, so that's definitely something to keep in mind over the next couple of months.
The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal invites South African poets to enter the 2024 edition of the Poetry Africa annual Slam Poetry Competition and to win a chance of winning the grand prize of R20 000. You have to be aged between 18 to 35 and submit your original poem on the theme “Poetry: Somehow We Survive” for a chance to perform at their festival and win the prize. Showcase your creativity and impact in a global platform by entering on or before Friday the 19th of July 2024. Click here to read more info about the guidelines and to submit you entry / click on the above images. All the best fam.
Here are some of distinguished judges for this year's Slam Jam competition, and you can click on their images to find out more about each one of them. From left to right, we have Thando Fuze from South Africa, Miksi Brouwer from Belgium, and Bash Amuneni from Nigeria. Get ready to be inspired and challenged by their discernment for poetic excellence!
Now let's get into a brief update on last year's slam champion and the runner up. It was great to see how at Poetry Africa Festival, you never walk away empty handed, as last year's runner up for the slam jam competition, Olive Olusegun travelled to the UK to participate in a residency program, thanks to the festival's long standing partner Literature Works and QuayWords. Olive was the #QuayWords visiting international writer-in-residence for March 2024, where she attended and performed at the University of Plymouth Arts Institute event, 'Poetry and Fiction from Africa'. She also performed at Exeter College (Custom House) during her residency.
Lethu Nkwanyana, last year's Poetry Africa slam champion has also been busy this year. He was placed 4th at the WPSO Africa Championship Online, therefore becoming 1 of the 10 poets selected to represent the African continent in the 3rd edition of WPSO - World Poetry Slam Championship to be held from the 12th to the 18th of November this year in Togo. Last month, he was featured in Afro Slam (Read the article here) a great platform that publishes all the latest African slam news in one click. In the midst of his travels this year, which include travelling abroad to the USA, he has collaborated with more than 10 schools locally, including his former high school which he described as having a "special and rewarding feeling". It's always great seeing poets being involved and working in different communities.
That's about it for now. Be sure to follow Poetry Africa on all social media platforms so you don't miss out on any updates. I'll probably write up another closer to the time to reveal the line ups and programs, so for now, just make sure that you're free from the 3rd to the 12th of October fam. I was privileged to be part of the Poetry Africa program last year, and this year I'm definitely gonna make a plan to attend the program in each different city. We should also make a plan to go support Lethu in Togo, so if you don't have a passport yet, now would be a great time to get it sorted and start saving up. As always, stay blessed fam, and don't forget to follow The Radioactive Blog on Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok / YouTube.
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