‘This year we continue to celebrate women poets and cast our focus towards fiery female poetic voices that use their art to mitigate the gender-based abuse and violence that continues to plague the country.’’ “Celebrating diversity, the festival includes local South African and international poets from Egypt, the USA, Spain, Ukraine, Mauritius and Nigeria,” says curator, Siphindile Hlongwa of the CCA. Once again, the festival includes the ever-popular Durban Slam Jam Competition, an open mic session and the festival finale at the BAT Centre. The six-day programme features interactions and engagements with poets through campus and school visits, poetry exchanges, book launches and evening performances at venues across Durban.

Participating poets for the annual Poetry Africa Festival, hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA), which takes place in Durban from 7 to 12 October 2019, have been announced.Ĭelebrating its 23rd edition, the festival features a host of local and international poets, at various venues and schools around Durban, with opening night at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre.