International poetry festival in Vhembe

A group of poets from across South Africa and overseas descended on Timbila Writers' Village on Thursday for the inaugural Vhembe International Poetry Festival.

The festival runs from 5 to 7 March at Shirley village and some selected areas around Elim. “The aim is to give a platform for poets from South Africa and overseas to present their work, but also to interact with Vhembe’s cultural life and heritage,” says Timbila’s director and celebrated poet Vonani Bila. “Part of the aim of the festival is to promote poetry in our indigenous languages, and not just in English.”

The event is being organised by the Timbila Poetry Project, with support from the Mzanzi Golden Economy (Department of Arts and Culture).

“All South Africa’s languages will be represented and there will be poets from all over the country,” he said. “We will also have the Finnish poet Maaria Päivinen, who will read her work in Finnish and its English translation.”

Bila said that Vhembe reflected so much that was positive and dynamic about the new South Africa, but also a lot about what was wrong. “The protests in Malamulele sparked by the lack of services expressed frustrations that you find everywhere in this area,” says Bila.

The festival will feature seasoned poets Mxolisi Nyezwa (Eastern Cape) and the founding editor of Kotaz lit mag, Max Marhanele - often regarded as the Xitsonga Shakespeare because of his depth of language and poetry - Allan Horwitz - a former trade union organiser and co-founder of Botsotso mag, and Ike Wangu Muila - a notable performance poet who fuses Tshivenda, Isicamtho (Tsotsitaal) and English.

They will lock horns with young performance poets such as Hector Kunene (Free State), Charmaine Mrwebi (Free State), and local poets Gudani Ramikosi and Given Mukwevho, who work in Tshivenda. “There will also be several other young poets who will perform,” he said.

Other key poets who have established themselves in South Africa and who will be part of this festival include Goodenough Mashego, Ayanda Billie, Siza Nkosi and Moses Mtileni.

“Vuyisile Msila, a poet and scholar from Unisa, and originally from the Eastern Cape, will give the keynote address on the relevance of socially engaging poetry today."

Entertainment - Date: 05 March 2015

News Correspondent

Correspondent journalists from all over the region supply us with news and sport articles. 

Email: [email protected]