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The Jozi Spoken Word Festival brings poetry to life, with live performances by poets, storytellers and comedians. There are also workshops and a manuscript exhibition.
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OVER 60 spoken word artists, poets and comedians will be performing their work during a four-day festival at the University of the Witwatersrand.
The Jozi Spoken Word Festival, running from 13 to 16 August, will comprise live poetry performances, workshops, symposiums, films featuring some of Steve Biko's literary works, a mentorship and protégé programme, and a manuscript exhibition.
Daily performances start tomorrow at 7pm and will be held at the Wits Theatre and Wits Writing Centre, on the university's East Campus in Braamfontein.
According to Liberty Lebohang Sekhesa, the media co-ordinator for the festival, the event is a literary jaunt with some of South Africa's renowned spoken word artists, storytellers, poets and writers, such as Bianca Williams, Vuyo Seripe, Liesl Jobson, Maphutlana wa Bofelo and Khanyi Magubane, among others.
It has been organised under the auspices of the Wits Writing Centre, Botsotso Publishing, the Goethe Institut, Exclusive Books and Sounds of Edutainment. Entrance is R30 a day, but R20 for Wits students, pensioners and group bookings of 10 or more; tickets will be sold at the gate.
"This event is primarily targeting students," Sekhesa notes. It is geared at instilling a culture of reading and writing in young people and students.
Culture
"Young people form an integral part of the cultural development of the city and the festival is an opportunity for them to reflect on and embrace the environment within which they live and study," reads a press statement.
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It continues that the festival presents a unique platform for event managers, concert promoters, book publishers and record producers to witness spoken word artists perform live.
Sekhesa says there will be a full basket of activities, although his highlight will be the live poetry performances. "Everyone who is interested in spoken word art is invited to attend and participate."
Poet and performer Magubane says it will be a journey of words. "My work has audiences laughing, some crying, others shocked, but always entertained."
The Jozi Spoken Word Festival was first held in 2007, begun by the Wits Writing Centre. It is engineered to showcase contemporary local and international artists who are involved in poetry performances, fiction and dramatic monologues, including storytelling and comedy, reads the university's website.
It will be an annual event.
"I'm looking forward to the Jozi Word Festival as I know that it will be even better than last year's show, which was fantastic," Magubane says. Poetry has the capacity to reach so many different types of audiences, "and that's what I'll be hoping to achieve at the festival".
August is Women's Month and the organisers have set aside 14 August to commemorate the events of 1956. "Female writers, praise poets, singers and theatre practitioners like Nokuthula Mazibuko, Nomkhubulwane, Marie Beytell, and Khanyi Magubane promise to keep our ears tuned in," reads the press statement.
Programme
Free workshops with themes like Transporting literary forms across languages; Self-publishing or getting published; and Art word - how to make a manuscript exhibition will be held at the Wits Writing Centre from 13 to August, from 3pm until 5pm.
Programme
For the full programme, click here [PDF, 17kb] |
Symposiums covering topics like Traditional literary forms and their contemporary adaptation; and The line between fiction and faction will be hosted at the Wits Amphitheatre for the first two days from 5.30pm until 6.30pm. Entrance is free.
Performances or poetry readings will follow the symposiums at the amphitheatre from 7pm until 10pm daily. Artists billed to perform include MC'ed by Liberty, Dread X from Botswana, Tlou Setumu from Limpopo, Oscar Benjamin from Zimbabwe, Zorro from KwaZulu-Natal, Rebirth Konnexion from Soweto, and many more.
The second Jozi Spoken Word Fest runs at the Wits Theatre and Wits Writing Centre, on the university's main campus in Braamfontein from 13 to 16 August. Daily performances start at 7pm and run until 10pm. Entrance is R30 a day, but R20 for Wits students, pensioners and group bookings of 10 or more. Tickets will be sold at the door.
There is free parking at the university's Senate House building, on Jorissen Street.
For more information, contact Pam Nichols, the director of the Wits Writing Centre, on 011 717 4125 / 4136 or by email at
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; or Liberty Lebohang Sekhesa on 073 640 9455 or by email at
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. Alternatively, visit the Wits university website.
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