2010 DFL Festival’s “A Lover and Another” Poetry Slam hots up!
August 10, 2010 – This year’s Drama for Life Festival will include an exciting and educational poetry slam, in among the many arts and cultural activities that are lined up.
This competition, which seeks to address issues of love, relationships, sex and HIV and AIDs through poems, both written and performed, will see poets from all walks of life vying for various cash prizes.
According to the competition co-ordinator, Ntombi Nkuna, “Poetry targets the youth, it engages them on serious issues in a subtle yet provocative way, calling [on] them to reflect and ultimately take action.”
A poetry slam is an exciting battle of words where creative articulation of the theme marks the difference between what is considered “good”, and what “excellent”. This year’s theme, “A Lover and Another” is a loaded one and, when unpacked, can be used to expose the complexities of relationships, sex and love in the era of HIV and AIDS. Audience members have considerable weight in the final outcome, either acting as the judges themselves, or influencing the final decision according to their applause and response.
Some of the poets, interviewed during recent auditions, felt that this competition was a great opportunity for them to speak about serious issues that affect both themselves and a wider community. One of the poets, DFL intern Insa Kuschnerus, presented her poem “In The Moment”, which she says speaks directly to the theme, dealing with the complexities around the use of protection during sex and getting tested for HIV.
The competition is also about helping poets develop their technique, content and delivery skills in workshops conducted by established poets, in which they get to share and speak about their work to their peers.
The poetry slam is in two stages, starting on Saturday, August 21, followed by the final round in which participants will compete for bigger cash prizes on Friday, August 27. Both stages will be held in the Wits Great Hall
The last round of auditions take place on Saturday August 14, from 12h00 to 14h00 on the 17th Floor of University Corner. Entries close on Friday, August 13, at 16h00.
For more information, contact Ntombi on +27 11 717 4734.
By Tonderai Chiyindiko