Exploring social justice through verse

AS SOUTH Africa basks in the blossoms of spring, an invigorating celebration of words is set to sprout in Durban.

- STAFF REPORTER

The Poetry Africa Festival, which runs from October 6 to 11, heralds an exciting lineup of both local and international poetic voices, all advocating for this year’s theme: Poetry: an architecture of social justice.

This year's festival is hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, offering both in-person events at the Seabrooke’s Theatre and a globally accessible online programme.

The festival promises dynamic discussions, performances, and workshops aimed at illustrating how poetry can act as a structural framework for equity, inclusion, and transformation.

Festival director Ismail Mahomed underscores the urgency of the theme, saying, “Poets and participants will be afforded the opportunity to explore how poetic expression can serve as a structural framework to build and sustain movements for equity, inclusion, and transformation.”

He highlights the critical role of words in confronting growing inequality and societal conflict, encouraging artists and audiences alike to see beyond the limitations of violence to the power of language.