Centre for Creative Arts - Poetry Africa Voices Of Women 2007

11th POETRY AFRICA
International Poetry Festival
Durban : 1 – 6 October 2007

Twenty poets from 10 different countries will descend on Durban for an exhilarating rollercoaster of words, rhythms, and ideas at the 11 th Poetry Africa international poetry festival which takes place from 1 to 6 October.

VOICES OF WOMEN AT POETRY AFRICA 2007

Women poets make themselves heard at this year's Poetry Africa festival with a remarkable diversity of voices, forms, and themes.

Zimbabwean mbira maestro and Kora Award-nominee Chiwoniso , who has released two acclaimed albums and worked with the voices of Marie Boine, Kris Kristoffersen and Sinead O'Connor, has, for years, been wowing audiences the world over with her soaring, beautiful voice. Nathalie Handal (France/Palestine) is a poet of nuance, and also an acclaimed writer, editor, theatre and film director/producer. She has released two poetry CDs, Traveling Rooms and Spell; two poetry books, The NeverField and The Lives of Rain and is the recipient of the Menada Literary Award.

Ishle is a Korean American world-traveling poet, singer, and the first woman to be named the Poet Laureate of Queens – the largest and most diverse borough in New York . Ishle's poetry album, Work is Love , includes tracks with Korean traditional drums, Spanish guitar, beatboxing, and music produced by Japan 's critically acclaimed DJ Honda. Ishle has opened for artists such as KRS-One, Ben Harper, and Saul Williams, and has been featured at literary and music festivals performing her unique blend of poetry and song at over three hundred venues around the world. Haidee Kruger ( South Africa ), whose debut poetry collection Lush will be launched during the festival, is a poet of startling technical ability and lyrical finesse. Kruger is a lecturer in Language Practice and English Literature at the Vaal Triangle Campus of North-West University, where she teaches twentieth-century poetry and fiction, as well as modules on editing and translation.

Napo Masheane , currently enjoying great success with her provocative and humorous play ‘My Bum Is Genetic, Deal With It', is a writer, director, producer, poet and an acclaimed performer on both international and national stages. She is also a founding member of Feela Sista! Spoken Word Collective (Poetry Africa 2004). Oni the Haitian Sensation (Canada/Haiti), hailed as the ‘Godmother of Canadian Slam Poetry', is performer of visceral ability whose poetry focuses significantly on social concerns and sexuality. Oni's album of erotic poetry The Bedside Booty Book has been described “as better than Viagra!” whilst her first poetry collection Ghettostocracy has been described as: “an unforgettable book by an inimitable, drop-dead gorgeous artiste.”

Kenyan Shailja Patel , a poet of vast talent and conscience, has been called the Arundhati Roy of poetry. Patel is a theatre artist and her show ‘Migritude' has played to packed audiences all over the world since it opened last year. South African Arja Salafranca's poetry offers readers and listeners a lucid journey into intensely personal worlds. Salafranca, who currently works as the editor of the arts and culture pages and the Sunday Life supplement in The Sunday Independent , has published two critically acclaimed poetry collections. Phillippa Yaa de Villiers ( South Africa ), a television writer, stage actress, and dramatist, is a poet of great evocative power, and she brings with her substantial dramatic ability. Her first volume of poetry Taller than Buildings has been described as “an extraordinary debut collection of poetry, that is provocative and original, mirroring the transitions of self and country.”

The full programme of activities, plus participant bios and photos, is available on www.cca.ukzn.ac.za Enquiries to 031-2602506

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal), the 11th Poetry Africa festival is supported by the Department of Arts and Culture, Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (HIVOS), Royal Netherlands Embassy, Stichting Doen, French Institute of South Africa, Ethekwini Municipality, and the City of Durban.

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