100 THOUSAND POETS FOR CHANGE

Be a part of a global event which sees 874 poetry readings taking place in 540 cities of 107 countries worldwide on September 24 in a special Heritage Day programme produced by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal). The event forms part of the international 100,000 Poets for Change project.

The outdoor celebration of poetry, live music, poetry weaving and a sunset film screening, will focus on environmental themes. Special guests include Gcina Mhlophe, Busiswa Gqulu, Patrick Bond, Sakhile STP Shabalala, Siphamandla Xaba and the New Divas Music Ensemble. This advance programme for the 15th Poetry Africa international poetry festival is supported by National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund.

There will be a once-off screening of the multi-award winning film Waste Land which won audience awards at Sundance, Berlin, and at the Durban international Film Festival. The film follows acclaimed artist Vik Kuniz to the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, to a particularly unusual site of creative production.

Art and poverty collide at Jardim Gramcho – the world’s largest rubbish dump. What starts as a simple exploration for Muniz becomes a profound encounter with a band of catadores, who make a living picking recyclable materials. The creative collaboration that ensues deals not only with important environmental and social issues, but restores dignity to a community tossed aside by society, like the garbage with which they work. Waste Land will screen at sunset.

100 Thousand Poets for Change takes place at the GreenHub at Blue Lagoon on September 24 from 15h30 to 20h30. Free shuttles will run between the Green Hub and the Workshop. The programme includes guest speakers and poets. Poets can register at worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com or visit the World Poetry Movement website at www.wpm2011.org

The Poetry Africa Festival will take place in Durban from October 17 to 22. For more information contact Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) on 031 260 2506 or visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za