adminMlom’ Wakho is only the second such poetry slam after the House of Hunger slams which are held in Harare. The House of Hunger slams, named after the classic novel of the same name by the late Zimbabwean author Dambudzo Marechera, have managed over the past few years to expand to Malawi, Swaziland and South Africa.
In an interview recently, one of the slam’s organisers Philani Nyoni said they were now looking to export the slam to other places locally and internationally as they seek to expand their horizons.
“We are at the moment working on taking the slam to Germany. We are also trying our level best to take the slam to other regions and cities in the country rather than restricting poetic creativity to Harare and Bulawayo only. How fast we will be able to do all of this will depend on the availability of funds,” said Nyoni.
He said the slam was also working on bringing back the Poetry Potpourri gathering on a monthly basis, while plans for a compilation album that featured the slam’s regulars were also under way.
“We are working with Mgcini Moyo of Poetry Bulawayo to try and resurrect Poetry Potpourri because we feel it is a platform that will give more local poets a platform to express their creativity.
“We are also working on a compilation with 10th District Studios that will feature some of our regular poets,” said Nyoni.
He said the slam was looking to secure more sponsorship so as to give better prizes to winners and enable participants to travel to other places thereby gaining more exposure, which would be to the benefit of the city’s poetry scene.
Winners of the slam’s past editions have been remunerated from the gate takings only.
“We would like to see more finance becoming available for the project so as to improve the marketing of our shows and artistes and see that we are able to provide appropriate prices for our winners,” said Nyoni.
Touching on the state of poetry in the city, Nyoni said the genre was vibrant as ever, although affected by a shortage of platforms where the city’s practitioners could show off their skills. He said poetry could provide solutions to some of the country’s more pressing problems.
“I believe there is a lot of talent in Bulawayo that people are yet to get a taste of and I believe poetry can grow a viable source of livelihood for many. In a country with such a high level of unemployment it is imperative that we find creative solutions to some of our financial difficulties,” he said.
Regular contributors to the slam include Richard Mahomva, Solwazi Nkiwane and Tswarelo Mothobe who recently came third in the Breaking Barriers International Slam held at the Book Café in Harare, which featured poets from Zimbabwe, Malawi Botswana, Kenya and South Africa.
Online Reporter