Poetry Africa slam champ to represent SA in Mexico

Olive Olusegun’s unique style using poetry, performance, art, and architecture in various mediums to “story tell and story reveal” earned her the top spot in the 28th Poetry Africa festival slam competition.

She will be representing South Africa at the 2025 World Poetry Slam Championships in Mexico.

Ms Olusegun won the Slam Champion 2024 title at the Seabrooke’s Theatre in Musgrave, Durban.

She was placed second in the 2023 Slam Jam finals, but this year she went one better and won.

The annual Slam Competition marked the end of a festival that die-hard poetry fans and new poetry lovers alike were captivated by.

The closing event and Slam Jam Finale came at the end of one of the most popular days of the festival, which included workshops and discussions focused on the sustainability of poetry careers.

Young and old were catered for by the festival and the intergenerational component of the spoken word genre was celebrated through the recognition of older poets whose legacy continues to resonate.

Siphindile Hlongwa, the curator of the Poetry Africa festival, said younger poets were inspired and acknowledged with the Schools Slam Competition.

Nondumiso Mathibeli from Isibonelo High School in KwaMashu was the overall winner. The panel of international judges was impressed by the quality of the poetry and performances presented by the new generation of poets, said Ms Hlongwa.

For the first time, the Poetry Africa Festival introduced a new segment called Perfect Pitch, where nine poets had the opportunity to present their projects to seven festival directors from Nigeria, Italy, Lesotho, Ghana, Belgium, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Remarkably, all nine poets secured deals with these international directors. The Poetry Africa team will continue to monitor the progress of these partnerships, working closely with the festival directors to ensure that these creative exchanges come to fruition.

“The festival theme, ‘Somehow We Survive’ was threaded through the events of the festival, and one thing was certain: poetry is not only surviving but thriving on the continent,” said Ms Hlongwa.

“South African poets continue to create work that is meaningful and impactful and responds to the current milieu locally and globally. The reach of international poets and their influence on local writers was a treasured aspect of the festival.”

Equally, the inclusion of 71 poets from 23 countries and their respect for local poets and poetry was a heart-warming component of the programme. Ms Hlongwa said convening so many participants from such a wide variety of places was a remarkable feat, and the efforts of the organising team at the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) did not go unnoticed.

The tenacity of local poets was personified in the production (R)evolution of Words. Staged in Johannesburg and Durban, the poetry show explored the South African poetry canon and contemporary voices, including poems from the Grade 11 and 12 curricula. Written by Lebo Mashile and curated Jade Bowers and Quaz Roodt, this vibrant and energetic production was rewarded with enthusiastic applause and cheers by a very appreciative audience, said Ms Hlongwa.

Ismail Mahomed, director of the Centre for Creative Arts at UKZN, said they were delighted that the 28th edition of Poetry Africa has been a success.

“The dynamic interaction between poets and audiences was inspiring. We are most grateful to our artists and audiences for once again affirming Poetry Africa’s status as one of the leading events on the continent that celebrates the spoken word genre. We also thank our many sponsors, funders, and partners for sustaining Poetry Africa as a flagship literature event, which gives credence to Durban’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature,” said Mr Mahomed.