The 28th edition of the Poetry Africa Festival will be held from October 3 – 12, 2024 in Durban, South Africa and is centered on the theme of “Somehow We Survive”.

Poetry Africa is an annual international poetry festival curated and presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Durban each year during October. The festival features Spoken Word & Publish Poets in performances and dynamic engagements which includes panel discussions, campus and school visits, poetry exchanges, book launches, open mic sessions and the ever popular slam jam competition.

The festival provides a vital platform for the celebration and critical reflection about the contribution of poets in the movement for social change both nationally and internationally. At the University of KwaZulu-Natal the Poetry Africa festival supports academic scholarship in contemporary poetry. The Poetry Africa festival is also a dynamic player in the cultural economy of the broader Ethekwini; and plays a vital role in advancing the city’s status as a UNESCO City of Literature.

According to the Poetry Africa Instagram, this year’s theme is “Poetry: Somehow We Survive”. The theme is inspired by one of the poems by Denis Brutus, a leading South African poet, activist, educator and journalist. This year marks the centenary of his birth (November 28, 1924). Denis Brutus died in December 2009. The theme is intended to inspire poets to write as a response to how the human spirit survives and is resilient to the constantly changing political, social and technological changes that impacts on our lives.

Save the dates for the fest now! Stay tuned for info about the program and registration.