The 28th Poetry Africa festival will commemorate one of the South African most iconic leaders, the late former president Nelson Mandela. Andisa Mpisi, an Emerging Arts Manager at the Centre for Creative Arts, said the festival will focus on Nelson Mandela’s first school year, in the hope of encouraging young people to follow in his footsteps. Picture: STOCK IMAGES

This year Poetry Africa will commemorate the centenary of the late former president Nelson Mandela’s school year. The “Centenary of Mandela’s School Year” theme is education is power and it will commemorate Mr Mandela’s first school year, driving the 2025 Poetry Africa programme.

The Nobel laureate and first president of South Africa’s constitutional democracy, Mr Mandela, started his primary schooling near his village of Qunu in the Eastern Cape in January 1925, said Siphindile Hlongwa, the curator of the Poetry Africa festival.

“Mr Mandela grew up to acknowledge education as a powerful platform that could bring about equality and promote tolerance. We are delighted to launch two special projects at a time when young people across South Africa will be returning to school or starting school for the first time. The Poetry Africa programmes are our creative response to remind our nation about the important value that Mr Mandela placed on education,” said Ms Hlongwa.

She drew on a famous quote from Mr Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Ten finalists from the national Slam Poetry Competition will be recorded for a special programme to be broadcast across several radio stations in South Africa in partnership with the Radiocracy project. The 10 finalists will have their poems recorded for broadcast with a network of radio stations. They will each receive a royalty fee of R4 000 for their recorded performance and a R1 000 book voucher.

The Poetry Africa festival is also kicking off a monthly slam poetry competition aimed specifically at slam poets from the greater Ethekwini municipality. The winner of each month’s competition between January and August will receive a R1 000 prize. The eight monthly winners will also be invited to a mentorship programme in September following which they will be presented in a specially curated programme at the Poetry Africa festival in October 2025, said Ms Hlongwa.

Published poet, Andisa Mpisi, an Emerging Arts Manager at the Centre for Creative Arts, will co-ordinate the programmes. Ms Mpisi participated in the centre’s literature curator exchange programme with the Bergen Literature Festival in Norway in 2024.

“We want slam poets to use their creative voices to encourage young people to immerse themselves in education by drawing inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s commitment to education”, said Ms Mpisi.

“In his biography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mr Mandela said ‘the power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation- building and reconciliation’.

“Mr Mandela also said, ‘young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in future as future leaders’.”

The guidelines for both the national and regional Poetry Africa’s “Centenary of Mandela’s School Year” project will be available on the Poetry Africa website: https://poetryafrica.ukzn.ac.za/

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Poetry Africa 2025 to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s first school year with ‘Education is Power’ theme