The Sunday Mail
Andrew Moyo and Chelsea Moyo
SINCE the closure of Book Café in 2015, the capital’s poetry scene has faded into obscurity with poets having difficulty in finding spaces to practice their craft.While there have been a few pop up shows, word-smiths are yet to find a venue that they can call home. The launch of the Izwi Poetry Jam at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe last weekend will certainly put smiles on the faces of poetry lovers.
The event that will be held once every fortnight at the gallery’s café is a platform for upcoming poets to showcase their talent and sharpen their skills in front of an audience.
At the launch, several young poets including The Prince, The Unspoken, Teekay the Anomaly, Yanta and Takudzwa Masunda to name a few, gave the event a promising start with their skills behind the microphone.
Established poets Madzitateguru and So Profound also graced the event as a show of support for the development. The poetry jam is, however, limited to Christian poetry, with the founder Leonard Mukwenga highlighting that he wanted to create a safe space where youths could come and share their love for poetry in a Christian-based environment.
“Teenagers are falling prey to bad habits due to peer pressure and in some cases because they have nothing else to do, so this is where Izwi comes in to hijack the Saturdays in a positive way and give them something worthwhile to spend their time doing,” said Mukwenga.
He added: “At the moment, we will be hosting the event once every fortnight but as time goes on we are planning to make it a weekly thing.”
Speaking to The Sunday Mail Society, one of the country’s top poets Madzitateguru, said this platform will go a long way in reviving the poetry scene in Harare.
“This is a brilliant platform especially for young and upcoming poets because spaces for them to showcase and nature their talent have been scarce of late. I just hope that the organisers get more support in order to grow this movement into something that can make a significant contribution to the local arts sector.”
This is not the first time the gallery has opened its doors to such initiatives having introduced the First Fridays late last year. The First Fridays is an event that takes place every first Friday of the month with the aim of bringing music, fashion and art lovers together in the gallery space.
Over the past few months, this event has featured numerous young music acts including The Monkey Nuts, Chimurenga Renaissance, Vera and The Movement among others.
Meanwhile, the galley is celebrating its 60th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary, which has seen them hosting numerous events to mark the milestone.
From the beginning of the year, the institution has been in celebratory mood with a series of special events lined up on the calendar. With July being the actual birthday month, they are set to host an anniversary gala dubbed “Rockin’ it Since 57”, where the staff will join other stakeholders to celebrate the occasion.
They have also lined up several music concerts targeting diverse audiences that will be taking place throughout the year. Established in 1957, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe is dedicated to the presentation and conservation of Zimbabwe’s contemporary art and visual heritage, and has been in the business of promoting arts and culture both locally and abroad.
Some of the exhibitions that have already taken place this year include “The Fighting Forces of the Tower”, “Achikulile”, “Dis(colour)ed Margins” and “Green Shoots”.
