Tshwane Speak Out Loud is back, and continuing with its third season of spoken word poetry by the youth of Tshwane. The festival will kick off on 6 June with a seminar at the University of Pretoria. This opening preludes the remaining 38 contestants, cropped from 180 poets who auditioned in all 7 regions of Tshwane, and now competing in this year’s semi-finals which will take place at The National Library of South Africa, on 8 June. The top 10 poets selected from the semi-finals will advance to the grand finale.
In the week leading up to the finals, previous Tshwane Speak Out Loud winners Xabiso Vili, Busisiwe Mahlangu, Xitha Makgeta and Emmah Mabye will hold a book-reading at Botaki Ba Africa Art Gallery in Arcadia on Tuesday, 11 June. This will be followed by a book reading and question-and-answer session with renowned authors Mak Manaka, Dr Raphael D’Abdon and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers, as well as a host of creative seminars and master classes on Friday, 14 June. Adding to this, the Swedish poet, Linn Eriksson will feature in the festival, by courtesy of the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria as part of the Sweden-South Africa Literary Exchange.
This season’s 10 finalists will compete at the South African State Theatre (Drama) on 15 June for a share of R50 000 in cash and a chance to participate in a literary exchange that will see them travel to Sweden.
First-prize winners will walk away with a cheque for R30 000 and a sponsored visit to Sweden, where they will be provided with a platform to perform and develop abroad. Winners in second place will walk away with R15 000, and R5 000 will go to the third-place winner.
Tshwane Speak Out Loud aims to encourage our youth to write and perform poetry that addresses the social issues faced in their communities, bringing their art from the page to the stage. All events are open to the public, expense-free. We hope to grant exposure and accessibility for all our esteemed poets and audiences.
Join us, as we celebrate the art of performance, of our youth, and of the City of Tshwane.
Tshwane Speak Out Loud Season 3 is brought to you by the City of Tshwane in partnership with Hear My Voice, the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender, the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria, The National Library of South Africa and The South African State Theatre.
Follow Tshwane Speak Out Loud on social media for constant updates:
@SpeakOutLoudSA on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Events schedule
TSOL Poetry Festival
6 – 15 June 2018
Various venues
See schedule at www.speakoutloud.co.za
Semi-finals
Saturday, 8 June 2019
The National Library of South Africa
09:00
Grand Finale
Saturday, 15 June 2019
The South African State Theatre (Drama)
11:00
Entry to all events is free. Reserve your seats at www.speakoutloud.co.za
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Press contact
Ishmael Sibiya
060 370 3649