Land of Poets returns July

The Land of Poets returns to the fold in July this year having successfully been held in the past two years.

The Land of Poets Festival will this year run for two days starting off with a symposium and later a poetry cocktail with the climax being a poetry feast.

Poetry Association of Malawi (Pam) Publicity Secretary Paul Sezzie says all is set for the festival and that Malawians should brace for another exciting event this year.

"Everything is in shape; we are making preparations for the festival and this year the festival will run for two days starting with a symposium and then a cocktail before the poetry feast which is the main course," he said.

The concept paper for the event indicates that the festival will cost over K11 million and the organising team has since called for support from well wishers for the event to be successful.

The festival debuted three years ago at Blantyre Cultural Centre where the guests were Jack Mapanje and Zambia's Ellen Aaku Banda.

It then shifted to Blantyre Youth Centre the following year with the guest artist being John Lwanda.

This year's lineup includes Stanley Kenani, David Rubadiri, Ghana's Crystal Tettey, John Lwanda and Germany's Richard Shuster.

The festival runs from July 5-6 under the theme Poetry in every home.

The concept paper says that the theme echoes Poetry Association of Malawi's commitment to its vision and five-year strategic plan to make poetry an art that everyone will easily identify with in the next five years.

"This festival therefore, in a way, will be launching the strategic plan. It is hoped that not only will poetry grow by leaps and bounds but also have the desired enhanced quality that will reverberate into the international literary arena," reads part of the statement in the proposal.

The other poets that are billed to perform at the festival include Sylvester Kalizang'oma, Benedicto Wokomaatani Malunga, Nyamalikiti Nthiwatiwa, Robert Chiwamba and Hudson Chamasowa.