This week the third annual Drama for Life (DFL) Lover + Another National Poetry Challenge launches its innovative performance poetry talent search aimed at empowering University students, youth and the wider community to confront their realities pertaining specifically to multiple sexual relationships and HIV and AIDS. Entries are open now and close on 30th July 2012. Regional semi finals and finals take place across the country between 4th and 17th August 2012. There is no registration or entry fee and poem/s entered may be in any official languages of South Africa (a written translation will be required for those poems in languages other than English). Each participant may enter not more than two poems and they must be original works.
Through the highly popular medium of spoken-word the youth (17 – 30 year olds) are able to directly address the risks and cultural factors affecting their sexual behavior, values and attitudes towards sex and relationships.
The theme “lover + another” intended to engage the participants and public specifically on the reality of having multiple sexual partners concurrently – whether it may be in the context of so-called called umakhwapheni, sugar-daddies/mommies, or ministers of finance, the youth will lead this critical and creative conversation, speaking without censorship, fear or moral judgement.
The competition begins at respective universities , poetry and youth networks through series of audition slams and professionally facilitated HIV and AIDS workshops ensuring that they are well informed and conscious about the content if their poetry and its impact on audiences and the public at large. 2012 regional hubs will draw on the talents from Zululand, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and Johannesburg via university campuses and established poetry and spoken word activists within these provinces.
The top 2 regional winners and project co-ordinators will travel to Joburg to compete in the National Grand Slam taking place at Wits Theatre at 19h00 on Saturday 25th August 2012. They will also engage in a series of build up activities including spoken word/poetry workshops with disadvantaged youth from Sparrow Rainbow Village, SKY (Soweto Kliptown Youth) project and Hillbrow Theatre Project facilitated by Themba-Interactive and Drama for Life practitioners, a technical performance workshop priming them for the stage, a screening and discussion around a Chicago-produced poetry documentary epitomising arts activism, entitled Louder Than A Bomb! (Siskel/Jacobs Productions), as well as attending Sex Actually Festival performances.
While Johannesburg regional semi and finals will take place at the Con Cowan Theatre on UJ – Bunting Road Campus, all other activities will take place at the Wits School of Arts and other East Campus venues.
The regional and national winners of the National Grand Slam are awarded cash prizes. The DFL Lover + Another project is structured as part of the annual DFL Sex Actually Festival that takes place at different venues in Johannesburg from 23 August – 1 September 2012. This festival is a unique cross-community HIV and AIDS arts education, activist and therapeutic intervention the festival focuses on renewed efforts in finding creative and sustainable ways of learning and building capacity in HIV and AIDS education and prevention.
RULES:
1. There is no registration or entry fee.
2. The poem/s entered may be in any official languages of South Africa (a written translation will be required for those poems in languages other than English).
3. Each participant may enter not more than two poems.
4. Participants will be given a minimum of 3 minutes to perform their poem and should not exceed 5 minutes.
5. Participants should submit a typed copy of their poem/s with the entry form.
6. Poems must be original and performed by the writer.
7. Participants will be judged on the performance of their piece, content, creativity/originality of their over-all performance. The content of the poem/s must be around the themes stated on the brief document.
8. Participants must avail themselves for all activities of the competition such as; workshops, publicity promotions, interviews and any other events relating to the Lover + Another Poetry Challenge.
9. Only two participants will be chosen in all the regional finals to represent their region in the National Grand Finale.
10. Winners of the regional finals must be prepared to compete in the National Grand Finale to be held in Johannesburg on the Saturday 25th of August 2012.
11. Only 2nd and 1st finalists will be awarded with cash prizes at regional level, and 3rd, 2nd and 1st at National level.
12. The cash prizes will only be paid after the payment forms have been completed. All payments are subject to taxation through the Wits system, SARS 25% tax is mandatory.
13. All poems remain the property of the poets, but may be posted on the Drama for Life and other participating partners and funders websites, and may used in potential publication, researching or promotional material for this event. Acknowledgement of the poet will always be made.
14. The organisers reserve the right to remove a poem/s from the competition for any reason.
15. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
HOW TO ENTER THE COMPETITION:
Entries are open now until July 30th 2012. To enter your poem, please contact the Lover+Another coordinators in your region to find out when and where you can register:
- Durban: Natasha (Tash) Hosken from LIFE CHECK, E-Mail: tash@lifecheckydi.com
- University of Zululand: Gift Marovatsanga, E-Mail: tatiwamaro@yahoo.co.uk OR gmarovat@pan.uzulu.ac.za
- University of KZN – Pietermaritzburg: Karen Suter, E-Mail: suterk@ukzn.ac.za
- Cape Town & University of Western Cape:Toni Stuart, E-Mail: tonistuart@gmail.com
- WITS and UJ Johannesburg:Malika Ndlovu, E-Mail: himoon@yebo.co.za
Download: brief, entry form
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For submissions: see list of contact persons above
Website: http://www.dramaforlife.co.za/
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