National Poetry Slam Champion, Humanties student Kwanele Nyembe. Photograph: Niamh Walsh-Vorster
UKZN Honours student in Drama and Performing Arts, Kwanele Nyembe, was recently crowned the National Poetry Slam Champion during the Poetry Africa Festival.
He wins a cumulative prize of R22 000 and will represent South Africa at the 2023 World Slam Poetry Competition in Brazil next year.
Nyembe, also known as Tory Saint, is a Durban-based poet, writer, actor and dancer.
“There is a lot more work to be done. But today, we celebrate an evening spent with the best poets the nation has to offer. Gratitude to the Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) and UKZN for providing this platform for artists,” said Nyembe.
“South Africa has the best poets in the world, and I am grateful to Poetry Africa for echoing this established belief. I am looking forward to retaining the title next year in Brazil.”
CCA director Dr Ismail Mahomed said congratulations to Nyembe.
“The 2022 Poetry Africa was an incredible success. The festival affirmed its place as the most relevant platform that brings together poets from across the world to share, critique and celebrate each other’s creativity. At the same time, the festival is a barometer of how poets read and interpret our social, political and global conditions. Poetry Africa is a dynamic advocate for social justice,” Mahomed said.
Dr Philip Meersman (Belgium), a jury member for Slam Jam and Head of World Poetry Slam added that the use of Nyembe’s voice, the deliberate delivery in not using the microphone, the audience interaction, restrained emotions, biblical references together with decorticating the human body into its essence with texts that were harsh as well as blaming and bringing people together showed a well-deserved win.
“He is a true winner in every sense of the word, capturing and captivating his audience. He is a kind of magic that must be experienced live by the world,” he said.
Nyembe is the co-founder of Sink or Swim Podcast, a platform that serves as a media outlet for Durban-based performing artists to talk about their work and introduce to the world the person behind it.
As a performer he has worked with the Embassy of Sweden in Pretoria together with Hear my Voice, which curated a virtual series that incorporated creatives from various art sectors, including fashion, literature, music, spoken word, media, government and academia, for the purpose of co-learning, adapting to change and support during the peak of the pandemic.
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