Yesterdays and Imagining Realities: An Anthology of South African Poetry

Yesterdays and Imagining Realities: An Anthology of South African Poetry will be launched on Sunday 21 March as part of the 24th edition of the Time of the Writer International Festival, presented by the University of KwaZulu Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA).

This poetry anthology is produced through the continued poetry partnership between the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and impepho press with the support of Total SA. It gathers thirty poems from twenty-six poets under the age of thirty, to remember and to dream this complicated country onto paper.

A PROJECT AIMED AT CELEBRATING YOUNG POETS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

“We invited young poets from South Africa to submit their original, unpublished poems, inspired by the theme ‘Archiving of Imaginary Stories’,” says Selen Daver, Cultural attaché of the French Embassy. “We received almost 400 entries and were delighted to announce the thirty poems at last year’s Poetry Africa festival organised by the Centre for Creative Arts.”

“We are honoured to accompany a new generation of South African poets with this project, which culminates with the launch of the anthology at the Time of the Writer festival.” says Daver.

“We are proud to be collaborating with the French Institute of South Africa and Total SA to bring this book to life,” says impepho press publisher vangile gantsho.  “impepho press is committed to celebrating and archiving African stories while preserving indigenous languages. What a gift it is to witness this country through the imagination of young creatives.”

The anthology features work in five South African languages – English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and Venda – and each poem is presented in English as well as its original language.  The cover was designed by artist Banele Khoza.

DETAILS ON THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH

The launch of Yesterdays and Imagining Realities: An Anthology of South African Poetry will include live readings from Mazwi Shazi and Masindi Netshakhuma. There will be a discussion between literary vlogger Linda Kaoma, translator Sabelo Soko and publisher vangile gantsho about the process of putting the anthology together, and a word from Toni Giselle Stuart.

Join us for the launch on Sunday 21 March from 15h00 to 16h30.
It will be streamed live on the Time of the Writer Facebook page, Twitter or YouTube page.
The event will also be streamed on the IFAS and impepho press Facebook pages.

The launch date of 21 March fittingly coincides with World Poetry Day and South Africa’s Human Rights Day.