Ncube emerges Loziba Poetry Slam champ

FEMALE poet Racheal Voko Ncube (pictured) was crowned the virtual Loziba Poetry Slam 2021 champion at an event held under the Loziba Movement by Youth for Innovation Trust (YIT) in collaboration with Action Aid Zimbabwe.

The event, held under the theme Debt is Slavery of the Free, featured five female poets Ncube, Faith Baya, Thandoe Sibanda, Lorraine Mangena and Chichi Mbazo pushing for gender equality and social justice.

YIT managing director Thando Gwinji said the slam was meant to bring young women in arts and poetry together to talk about issues of debt distress.

“We were talking about issues like monies that are borrowed by our government and how these are feeding the communities, how they are benefiting or not benefiting young people with young women at the forefront talking about these issues using poems,” she said.

Gwinji said slam was judged by the city’s councillors in a bid to have a conversation with them on the subject issues, adding that Members of Parliament Jasmine Toffa and Nichola Watson were part of the virtual event. “Judging the poetry slam were the deputy mayor Mlandu Ncube, councillors Rodney Jele and Sikhululekile Moyo.

“We brought councillors because we wanted to have a conversation with them about how we can move forward so that we lessen debt distress in Bulawayo.”

Gwinji said social justice and debt distress were among the issues that were affecting people in the country.

“We need to be aware of it, run awareness on debt distress campaigns so that we can position ourselves and know the different issues around debt distress. For instance, how much is our council owing and what is that debt doing for us as citizens,” she said.