Female poets take acts to Alliance Francaise
TWO of the country’s female poets Charity Hutete and Batsirai Chigama will this Friday combine forces for a show that will run under the theme “Unfettered” at Alliance Francaise in Harare.
Hutete and Chigama, both established performance poets, are set to serenade poetry lovers with verses fused with soothing acoustics starting at 7pm.
The departure from the slam format to the fusion with music comes with its own dynamics and is likely to appeal to those who enjoy poetry and music without the competitive energy often associated with poetry slams.
“By coming up with this production, we are offering an alternative to the norm,” said Chigama.
“Poetry is an art and therefore, we need to explore other avenues of expression and the fusion with music is one such avenue.
“Unfettered’, is just the beginning and we are hoping to do more shows and engage other poets in the process.”
Hutete said, “This production presents a range of poetic forms and song with the backing of a well-oiled ensemble including acoustic/electric and bass guitars, saxophone and percussion.”
Since the entrance of spoken word and performance poetry onto the arts scene, slam poetry was on centre stage.
Hutete is a dynamic poet whose written work has been described as ‘a layered feast’.
Her poetry is characterised by rich allegories which interrogate vast social realities and the artistry earned her the nick-name “Curious Poet”.
Hutete’s creative use of words and imagery infused with the alluring harmonic refrains that often accompany her acts always result in tasteful, culturally rich and thought-provoking entertainment.
She has exhibited her work at several international festivals in Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Norway.
Chigama is a name largely associated with slams and her work is featured in over 15 poetry anthologies in USA, England, Italy, New Zealand and Zimbabwe.
In 2012 Chigama became the first Zimbabwean to take part in the Italian Nosside World Poetry competition for which she was awarded a medal.