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Poetry Honours Freedom Day Anniversary

Poetry Honours Freedom Day Anniversary

Date: 2019-04-26

Ohlange High School in Inanda is where President Nelson Mandela cast the first vote of his life in the country's historic democratic elections on 27 April 1994. Exactly a quarter century later, that very spot at that exact minute will see the launch of a "flash mob" poetry collection, Twenty-Five Years of Freedom. eThekwini Municipality maintains a permanent exhibition there to record the country's transition to democracy and will play host to the launch at 8.30 am.

The book is an initiative of the Durban Book Fair which promotes reading and publishing through its first Sunday's gatherings of book lovers in Durban's Mitchell Park. Durban has the accolade of being a UNESCO world city of literature thanks to its vibrant book and newspaper culture and plethora of authors living and working in the city.

Editor of the anthology, Kiru Naidoo said: "Close on sixty poets made the cut of the heart-wrenching poems we could include in this volume." Poems range from odes to workers, struggle activists and of course tributes to Madiba and his generation of stalwarts.

Among the contributors are Richard Nzima and Xolani Mabunda who are part of the Booksellers of Mzansi project that enables homeless people to earn a dignified living through selling donated books.

The project is an initiative of the Denis Hurley Centre which was founded by Paddy Kearney in honour of the late Catholic Archbishop of Durban. The poetry book is produced by Micromega Publications and members of the public are welcome to attend the launch at the iconic school on Freedom Day morning.