TV PRESENTER and chief executive officer of the Poetry Red Carpet Awards, Cynthia Mapando, popularly known as Blackbird Zimbabwe in the arts industry, has confirmed that the fourth edition of Poetry Red Carpet Awards for Zimbabwe will feature prolific poets from Botswana.
Those expected to attend from the neighbouring country are Winnie Winani Mpala, musician and poet Mogapi “MR ONEX” Mojatlou, and Dr Ditsupo Mosoboloko and Gaolathlhe Othusitse.
The Motswana poets are expected to share the stage with Zimbabwe’s crème de la crème poets at the PG Centre along Chinhoyi Street in Harare tomorrow night.
“We are hoping to have a great number of artists who appreciate their art being spotted and having the world to see it at large,” Blackbird Zimbabwe said.
“We have noted that poetry is one of the art sectors that have been undermined, but the awards are to set a different view within society.
“Poetry is a means of communication, through love, societal issues and etc. Having to gather to appreciate it, not just within Harare, but Zimbabwe at large with a strong relationship with Botswana, is going to mark Zimbabwe’s finest poets on the map. It’s a place one would want to be.”
Visual artist-cum-poet Avril Taral Nachipo, popularly known as Loveletter, said she expected that her performance at the Poetry Red Carpet Awards would unite spoken word artists, poets, writers, mental health activists, the corporate world and the general public at an inclusive and inspirational word of mouth event.
She said PG Industries, which is the main suppliers of building materials and industrial hardware, was the event’s host as well as the main sponsor.
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“Yes, this is my time to perform at the Red Carpet and I feel ecstatic about the awards. The main reason for the awards is to make space for poetry in the arts and entertainment sector and to show appreciation for poetic work and encourage more poets to bring forth their art because their voices matter and they deserve to be appreciated as well,” Loveletter said.
“Well, I’m expecting to hear that poetry has grown and is actually making a great impact on the arts sector. The awards categories are English Spoken Word Artist, Promising Artist of the Year, Shona Spoken Word Artist of the Year, Ndebele Spoken Word Artist of the Year and The Best-Spoken Word Event of the Year, among several others.”
Added Loveletter: “I would like to appreciate everyone who is going to be at the awards. Everybody coming to the event is equally important and the red fluffy carpet is laid for everyone coming to grace the event. We are looking forward to the business world coming to select their own wordsmith who will push their brands.
“We are looking forward to the awards ceremony opening up more opportunities for the spoken word artists, poets, writers and mental health activists.”
She said categories such as Event Host of the Year, Event of the Year, Anthology of the Year, Promising Artist of the Year, Christian Poet of the Year, Poetry Sponsor of the Year and the Podcast of the Year were there to emphasise the importance of poetry so that the subject is easily understood.
She also attests to the belief that long back before the advent of writing, people used to use poetry to communicate or archive important messages.
One such way, in the Zimbabwean Shona context, is that women’s intelligence was marked by their ability to recite a praise poem for their family totems.
It also follows that poetry became a preferred medium for teaching and training children on how to communicate as well as relaying knowledge about their surroundings and nature.
A post on Google about the importance of poetry reads: “Poetry gives the writer the ability to use words to create imagery. A poem is more than just verses conveying a meaning.
“Poetry captures a piece of the soul of the writer and the emotions that the writer infuses in his or her words are forever captured in the words.
“Poetry is lyrical music to the soul. It speaks to the divine intelligence within that needs this form of medium for nourishment. Poetry is to literature what impressionism is to art.
“Poetry moves the emotions of the reader and allows them to feel the emotional state of the author when he wrote the poem. Poetry is a form of beauty.”
Indeed, nowadays poetry has become a major art discipline that pushes corporate brands and awareness messages on various subjects.
In Zimbabwe, poets like Albert Nyathi, Mambo Guramatunhu, Doc Vikela and many others go beyond general entertainment and are often engaged by corporates as either event hosts and/or voice over artists, among other artistic assignments.
It is hoped that the awards will open opportunities for artists for visibility and profitability.
