SPOKEN Word and Writers Association hosted the finals of their poetry show on October 21 which spoke on the dangers of drug and substance abuse amongst the youths.
The show, themed ‘Pop Culture Xplosion’ was held at the Theatre in the Park, in the capital, following preliminary rounds held from July 2 to August 14.
Tadiwanashe ‘Universe’ Charewa shrugged off competition from 13 other contestants to land the top position. Adore Tawanenyasha Dzavo came out second and Vuyisile ‘Night Poetess’ Moyo was third.
After the first round out of the 14 poets, five qualified for the next stage.They were given five random words which were life, poetry, emotion ,night performance and summer to recite poems from.
The top three poets went away with prize money and books written by members of the organisation.
Charewa hailed the support he has been receiving since the preliminary stage of the competition.
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“It’s startling to be named the winner of the competition considering the level of competition I went through from greatly talented pots. I am grateful for the opportunity and the experience that came with it,” he said.
spoken Word Association president Lennox Gondo said the theme of the show was to commemorate breast cancer awareness month and also confronting social issues like drug abuse and mental health issues.
“The main objective of the show was to empower the youth through creative means so as to divert them from embarking on various antisocial culture such as drug abuse and also giving them a space to express themselves,” he said.
Gondo added that the show was a dream come true after trying to put it together and making proposals from stakeholders.
“Hopes were raised, we worked tirelessly drafting the concept note only to find ourselves not on the list of shortlisted organisations. We did not tire, we continued with our initiative until Mosci Engineering and Generation Civils, Litfest, TSE and outside the box began to sponsor our idea,” he said.
“Today l celebrate this victory with them because they believed in us when people doubted us.”
Main sponsor of the event Generation Civils CEO John Mandere said: “The event provided a platform for awareness and discussions on the dangers of drug and substance abuse to the youths in attendance.”
“It was a way of teaching and showing the youths that you can earn a living through poetry and performing arts,” he said.