Word Exchange

One of the core intentions of Badilisha Live is to facilitate poetry interventions that involve multi-layered exchange, collaboration and authentic dialogue. The X-Change events, whether in the form of poetry writing or performance workshops, themed seminars or open discussions, draw on local participants from established and emerging poetry networks and groups.

Skills Exchange

These documented exchanges are characterised by a diversity of participants, the transfer of skills and networking opportunities, with the long-term aims of building relationships beyond the event’s time frame and location. Poets featured at Badilisha Live are invited to work with the curators to shape the content and format of these interventions, in line with the poets’ particular skill set and experience as educators, facilitators and arts activists.

Collaboration

Another dimension of the X-Change project is to encourage and support collaborative works between featured poets and local poets, artists’ groups or individuals. These range from multi-media poetry productions to poetry and live music pieces and improvisations.

X – CHANGE 2010

X-Cavate was a three-day series of master classes that were facilitated by poets featured at the Badilisha Poetry X-Change May 2010. Internationally and locally renowned poets Kwame Dawes, D’bi Young, Anis Mojgani, Croc E. Moses and
BlaqPearl shared their creative processes with local attendees.

The word X-Cavate evokes the process of digging deep into to our creative recesses and finding multiple poetic expressions, whilst honing our poetic practice. At the master classes, the craft of poetry was practically explored in its many manifestations – from sculpting on the page to performance styles integrating music, dance, moving and still images. There were also discussions on the value of artistic expression in healing, as commentary on social issues, education and entertainment. In the spirit of Badilisha, these classes served as networking spaces, not only between the facilitating poets and participants, but also amongst the participants during and after the May X-Change. One of the outcomes of X-Cavate was poems that were shared at the Africa Day Celebration on the 25th May 2010 at the Central Library, Darling Street, Cape Town.

X – CHANGE 2009

In 2009, Badilisha X-Change took place at various Cape Town venues with workshops held for young poets and creative writers from the local Cape Cultural Collective and Lyrical Base Poets. British-Bajan poet Dorothea Smartt facilitated the Life Lines creative writing workshop that explored place and environment as a metaphor, drawing out personal histories and memories. USA Hip Hop godfather Ngoma Hill’s Against the Flow focused on the original use of music in performance, which encouraged young spoken word artists to find inventive ways to express their own truths. The Lost for Words: Working in Collectives session was facilitated by revolutionary, multi-disciplinary South African artist Aryan Kaganof. Over and above these exciting interactive gatherings, a series of discussions and seminars included Somalian poet Warsan Shire in conversation at the Scalabrini Centre – an organisation supporting refugees, Ngoma Hill performing for New Africa Theatre Academy students and a themed discussion with Dorothea Smartt and Warsan Shire hosted by Clarke’s Bookshop, in conjunction with the English Department at the University of the Western Cape.

All four featured poets also participated in the Poetry in Urban Spaces panel discussion held in partnership with the African Centre for Cities.

X – CHANGE 2008

The Poet as Commentator and Visionary – performances and open discussion included a range of interventions: Well known South African writer and poet, Diana Ferrus facilitated the session with guest poets Omekongo wa Dibinga, Ernestine Deane, Changa Hickinson, Mary Magdalene and Shabbir Banoobhai who shared the platform with poets from the University of the Western Cape and Cape Peninsular University of Technology campus-based poetry groups.

Imvuselelo Zolwimi Lesintu: The Affirmation of Indigenous Voices Poetry performances and open discussions were facilitated by Hale Tsehlana, poet and Faculty Advisor for the Stellenbosch University Poetry Society (SUPS). Festival participants, Violettea Simatupang, Gert Vlok Nel and Mandla Mbothwe shared the mic with members of SUPS.

Verses spoken word session at Zula Bar: This popular monthly Cape Town spoken word platform hosted by well known poet and MC, Nicole Moody celebrated guest poets Changa Hickinson, Napo Masheane and Omekongo wa Dibinga along with a line up of exciting voices from Cape Town.

Poetry for Page And Stage: Exploring Oral and Written Genres Dynamic performance poet and founder of the organisation Lyrical Base Projects (LBP), Bulelwa Basse facilitated presentations and an open discussion with guest poets Jacques Coetzee, Ruben van Gogh, Napo Masheane, Antoine de Kom and Khadija Heeger and members of the LBP at the Guga S’thebe Community Arts Centre in Langa, Cape Town.