Poetry for Life

Poetry for Life was a poetry recitation competition that ran from 2015-2019. The terms of the competition were:

  • Schools entered as institutions.
  • Participating learners in Grades 10-12 choose and memorized two poems, one of South African origin and one of British origin, from predetermined lists.
  • The competition was held at school level, provincial level (in Gauteng and the Western Cape) and at national level.
  • Winners at provincial level received a trip to the national finals at either the Franschhoek Literary Festival or the Kingsmead Book Fair.
The Provincial Winners of Poetry for Life in Gauteng 2015
Raphael d’Abdon, Deirdre Byrne and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers judged the 2016 Poetry for Life competition in Gauteng.

ZAPP is currently in conversation with Poetry Africa, which is run by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, to re-start Poetry for Life and recruit new schools in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.