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Phillippa Yaa de Villiers was chosen as the 2014 Commonwealth Poet. She wrote a poem and performed it for Queen Elizabeth II of England in Westminster Abbey. The poem was ‘Courage – it takes more’.

Poetry Nonscenes April 2024 was a milestone month for ZAPP, as it held its first and second ever multi-school/multi participant events, at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre and the University of Pretoria, respectively. The events were hosted in collaboration with Tom Penfold from the University of London whose current project “Poetry Nonscenes” aims to promote up and coming South African poets and celebrate the vital contribution poetry can make to education. Apart from school learners who came from a range of different backgrounds, the Johannesburg workshop also included participants from universities, as well as professional poets. We were extremely fortunate to have Mandi Vundla, the undefeated Word and Sound slam champion, as our lead facilitator. The day began with a tour of the Centre’s permanent exhibition. Using poetry, we then engaged the participants in a discussion that touched on the range of complex issues that the exhibit raises. This was followed by a poetry writing workshop where participants had the opportunity to craft their poetry by interacting with the visual and language related aspects of the exhibition. The day concluded with a dynamic showcase where the participants had the opportunity to share their poetry with the general public. ZAPP’s […]