Come and witness history being made, get your tickets @QuicketSA for Fresh Poetry Tour with @Siphokazi_J @EmmahMabye @poooono And special guests cc @vphakathi @OnlyOneLukes #Poetry #SouthAfrica #Africa pic.twitter.com/0r24oFhWES
— Fresh Impressions (@realfreshfam) January 29, 2019
A 21-city poetry tour! What a time to be alive. We caught up with the Fresh Poetry Tour organiser, Harold Moyo, to find out all about the exciting few weeks that will see Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye and Puno Selesho traveling the country for performances in 21 different venues.
Getting ready to go live in Jozi for a month and spend my weekends traveling around SOUTH AFRICA with the #FreshPoetryTour crew 😀
I can't wait to be a part of history with some truly talented humans. Tickets available at https://t.co/GCAjG9x2nZ or at the door. ❤ pic.twitter.com/surQrvY73F— Siphokazi Jonas (@Siphokazi_J) January 30, 2019
It's really about to go down… There is a coup in my stomach from the nerves and excitement. We're about to take you to church, take you home, take you to the future, take you to where you've been; just be there 💜#FreshPoetryTour @quickettix #21cities #noprovinceleftbehind pic.twitter.com/3Yo7Gghfeq
— Siphokazi Jonas (@Siphokazi_J) January 31, 2019
AND WE'RE OFF FAM!!! #FRESHPOETRYTOUR IS KICKING OFF 🚙 The FIRST local poetry tour. 😍 Excitement doesn't even begin to cover it! Come see what the excitement is all about this month. #noprovinceleftbehind #21cities #poetrywins @QuicketSA pic.twitter.com/5D6aldJGbJ
— Siphokazi Jonas (@Siphokazi_J) February 1, 2019
Wow! A 21-city tour, now that is amazing! How did the tour come about?
How Fresh Poetry Tour came about was through a series of poetry events and being in literature spaces. In 2017 Poets In Autumn tour we had give or take about 3000 people who came to watch poetry in one seating and this gave me mixed feelings, I was happy for the numbers but I was also saddened by the fact that it will take sweat and tears for local acts to attract the same numbers. It seemed that just before then and even after I realized there is a lot of talented poets in the country which needed to be celebrated & given platforms to almost all of South Africa, I then decided in 2018 that early 2019 we are not booking any American artist but we are putting our resources into a local poetry tour and here we are.
3 DOWN, 18 TO GO. Who can believe it? First weekend done and already wonderful stories and blessings emerging. Big cities take SO MUCH for granted. Small towns are HUNGRY – we are happy to serve. Thank you WITBANK, NELSPRUIT, STANDERTON 💕
JOZI STAND UP! #FRESHPOETRYTOUR pic.twitter.com/8K6chWN4T7— Siphokazi Jonas (@Siphokazi_J) February 4, 2019
Standerton: You have filled me til overflowing.
My thank you's to each and every soul that came are endless.And then there's this crew that I've shared 3 awesome days with. What a joy and privilege.
WE ARE 3 SHOWS IN ladies and gentlemen !!!#FreshPoetryTour #Mpumalanga pic.twitter.com/lkkWK5KfL2
— MissEmmah (@EmmahMabye) February 4, 2019
What have been the major challenges you’ve faced and how have you overcome them?
Putting this tour is a challenge on itself. Sponsorships don’t come easy, actually it don’t come at all, I can only count five victories and that’s mostly with four free venues and Love Ur Locks which offered to drive us around.
- You have to convince the consumer that the local acts are worth their money and time when it’s easy for them to jump when an international act comes
- In some of these places, poetry is non-existent and it takes a lot of faith and courage to keep positive
- Artists want to be on the bill for them to support
- Poetry is not a mainstream sport so there is a fear of failing but we gave ourselves a realistic target and that’s to reach between 2000 – 2500
- We will only overcome when the tour is fully done
Got any tips for anyone looking to pull off a tour like this in the future?
If you are not an optimist and full of faith then this can’t happen. You have to believe and make sure your team on the ground is not all talk but above all JUST DO IT!
Be part of history and support the #FreshPoetryTour A never seen before national poetry tour with @realfreshfam@sirharryfresh@Siphokazi_J@poooono@EmmahMabye
17 February it's in East London. pic.twitter.com/9q3H4S77hO
— #FreshPoetryTour (@RCMMG_SA) January 29, 2019
Check out the Fresh Poetry Festival in a city near you
01 Feb Witbank – GateWay International
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Hlengiwe Mbuthuma, Nsuku Nxumalo
02 Feb Nelspruit – Kuzuri Restaurant
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Hlengiwe Mbuthuma, Nsuku Nxumalo
03 Feb Standerton – Sakhile Hall
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Hlengiwe Mbuthuma, Nsuku Nxumalo
08 Feb Rustenburg – Tlhabane Community Hall
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho, Tiisetso Tsotetsi
09 Feb Johannesburg – SABC Radio Park
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Puno Selesho, Sydney Mofokeng, Hlengiwe Mbuthuma, Africa Mpilo
10 Feb Soweto – 1859 Nuse Street Rockville
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho, Tiisetso Tsotetsi, Kelebogile Legoko
15 Feb Port Elizabeth – Little Theatre
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye
16 Feb Grahamstown – The Rustic Route (food market)
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye
17 Feb QueensTown – St Michaels 2pm
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Michelle Mbolompo
17 Feb East London – Buffalo City College
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye
22 Feb Mthatha – WSU
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho
23 Feb Durban – The Joint Jazz Cafe
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho
24 Feb PMB – UKZN PMB
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho
28 Feb Bloemfontein – Albert Wessels Auditorium (UFS)
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Lukanyo Hlongwane, Patience Labane
01 March Kimberley – Protea Hotel
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Lukanyo Hlongwane, Gwyenth Van Nel
02 March Cape Town – Nice Beard Studios
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye, Lukanyo Hlongwane
03 March Worcester
Siphokazi Jonas, Emmah Mabye
08 March Polokwane
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho
09 March Vaal – One Way
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho, Vus’umuzi Phakathi, Neo Molope.
09 March Pretoria – State Theatre
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho, Busisiwe Hlongwane, Hope Netshivhale, Ilze Gopal
10 March Potch – NWU
Siphokazi Jonas, Puno Selesho
