CURRENT STATE OF POETRY

SLAM APRIL EDITION: ONE ON ONE

AND CSP SLAM

 

By: Adelaide January

 

Being greeted with a can of Mofaya energy drink as you enter was confirmation that the energy levels of the audience and that of the poets will be at a definite high and the malangabs will indeed be felt as each poet took to the mic.

This was a different kind of slam which I realised as each poet was granted an opportunity to show confidence in their art and their given performance as they had to decide whether they did well or bad in each round regardless of what the judges’ scores said.

 

 

Judge shouts score: 3; 0; 5; 3…….

 

Haaibo, mara what is wrong with this judge (find out name) me and my friends started questioning ourselves. Did she even hear when Katlego said ‘’ I am wounded Braille, do not touch me to read me cause it hurts’’.

Haai if that is not a malangabs line please tell me what is.

 

We experienced heat, laughter, sadness, anger, brokenness, blackness and fire on stage and thanks to the Mofaya energy drinks that everyone received at the entrance, the theatre was not short of energy on Saturday 02 April 2016 at the CSP slam and the one on one slam which takes place at the Johannesburg theatre which has quickly build quite a reputation for itself ever since its birth.

With more than 5 standing ovations from the audience and loud screams it was evidently clear that the malangabs were vuthad on that stage.

 

As we saw Ashley and Kano going head to head as they slammed for the top spot of being this month’s queen of the mic… When Kano made me weak when she said ‘’they went from coughing out smoke to spitting out balls of fire’’ and Ashley killed me when she said ‘’I put sand over my daughter so I don’t drown her accidentally- I hate accidents ‘’ and just like that she had won the slam with me and indeed she was crowned queen of the mic with a close score of 30 points and Kano at 29….close call Ashley.

A few minutes into the one on one I was already sitting with a dilemma of having to choose between Africa and Mbongeni, with Africa having been my personal favourite at the beginning mostly cause of his skin and looks and other stuff when Mbongeni decided to sweep me off my seat unexpectedly and made me sing a different tune.

As they reached the 6^th round which happens to be Lil Hussil’s( also known as Vusimusi Phakathi ) favourite round the two made me want to scream my lungs out as Africa was leading and aiding Mbongeni into some poetic initiation ceremony, how the two were inhaling and spitting out fire balls of poetry…Neho tshesa (it was burning hot) .

It was evidently clear that Mbongeni came to this slam for one reason and with one reason- to educate the masses and education is what the masses received from him..

‘’RHAAI RHAAI RHAAI RHAAI’’ and this is how I will always remember Mbongeni as he went on to claim victory for the CSP one on one slam not even Africa’s beautiful skin will make me forget Mbongeni.

 

PS: I need to contact him to discuss this Rhaai Rhaai line

 

 

Glossary:

CSP- Current State of Poetry

Malangabas – Fire

Vuthad- made

 

Photos by: CSP

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