BY SHARON SIBINDI
BULAWAYO’S Sox the Poet — real name Sondlane Dube — on Wednesday walked away RTGS$1 000 richer after scooping top honours at the second edition of the Lafarge Poetry Slam held at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.
The poetry slam was sponsored by Lafarge and co-hosted by Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) through its brand, Heart and Soul TV. The event was organised by Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo.
The event attracted 20 poets who went head-to-head, with three — Sox the Poet, Sibonginkosi “Siboe” Netha and Anele Chinembiri — making it to the final.
The three poets had tied points in the final analysis, and they had to go through another round which was a tie breaker, leading to the ultimate winner being Sox the Poet.
The first runners-up took home RTGS$600 while the third prize was pegged at RTGS$400.
“I am thankful that I have won this year’s second edition of Lafarge Poetry Slam. The competition got tough at the end, but I am happy to have been the winner,” Sox the Poet said.
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Intwasa director Raisedon Baya described the slam as “electric”, saying it showed poetry was alive in Bulawayo.
“Last night (Wednesday) was amazing and electric. Poetry is an art for the mind, for those that love words and word power. Last night the poets and the wonderful audience proved once again that poetry is alive in Bulawayo,” he said.
The slam was also a treat for arts enthusiasts during the busy ZITF week. Last year, Thandokuhle Sibanda, known as ‘Thando the Poet’, won the Lafarge Poetry Slam and walked away $500 richer.
