SONNET Mondal is an Indian poet, editor and author of several works. He was born and raised in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, which is still his home.
This will be the first year he will participate in the Poetry Africa Festival.
The event, presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, started earlier this week.
For the first time in its 26 years, the festival was presented in three locations: in Johannesburg, in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg. This part of the programme wrapped up at the weekend.
In Durban the programe runs until October 16; the online programme runs until October 15.
This year’s theme is “Poetic (In)Justice: Voices that Breathe, Move and Transform”.
Mondal said he could not pinpoint the precise year he began composing poetry.
“It was probably around 2005, and I may have latently fallen in love with it much earlier. It was a love that remained veiled from me until it was brought to light through my own poems.
“My inspiration comes from how my consciousness responds to everyday occurrences, accidents and encounters, and it manifests in the words I chant to understand the value of Karma and awareness in my life.
“My ‘knowing’, which is reinforced by the unwavering will to enquire, perceive and discern, is reflected in the poems I compose. Our perceptions, reality and articulation don’t quite directly correlate.
“For me, poetry fills this void or at the very least offers it a voice. Poems also assist me in imagining and reliving a much-desired life that is occasionally unattainable yet essential to my existence.”
He has read at literary festivals in countries including the US, Macedonia, Ireland, Madagascar, Turkey, Nicaragua and Sri Lanka. Having travelled so widely with the art, he shared his thoughts on the value that poetry offered, not just for those with an interest in the field, but for average citizens.
“Since the beginning of time, poetry and poets have transcended national boundaries and played a significant part in igniting discussions and discourses that have moulded a country’s literary history. The literary responsibility of a poet towards society is to uphold the truth and temper it with imagination, and I believe this kind of writing has a far more significant function to play than the lightweight news articles we see on a daily basis.
“Our cultural theory is shaped by what is written as poetry, and our cultural theory is what convinces future generations that we exist and that it is significant. Such is poetry’s significance.”
He said it was an honour to be asked to take part in a poetry festival with a 26-year history.
“When it comes to addressing the truths about the socio-political climate in many parts of the world, there has been an artistically obstinate audience from Africa whom I am eager to reach.”
Mondal will be reading on October 15 at the online event.
“My poems would be primarily from my books Karmic Chanting and An Afternoon in My Mind. The themes in these two books are varied but I will be reading the poems that deal with dissent and towards the end, I plan to include poems based on my life thus far in several places of India that occupy a significant part of my nostalgia.”
LEGENDARY POETS FIND A PIVOTAL SPACE
– Virtually, where the Poetry Africa Festival takes place until 15 October, keynote speaker Sandile Ngidi will commemorate the vision of Mafika Gwala in the 8th Mafika Gwala Lecture, in collaboration with South African History Online.
– Part of the Durban programme, taking place until 16 October, is also the second Mazisi Kunene lecture. Kunene was a champion of isiZulu literature and the conservation of its unique forms. From a young age, he would write his poems originally in isiZulu and would only later translate them into English and other languages. In 1993, UNESCO honoured him as the first Poet Laureate of Africa, for his extensive work in documenting and preserving the isiZulu language. The lecture will be presented on Friday, 14 October at 3 pm at the Howard College Theatre by Prof. Zodwa Motsa-Madikane, Executive Director of the Department of Leadership and Transformation at UNISA.
– Poetry Africa will also spotlight living legends, such as internationally renowned poet, writer and activist Diana Ferrus, who delivered the keynote address during the official opening online event on Monday. Ferrus will also make various live appearances during the Durban leg of the festival. Her poetry is recognised nationally and internationally for its impact on politics and for giving a voice to the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. She recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of Stellenbosch.
The entire programme available here. Tickets for the performances in Johannesburg are available at TicketPro, and tickets for the Durban events will be available at Webtickets. Virtual events are streaming here.
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