8th Poetry Africa Festival 18-23 October 2004
Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal
  Nowadayz Poets – South Africa
   
 
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Nowadayz Poets, also known as Izimbongi Zesimanje, is an organization of 30 poets, based at the BAT Centre, Durban . The group is committed to supporting young poets and writers through creating opportunities for development and growth. As a collective, Nowadayz Poets is very active in arts and culture in the region and are much in demand at a number of high-profile events, such as Awesome Africa, Celebrate Durban and the INK Project, a programme of urban renewal. They are also actively involved in training workshops and projects around issues of social concern, such as HIV/Aids, moral regeneration and fatherhood.

The group is represented in Poetry Africa 2004 by :
   
 
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Mthobisi Mqadi , one of the organisation’s co-founders, he also administers and arranges events. He is a creative writer and a performing poet, holding a Btech in Information Technology from the former ML Sultan Technikon. Mqadi has performed in Poetry Explosion, Belly of the Beast, Illicit Liasons and the Sasolburg Poetry Exchange.
 
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Sphelele Mkhize has been part of the organisation for two years. He holds a Degree in Music Education from the University of Transkei and served a term as President of the University’s Music Society. A performance poet and creative writer Mkhize has been conducting creative writing workshops in schools.
 
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Mphutlane wa Bofelo , winner of the Poetry Africa 2003 Slam Competition, holds a BA (Hons) from the University of the Free State. He was instrumental in the formation of the Makana Poets in 1989 and Arts in Motion in 1998. His poetry has been published in the anthology 5-Poetry (Botsotso Publishing) and The Journey Within (Yasmin Islamic Publishers). He is the Vice –President of the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa, Secretary-General of the African Muslim Youth Congress and Convenor of the Anti-Racism Education Forum.
 
Khaya Maseko has been a professional poet for the last 2 years. He is a member of the Nowadayz Poetry Circle and a regular contributor to the Pioneers of Change alternative magazine Imbuthuma. Maseko has performed extensively around South Africa and has ventured successfully into the area of poetry done for the private sector. He also made a major contribution to the Human Sciences Research Council’s (HSRC) Fatherhood Project.
 
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