Lerato Matheka

MASERU — Local poet, Lyrical Bacteria, will host a poetry competition this month to promote local talent.
The poet said the competition will run this month as well as next month.
“The competition is targeted at getting local poets published in the AfroConscious Journal along other African writings be it
poetry, short stories and quotes,” Bacteria said.
He told XpressPeople that two winners will stand a chance of winning a copy of the 2010 AfroConscious Journal, a collection of poems by unpublished African writers.
The winning poems will also be published at Lyrical Bacteria blog (www.sechabalb.wordpress.com) and the U Write what u like blog (www.uwritewhatulike.blogspot.com).
They also stand a chance to be featured in the 2011 AfroConscious issue which will be published at the end of the year.
“The competition runs for two months, in July and August and entry poems are expected to be submitted though email but more information will be posted on Facebook.”
“The theme the competition is Freedom. It started on July 1 and is expected to run until July 20,” Bacteria said.
“The theme for August is ‘Activism against women and children violence’ and this is expected to run from August 1 to August 20,” he said.
“Evaluations will be done by AfroConscious journal publisher Vuyokasi Yonke.
“We are hoping to engage the editor of the journal as well.”
Bacteria said AfroConscious was formed when African writers and poets came together and formed a movement where they published their writings on a blog.
“The movement started on social network Facebook through a group called Afrikan writers and poets.
“It’s only last year when it blossomed into a publication called AfroConscious Journal,” the poet said.
Bacteria said he got involved with the movement after one of his quotations was published in the 2010 edition.
“I have my quote ‘That never constructively criticised shall never be mentally circumcised’ published in the 2010 edition and through this opportunity I got to be known by other African writers,” he said.
He said this is an opportunity that local writers should use in changing the mindset of the art of writing in the country.
“I joined this movement because of my passion for writing and I decided to be a bridge between African and local writers.”