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Poets and police in First Street: Once unthinkable, now real
Fungai Tichawangana
March 30, 2009

"I thought this day would never come," remarked Zimbabwe Poets for Human Rights (ZPHR) co-founder Michael Mabwe during a Human Rights poetry slam held in Harare's Central Business District on Saturday 21st March next to the famous Zimbabwe Republic Police Caravan. The event was organised to commemorate World Poetry day and featured various poets reciting poetry that spoke about the need for human rights to be recognised.

Michael Mabwe and Shoes Lambada perform at the 1st Street poetry event

ZPHR in conjunction with the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) organised the event in First Street so that the poems could be heard by as many people as possible.

That they got permission to hold such an event, which was just a few weeks ago - before the government of national unity - unthinkable, speaks volumes of how far we've come in a very short space of time. However, that one of the poets was briefly detained for a poem that "attacked" the police, speaks equal volumes about how illusionary that distance we've covered may be.

All things considered, it was a happy day for the young and militant rhyme throwers as their enthusiastic voices echoed off the buildings that had once given the same favour to their hero, Dambudzo Marechera's voice. Marechera used to go out into First Street solo to recite poetry. He died in August 1987.

Celebrated poet, Chirikure Chirikure, whose performance was expected to be the highlight of the day, failed to attend. The street recital was followed by a reception at Gallery Delta where there were a few more poetry acts, a performance by rising singer Edene Timbe and then lots of food and drink, accompanied by conversation that carried the excitement of celebrating what seems to be the dawn of a new day for artistic freedom in Zimbabwe.

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