Passion, soul and feeling will flow in abundance at a poetry slam out west to mark Matariki. Rowena Orejana finds out more.
Poetry needs to be heard rather than read." In the midst of the Maori cultural display at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Haare Williams, respected poet and visual artist, explains his passion for the spoken word.
"We're facing now a contemporary renaissance in Maori literature and poetry and storytelling. We see our young people come to the front and using all the expressive media they have in front of them," he says.
Gaining popular support is the spoken word or poetry slam. This is a form of entertainment distinct from rapping as the performance is delivered in a narrative, almost conversational, tone rather than with a musical beat.
To encourage this form of art and poetry, Auckland City Creative Communities is holding the "Matariki Poetry Slam: Kupu Rere". Kupu Rere means fast-flying word. Mr Williams is one of its judges, with Deirdre Nehua and Anton Blank.
"To me, the young poets are like the tender shoots of the flax. They need to be nurtured ... they need to be rewarded, they need to be encouraged to follow their passions and art," he says.
Passion is what he would look for when judging. "I'm looking for the beauty and the elegance and the passion of the language, whether it is in English or Maori. ... But mainly, I'm looking for something that comes from deep within that expresses their soul and their feeling."
Mei Hill, organiser of the event, says: "Lots of funds go to the visual arts but not a lot for the spoken word artist. We just want to give them more opportunities."
The competition was introduced in 2008 as a tribute to poet Hone Tuwhare and singer-songwriter Mahinarangi Tocker. Both died that year. "They were my inspiration," says Ms Hill who started the event at The Classic.
"The idea is to grow poetry throughout the region and work towards a publication or a CD of Matariki poems."
This year she is taking it to the west. Despite being Matariki-themed, however, Ms Hill says the competition is all-inclusive. "It's not just Maori," she says.
"Matariki is about love, life, birth, death. It's about reflecting on the year that has passed."
Word play
What: Matariki Poetry Slam Kupu Rere
When: June 30, 7pm
Where: Council Chambers, 6 Henderson Valley Rd, Henderson
Prizes: First: $400; second: $150; and third: $50.
The competition is open to all poets/spoken word artists aged 18 and above. For enquiries, email: kupurere@pl.net or phone/text 021 037 9499.
Ode to spoken art
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