Hashtag Poetry

While some hashtags resonate in South Africa alone, the global scourges of violence against women and racism fuel the reach of #MeToo, #MenAreTrash, #AmINext, and #BlackLivesMatter. These hashtags have captured the imagination and harnessed the rage of a generation who have said ‘ENOUGH.’ In the closing poem of this collection, Dr Gcina Mhlophe calls on everyone to ‘Come out and watch’ as she looks forward to a ‘Brighter dawn for African women,’ a better day for us all. Seeded in hashtags and slogans, harvested in action and deeds.

Ismail Mahomed is the director of the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu- Natal. With more than 35 years in cultural leadership, he is an accomplished and multi-award-winning arts management strategist. He is committed to identifying and promoting both new and established voices in the South African cultural sector. Tracey Saunders is a project manager by day, a writer and theatre critic by night and a women’s rights activist & social justice advocate 24/7. She has worked and volunteered in the social justice and arts sector in South Africa for 34 years. She is a member of the Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards judging panel and was a member of the National Arts Festival Artistic Committee where she curated the Arena Programme and convened the Standard Bank Ovation Awards Panel. She divides her time between Khululeka Grief Support and #LoveYourWork Siphindile Hlongwa works as the senior administrator and curator for the Time of the Writer Festival and Poetry Africa Festival. She attained her bachelor of Technology degree in business administration and holds a diploma in Drama Studies obtained from the Durban University of Technology. She provides logistical support for all the festivals presented by the centre as well as overseeing its general office administration and undertaking responsibilities as the centre’s safety & health officer and COVID-19 compliance administrator.