EXODUS Live Poets to Perform

The 5th Annual Infinite Word Festival Press Release
DATE: 15th November 2008
VENUE: Maitisong Theatre, GaboroneMEDIA ENQUIRIES: (+267) 71459881/ 71746334 or email: mailto:exoduslivepoetry@gmail.com

EXODUS LIVE POETRY! is a Gaborone-based collective of performance poets, brought together by their love for spoken word and vocal expression. They have created a platform for vocal expression with their monthly shows held at Maitisong Theatre, Gaborone.The Exodus Live Poetry (ELP) Collective has been in existence since 2003.Occupying spaces at the following venues: Café Wave (Main Mall), Café Prego (BBS Mall), The Village Theatre and at present Maitisong Theatre. They are the longest running live performance poetry show in Botswana. The 5th Infinite Word Festival will feature members of the Exodus Live Poetry! Collective, the band, local poets and traditional musicians. Invited guests include:-

NTHABI from Outrageous Records (South Africa), one of the most recognisable voices in South African hip hop today. In April 2006 Nthabi won the first session of Y-FM's Rap-activity Jam contest. She was featured in a documentary about female hip hop artists in South Africa, Counting Heads. The documentary has already been nominated for several awards around the world and was showcased on Women's Day (9 August 2006) by the Imbokodo collective. In 2007 she did a Finland tour alongside turntablist Dj Hamma & Reason.Nthabi was also a mentor in the British Council Project, Power in the Voice.

KABOMO VILAKAZI is a writer, poet, performer, musician, actor, workshop facilitator, director, producer and magazine editor from South Africa. He has performed at major venues, events and festivals around the world. He has shared stages with The Last Poets, Saul Williams, Jessica Care Moore, Stacy Ann Chin, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Don Mattera and Keorapetse Kgositsile.He has written and directed theatre.Kabomo has written for, produced for, arranged for and collaborated with artists like Tshepo Tshola, Hip Hop Pantsula, Mr Selwyn, Unathi Nkayi, Reason, H20, Hidden Force, Zonke, Prokid, Zolani Mahola, RJ Benjamin, Zubz, Pebbles, Zulu Mobb, Maggs, Ngwenya, Tuks and Mo Molemi.

HENRY BOWERS also known as “KUNG HENRY” is a poet/rapper from Uppsala,Sweden.He was the 2003 winner of the part “voice and motion” in the Swedish poetry slam championship in Malmoe.In 2004 he was crowned winner of the Swedish poetry slam championship in Avesta . In 2005, he came in third place in the World Slampionships in Rotterdam, Nederlands. He was a guest poet at Substanz Slam in Münich, Germany, the biggest individual Poetry Slam-contest in Europe. He came in first place with Def Poet Sonya Renee(USA) at The Four Continents Slam-Tour which took place in 13 cities in the UK, where he also shared stage with John Akpata(Canada),Thom Woodruff(Australia),Elvis McGonagall(Scotland),Penny Ashton(New Zealand),Kojo Baffoe(SA) and Andreattah Chuma(Botswana).