South African poet Ntsiki Mazwai has taken to social media to voice her frustration with the recent selection process for the upcoming Havana Book Fair, questioning the Minister of Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzies decisions.
Mazwais tweets , which include pointed criticisms of McKenzies role in the selection process, highlight what she perceives as a misstep in the selection of writers and the exclusion of poets - like herself - who were personally and specifically requested by Cuban poets.
Over the weekend, an unhappy Mazwai shared a series of screenshots from conversations with prominent poets and figures in the literary world. In one of the messages, Mazwai is engaging with Cuban poet Leymen Perez, who extended a direct invitation to South African poets to participate in the prestigious Havana Book Fair.
How it started and how it ended, Mazwai tweeted, expressing her disbelief at being excluded.
Perez, an award-winning poet, had personally reached out to Mazwai, inviting her to participate in the fair. Mazwai also shared a conversation with fellow poet Tebogo David, where David forwarded a message from Harry Owen, a mutual friend, who explained that Perez was seeking poems by several South African poets, including Mazwai, Mongane Wally Serote, and Antjie Krog, for a special anthology.