On Friday and Saturday February 3 and 4, Chantel, accompanied by André, presented her poetry at the Spier Open Air Poetry Festival, curated by acclaimed poet, novelist and academic, Antjie Krog.

DALA FLAT MUSIC first worked with Antjie during the Third Symposium on Black African Writing in October 2005, around the same time Chantel accompanied Antjie and a group of poets including Frank Martinus Arion, Tjitske Jansen, Hagar Peeters, Toast Coetzer and Chris Chameleon - to Montague for a cultural showcase.
The Open Air Poetry Festival which took place on the idyllic Spier Estate, and was sold out both nights, featured international poets Yvette Christiansë, Chirikure Chirikure with Chiwoniso Maraire (Zimbabwe) and Tom Lanoye (Belgium), as well as local poets Lebogang Mashile, Finuala Downing, Chantel Erfort and Toast Coetzer. The festival wrapped up with performances by Godessa and Koos Kombuis with Rocco de Villiers.

Accompanied by original Dala Flat Music recordings and soundscapes by André Manuel, Chantel opened the festival (on the amphitheatre stage on Friday and the deck on Saturday) with her poems - 3 People Talk Politics in a Belgian Restaurant in Cape Town, A Poem for James, and Poem for Hanover Park.

On the Friday night, during a sharing of love poetry, Antjie Krog translated Chantel's poem, in a Coffee Tin, while on the Saturday night the festival took an exciting turn for Chantel as the poem was performed in three languages - she read it in English while Antjie did the Afrikaans and hip hop/ragga performer, Teba translated it into Xhosa. And then Chantel and Teba took to the stage together to present Teba's Township Girl in English and Xhosa.

The highlight of the festival, however, had to be Antjie's symbolic renaming by Eastern Cape Praise Singer, Imbongi Sincedile Mnogomeni.

For more check out www.spierarts.co.za and click on the SHOWS tab.
To read Toast Coetzer's take on the festival and check out some pics, click on www.litnet.co.za/toast/spier_poetry_festival.asp