Slam Poetry Becomes a Civic Resonator
In a city where traditional orchestras and contemporary rumba long defined the sonic skyline, the Centre d’Actions pour le Développement is betting on the sparse cadence of a single voice. From 8 to 10 December 2025, the Bana Moyi Institute will throb to the syncopated rhythms of the first Human Rights Slam Festival, a project honoured earlier this year with the Nelson Mandela – Graça Machel Innovation Award conferred by the global civil-society alliance CIVICUS. “We want every stanza to echo the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” explains Guerschom Gombouang, alias Guer2mo, who doubles as the CAD’s campaigns manager and the festival’s artistic director. For the Congolese spoken-word veteran, the microphone is not merely an instrument of rhyme but of responsibility.
Programming Aligned with International Human Rights Day
The festival’s three-day arc deliberately culminates on 10 December, the date the United Nations designates as International Human Rights Day, thereby underscoring the organisers’ ambition to root art in globally recognised norms (United Nations, 2023). Daytime hours will see the precinct of the Bana Moyi Institute in the Ex-Télé district morph into a civic agora. Twelve non-governmental organisations, ranging from women’s rights collectives to youth digital-literacy hubs, will animate stands designed to spark candid conversation with passers-by. Panels will address freedom of expression, electoral participation and gender equity, while introductory workshops will guide novices through the mechanics of metaphor and meter.
The “Voix Libre” Competition Offers an Artistic Launchpad
Opening night is anchored by the second edition of the “Voix Libre” slam competition, a contest conceived last year as a showcase for emerging talents from Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. The laureate will leave with studio time, a professionally directed video clip, media coaching and an official festival trophy. Beyond the tangible prizes, the platform is designed to catapult voices often sidelined by mainstream cultural circuits. “Winning is secondary to the visibility it grants to community concerns,” says last year’s finalist, the Pointe-Noire performer known as Black-Panther, who returns in 2025 as both mentor and headliner.
Youth Engagement and a Gender-Sensitive Lens
Secondary-school pupils have been invited through partnerships with local education districts, ensuring that the festival’s message of rights and duties reaches classrooms. Particular emphasis is placed on female participation, reflecting regional conversations about girls’ access to creative spaces. According to CAD field surveys, women constitute barely one quarter of performers in Congolese slam circles – a disparity the organisers intend to close through dedicated workshops on confidence-building and narrative ownership. “When a young woman steps onto the stage and claims her story, the ripple extends to her entire community,” Guer2mo affirms.
Civil-Society Village Strengthens Networks
Beyond the spotlight of evening performances, the associative village is expected to function as an incubator of coalitions. Representatives of legal-aid clinics, start-ups promoting open-data governance and community theatres will trade strategies for resource mobilisation and policy advocacy. The concept mirrors regional best practices highlighted by UNESCO’s 2024 Culture & Public Space report, which identifies multidisciplinary festivals as catalysts for social cohesion (UNESCO, 2024).
Perspectives for Cultural Diplomacy
With the Congo Basin already positioning itself as a hub of climate diplomacy, Brazzaville’s cultural stakeholders discern added value in a parallel narrative of artistic diplomacy. The CAD is in preliminary discussion with the French Institute, the Goethe-Zentrum and the CEMAC Youth Council to explore touring circuits that would carry the Human Rights Slam Festival to Douala, Libreville and Bangui in 2026. Such prospects resonate with government priorities outlined in the National Cultural Policy, which underscores creative industries as levers of soft power and employment generation. While funding remains a perennial hurdle, the festival’s early recognition by CIVICUS bolsters its eligibility for multilateral grants focused on civic innovation.
A Stage Set for Resonant Voices
Admission to all sessions is free, an intentional choice aimed at dismantling financial barriers to public discourse. As dusk descends on 10 December and the final verses fade, organisers hope that attendees will depart with more than applause in their ears. “Our ultimate indicator of success,” Guer2mo reflects, “is the number of citizens who leave convinced that their voice, like a well-placed rhyme, can unsettle complacency and invite progress.” In a nation where spoken-word tradition has long served as both memory and mirror, Brazzaville’s newest festival invites the city – and perhaps the region – to listen anew.