Young poets take the mic in Makélékélé
On Monday 8 December, the normally quiet courtyard of Espace Bana Moi in Brazzaville’s first arrondissement, Makélékélé, will vibrate with rhyme, rhythm and applause as the Centre d’actions pour le développement launches its first full-scale Slam for Rights festival.
The three-day event, themed “Our Rights, Our Future, It’s Now,” intends to connect young voices with seasoned activists and to highlight the importance of dignity, education and participation for every Congolese citizen.
Programme and advocacy officer Guerschom Gobouang told reporters that poetry, when performed live, “touches hearts faster than any report” and can help build bridges between institutions, families, and the dynamic youth majority of the capital.
Three days of workshops and rhyme battles
Twelve finalists, selected earlier this year through the Slam Voix Libres audition, will trade verses on opening night, judged on creativity, stage presence and respect of the festival’s human-centered theme.
Workshops scheduled for day two invite high-school pupils to try spoken-word techniques, while legal experts offer short clinics about the constitution, encouraging participants to transform civic questions into uplifting metaphors.
Evening jam sessions will pair rappers, guitarists and dancers with the slammers, creating cross-genre collaborations that organisers hope will remain on local playlists long after the microphones are packed away.
Beyond competition, veteran performers invited from earlier C.a.d gatherings will mentor newcomers backstage, sharing breathing exercises and tips for dealing with stage fright, an initiative organisers describe as “inter-generation transmission of confidence.”
Art meets advocacy under one roof
Although the verses may raise delicate questions about governance, health or schooling, the festival positions itself as a positive space for dialogue rather than confrontation, celebrating the nation’s cultural vibrancy alongside its tradition of public debate.
“We want to inspire responsibility on every side,” Gobouang explained, adding that open microphones allow citizens to share lived realities while also saluting constructive efforts already made by institutions and communities.
The December timing is no coincidence; activities coincide with the global lead-up to International Human Rights Day, a calendar moment many Congolese schools already observe through quizzes, sports and flag-raising ceremonies.
Community village showcases local NGOs
Just outside the performance hall, a village of eleven associations will line the compound with colourful kiosks where visitors can learn about blood donation, environmental clean-ups, safe commuting and digital literacy.
Organisers believe the informal setting encourages shy guests to ask practical questions, from filing civil documents to locating affordable evening classes, while staying close enough to the stage to feel each new punchline.
Local artisans will also display recycled fashion and bamboo phone speakers, reminding audiences that creativity can generate livelihoods at a time when many households monitor expenses closely.
Interactive murals will invite visitors to write a single word that defines the future they wish for, creating a collective poem that will be photographed at sunset and shared on C.a.d’s social networks.
Anticipated 2025 rights report on the way
During the second evening, C.a.d will unveil highlights of its forthcoming 2025 Rights Report, a field-based document mapping access to health care, detention conditions and schooling, with the full release set for Tuesday 9th December.
The organisation, recipient of a Civicus Innovation Prize, states that the report’s purpose is to inform both policymakers and families, offering data that can guide solutions already under discussion in municipal forums.
Observers expect the document to emphasise progress in community policing and decentralised health centres alongside areas where additional resources could strengthen service delivery.
Field researchers, according to C.a.d, conducted dozens of interviews in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and several rural districts, compiling testimonies that were later cross-checked with publicly available statistics to ensure accuracy before publication.
What visitors need to know before going
The gates of Espace Bana Moi open at 14:00 each afternoon, with performances running until around 21:00, a timetable chosen so that commuters can still catch the minibuses serving the southern suburbs.
Organisers encourage families, students and office workers alike to attend in large numbers, insisting that “poetry only lives when ears are there to receive it” and promising a friendly atmosphere suitable for all ages.
Previous slam evenings hosted by C.a.d were so well received that, after earning the Civicus Innovation Prize, the team decided to expand the concept into a three-day festival, confident the public appetite would follow.
Gobouang expressed confidence that attendance will multiply this year, noting that the public has been “called to come in numbers” and that the enlarged space can now host far more spectators than previous poetry nights.
The Slam Voix Libres call generated a flood of digital submissions; organisers say the selection committee listened to every file before narrowing the list to twelve, basing the decision on originality and adherence to the event’s main theme.
In the days leading up to the opening, C.a.d’s volunteer chat groups swap updates on seating charts, stage lighting and poster distribution, illustrating the extensive grassroots energy driving what began as a modest artistic dream.
