2014 sees big names and important voices return to the Speak the Mind stage as newer performers get initiated for a one night only event on Friday, 5 September. Breaking away from tradition, the event takes place at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.

The line-up celebrates the 22 years of the Arts Alive Festival with previous show headliners. The selection process took into consideration artists that would best echo what the 20 years of South African democracy mean and articulate that on stage.

The result is a mixed bill literary giants, revolutionary wordsmiths and contemporary musicians with performers from as far as the US, Jamaica, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

Back again and headlining is Jamaican Rastafarian dub poet, Mutabaruka who has a favourable local following. The Dis Poem lyricist, known for his frank and provocative social and political commentary, is not afraid to get intimate or didactic with his audience which makes him special to watch.

Literary fanatics can look forward to the inclusion of Dr Mongane Wally Serote whose presence comes with great authority and wisdom. A poet and writer, Dr Serote was part of the generation of black South African writers called the Soweto Writers in the 1970s and his early work contributed to the foundations of the Black Consciousness movement. His debut poetry collection, Yakhal’inkomo (1972) won the Ingrid Jonker Poetry Prize in 1973 and he’s the 1993 recipient of the prestigious NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa.

Lebo Mashile and Tumi Molekane represent a generation of significant post-apartheid voices and both came up as part of the collective called PERM in creative spaces like the Jungle Connection in Doornfontein in the early 2000s.

Both global in their own right, Mashile and Molekane are powerful writers and leaders in their craft. Mashile went on to co-find the female poetry collective, Feel-A-Sista. She has published two poetry anthologies, In a Ribbon of Rhythm (2005) and Flying Above the Sky (2008). She won the NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa in 2006. Molekane has become synonymous with Tumi and the Volume, who revolutionised the idea of a hip hop band with a mindful and organic aesthetic.

They will be joined by younger and exciting poets such as Gratitude Fisher and Mandi ‘Poefficient’ Vundla.

Completing the South Africa bill is the Cape Town experimental band, Soul Housing Project founded by Bokani Dyer and Sakhile Moleshe. The five-piece outfit recently played to great reception at the renowned 2014 Cape Town International Jazz Festival. Playing around with jazz, hip hop, house and drum & bass influences, they have created a global sound that also resonates locally. The band will release their full length debut album soon.

Swazi female lyricist and vocalist Jazz P teams up with Zimbabwean jazz artist and multi- instrumentalist, Josh Meck to deliver an afro-fusion of rap and afrojazz. As one of Nigeria’s leading spoken word artists, Efe Paul-Azino is a writer who through his work aims to raise youth awareness on socio-economic and political issues. He is credited for being a voice of a generation that takes poetry out of the shadows of academia and using it as an entertaining, transformative tool.

From Brooklyn, New York, Queen GodIs (Takeasha Henderson) blends classic hip hop, spoken word, soul music and theatre into her performance. She has featured in HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and her debut album, Power U showcases her penchant for storytelling. Queen GodIs returns to South Africa for the second time.

Filling in change over gaps and closing off the night’s performances will be local DJ Kenzhero whose wide musical savour and sensibility allows him to deliver an entertaining set with soulful depth.

The Speak the Mind Poetry Spoken Word Sessions takes place at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein (The Mandela) on Friday, 5 September at 19:00.

Tickets are available from Computicket.