It may seem like an unlikely combination, but historically poetry and funerals have a close connection.

AVBOB is ‘Africa’s largest Mutual Assurance Society providing a one-stop funeral insurance and burial service solution’.

As part of the AVBOB Poetry Project, two poetry documentaries – one in English and one in Afrikaans – have been created, asking poets about the place of poetry in society today.

Famous poets such as Antjie Krog, Johann de Lange, Jerry Mojalefa, Daniel Hugo, Vincent Oliphant, Liesl Jobson and Joan Hambidge, and younger poets such as Medzani Musandiwa, Francine Simon, Hendrik J Botha, Juanita Louw, Fourie Botha, Bibi Slippers, and others participated.

The AVBOB poetry project aims to ‘renew enthusiasm for this powerful art form and to generate new poetry to provide words of comfort and beauty to the people of South Africa’.

The competition is open to all citizens of South Africa, in any of the 11 official South African languages.

Poets stand a chance to be published on the AVBOB Poetry Competition website and other platforms, as well as to feature in a print anthology of 100 poems, ‘alongside renowned poets’, to celebrate AVBOB’s 100th anniversary.

• Click here for full details on how to enter
• Click here to read the competition rules

The closing date of the competition is at midnight on 30 November 2017.

Categories South Africa

Tags Antjie Krog AVBOB Bibi Slippers Competitions Daniel Hugo Fourie Botha Francine Simon Hendrik J Botha Joan Hambidge Johann de Lange Juanita Louw Medzani Musandiwa Poetry Vincent Oliphant