By: Mhlengi Mafu

Local Durban poets shared a stage with an Australian slam poetry champion Luke Lesson and celebrity photographer Mike Schreiber.

The two are on a South African tour that will see them stop in Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. They will host workshops and poetry sessions as they make their way across the country. The poetry session was held at Sipho Gumede Hall at the Bat Centre on Saturday evening – and poetry fans came to see their favourite artists.

Lesson did not disappoint as he performed a collection of his poems that left his fans craving more.

“I have always dreamed of being here in South Africa and today is the wish came true and the reception has been good,” he said

He has performed for the likes of Xi Chaun in Beijing, the Nuyorican Poets Café known as NYC, and the Hip Hop Festival.

This tour includes an exhibition called True Hip Hop, made up of a collection photographs by Schreiber, who has worked with Eminem, DMX, P Diddy, Juvenile, Jim Jones and also other well known hip hop artists.

Schreiber said: “I use to work at a celebrity photo agency where I started taking portraits. That’s where my love for photography started.”

Page and Mashenge performing their poetry piece at the Bet Center.Picture by: Mhlengi Mafu

This was in 1998, and Schreiber has never looked back.

“I heard that the two were on a tour I contacted them to come here in Durban and showcase their talent,” said event organiser Menzi Maseko.