Monday, August 7, 2017

CONGRATULATIONS TO KARIUKI WA NYAMU ON WINNING THE BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU PRIZE




On the night of Sunday 6 August, we held our award-giving ceremony of the 2017 Babishai haiku prize. The judges, after intense deliberation, came up with their final list, and in order, we congratulate Kariuki wa Nyamu from Kenya, on emerging first, Anthony Itopa Obaro rm Nigeria, on emerging second and Kuadegbeku Pamela from Ghana, on emerging third. Congratulations to all that made it to the shortlist.




Below are the judges' comments.

JUDGES COMMENTARY ON THREE TOP POEMS

COMMENTARY BY ADJEI AGYEI-BAAH/GHANA

FIRST PRIZE
last night’s rain
in the morning mud
fresh toad prints

Kariuki wa Nyamu/Kenya

The general acceptance that a ‘good’ haiku is born out of a close observation is clearly demonstrated in this haiku. As a persnickety fellow concerned with “little things” and its role in nature was drawn to this haiku by its mere fact of familiarity and yet revealing something unfamiliar. This ku actually connects so well with me as a village boy who used to play with other kids in the mud after rainfall, and had always been fascinated by the footprints we left in the mud, or the ones left by others, and even that of little animals, especially on our way to the farm. But the simple question that unmindful person may ask is, “what after all is remarkable about these footprints, when they are not even of humans but of little animals? And the haikuist will answer: “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make a big revelation.” Hence the mud prints we leave today become the harden spots for others to travel by tomorrow! Or simply as a way to telling others that we were once HERE! In fact, these are the footprint of wisdom, aside its structural details, that the haikuist left on my mind and hence commends it for the top spot position.
--Adjei Agyei-Baah/ Ghana


SECOND PRIZE
downpour
waterfalls from rooftops
pouring into buckets

Anthony Itopa Obaro/Nigeria

The beauty of this haiku lies in its structure, and diction carefully selected by the poet that culminate into one beautiful poetic puzzle. Firstly, the imposing one-word opener: “downpour” which find its way onto “rooftops” and cascade down as “waterfall” at the turn point of eaves or joints and filling “buckets” down below, is anyway a common scene but still brings to forth the poet’s brilliance and mastery in the chaining of words to birth this beautiful composition. The poet though creates a seemingly setting of delightful season—rain arrival, but yet with its subtle worry of water scarcity. One can envisage a village drown in a prolong dryness or drought compelling people to put buckets and sometimes barrels (at roof joints) to collect rain as substitute for clean water. Indeed, this is a scene very common in Africa and other places in the world, and hence gets my yes as a beautiful piece that succinctly tells an African story.
--Adjei Agyei-Baah/ Ghana


THIRD PRIZE
moon circle
palms into palms
an armless child breaks the ring

Kuadegbeku Pamela/Ghana

The poem has a sterling opener with two circle words, a” moon” and “circle” itself, beautifully stitched to create an outdoor setting of children under moonlight. A noticeable village or city scene which recalls a fond memory and transport the reader down the memory lane, where there are no light and kids and lovers take advantage of the situation to prolong their stay into the night by playing or chatting. But like a good haiku, often imbued with its twist and turns, the joy of the persona is shortly lived, as a gap in the “circle” is revealed─ the missing arms of a child. Though the source be it an accident or a natural occurrence is not clearly stated; the sorry sight of war in Africa (and other places) is quickly brought into mind. Perhaps the real image the poet calls to our attention here. The horrible images of “short sleeve” or “long sleeves” once perpetuated by fiends like Fodah Sankoh (of Sierra Leone) and his kind on our beloved continent Africa rear its ugly head here and surely come as an awakening confirmation to the fact “all the arms we need are for hugging” and not simply for tugging!
--Adjei Agyei-Baah/ Ghana



COMMENTARY BY MERCY IKURI/ KENYA


FIRST PRIZE
last night’s rain
in the morning mud
fresh toad prints

Kariuki wa Nyamu/Kenya

As a pluviophile, this haiku won me over and I welcome it wholeheartedly to the Afriku hall of fame. Most haiku depict what is there; they paint a picture of a striking image as witnessed by the writer.  But here we see a writer who, like a detective, is looking at “a clue” left behind in nature and makes a delightful deduction. For me, the alliterating and refreshing “morning mud” kigo added to the memorability of this haiku.
Speaking of kigo, having both “ last night’s rain” and “morning mud” made this haiku feel a little too kigo- heavy but the decision was pardoned as further paring down of this version would perhaps take away from its “oomph” and the African setting it draws inspiration from.
Great poems, books, songs…any truly great thing, really, is that which makes you wish you had written, sang or created it. This haiku did that for me. Congratulations to the writer…Encore!
---Mercy Ikuri/ Kenya

SECOND PRIZE
downpour
waterfalls from rooftops
pouring into buckets

Yet another rainy-season-inspired haiku. This time, depicting a scene those who have ever dealt with leaking roofs know only too well.

While repetition of an idea can re-inforce a message, it is more often than not more effective in the longer forms of poetry. In shorter verses like haiku, it tends to water down the general impact, turning the “aha” moment into a “duh” moment. In this case, the words “downpour”, “waterfalls” and “pouring” had that effect on me.

The saving grace was the imagery of “waterfalls” thundering down into buckets; upgrading streams of rain pouring into a house to “waterfalls” relayed the annoyance of a leaking roof very well. The African setting is clearly captured and relatable to many.
I see a keen eye and a way with words here and I wish the writer many more moments in the haiku limelight.
---Mercy Ikuri/ Kenya

THIRD PRIZE
moon circle
palms into palms
an armless child breaks the ring

Kuadegbeku Pamela/Ghana

In the same way the armless child breaks the playful circle, this haiku breaks one’s line of thinking, forcing you to dwell on it a little while longer. And that is something I appreciate about creatively crafted haiku; the ability to make the reader “stop and see” in the same way the writer did when inspiration struck.

Without the line “moon circle”, I feel that this would be such a poignant senryu.  Considering this, the first line feels a little “patched into place” in order to avoid standing out as a senryu in a sea of haiku. To the writer’s credit, however, the images of the moon’s circle and a ring of children complemented each other well enough.

The contrast brought in by the last line’s revelation evokes an emotional response, making it a most memorable piece. To the writer I say “Bravo!”, you have earned your place in my personal “haiku hall of faves” and “Encore!”
---Mercy Ikuri/ Kenya


COMMENTARY BY EMMANUEL JESSIE KALUSIAN/ NIGERIA


FIRST PRIZE
last night's rain
in the morning mud
fresh toad prints

Kariuki wa Nyamu/Kenya

The haiku begins by telling us of the past night's experience-- a merciless downpour i guess. Interestingly, at first light the personae of the poem is not only met with wetness in the mud, but something revelatory: the incessant prints of toads, who have toiled the night and soiled the mud. Three things strike me in this haiku. One: the gentle way it peels back layers of understanding. Every line of the 'ku is doubtless a revelation that invites the reader further into the poem. Two: is the aha-line 'fresh toad prints'. It is so vivid and punchy that i can even see and tread in the toad prints myself! This is one thing well-written haikus do. The last and the most obvious is its Africanness. The scenario painted is one the average African can easily relate to. Finally, for lack of a better word, let me tell this great haijin bravo for composing such a gem.
---Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian/ Nigeria

SECOND PRIZE

downpour
waterfalls from rooftops
pouring into buckets

Anthony Itopa Obaro/Nigeria

The haiku begins with noise, gusts of rain pouring hard on a roof. In the second line of the poem, the haijin is tempted to state a thing twice. Instead of saying 'water from rooftops' (which would have been so obvious). He euphemistically and quite satirically (in view of the state of the personae's roof) refers to it, interestingly not as leaky
roof but as 'waterfalls'. This changes the entire view of the poem and makes the reader see mere raindrops from a whole new light! In truth, the use of Euphemism in the poem brings me to the question of whether figure of speech, even the slightest form of it is allowed in haiku composition. Well since Matsuo Basho, the great Japanese haiku writer used metaphor in one of his verses. Haijins from all over the world have been taking a cue from him. But let me quickly point out here that those who use figure of speech and are lauded have been using it skillfully and technically, in such a way that the reader hardly notices. Not verbatim and pointedly as it is used in other forms of poetry. And yes, Anthony gave a skillful rendition of it in this poem. In the pivot line of the 'ku 'waterfalls' from 'rooftops' flows into buckets, which i love to think, the personae intentionally positioned. Altogether makes this haiku continue in my head long after it is read. Something well-written haikus with beautiful moments are wont to doing. Conclusively, the third line of this haiku, especially the verb 'pouring' puts the poem in an ever present state, which is also the hallmark of a well-written in view of the form's basic aesthetics.

---Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian/ Nigeria

THIRD PRIZE

moon circle
palms into palms
an armless child breaks the ring

Kuadegbeku Pamela/Ghana

This haiku has a touch of poignancy and childhood. In the first line, we see a circle is formed around the moon by children at play. The poem progresses to the second, where we see palms linked. But the aha-line is really where the 'magic' lives. An armless child brings 'his' oddness to the ring, and the ring as if knowing cuts abruptly, and all the children notice the one who isn't like them. And i guess the child is sent away or the play loses its savour. The bone of contention here, is that the way we are, whether deformed by an accident or born deformed pointedly determines how we are accepted or how we enter certain places and forums. Have you ever seen a cripple enter a bank? Does he enter the same way as a whole man? Do people look at him pitiably the same way as the whole man? Does his mere presence contour the expression on the faces of people? The answers are not far-fetched, and this haiku poet gives the subject matter a better case and a fine rendering.
---Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian/ Nigeria

Sunday, August 6, 2017

USMAN KAROFI FROM NIGERIA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Usman Karofi, from Kano State, Nigeria says that he entered the Babishai 2017 haiku competition because of his love for haikus. His personal journey with haikus combines with his passion for nature, which haikus provide.




#Babishai2017
What drew you to enter for the Babishai 2017 haiku competition?
What makes me to enter the contest was first, my love for haiku poems. And secondly, given I came from northern Nigeria where haiku is not cherished most, I think it will be my responsibility to enter the contest and see how good I am.

Do you have a personal story with haikus?
Actually I do, haiku being a type of poetry in harmony with nature, there is no doubt my story with haiku lies there. Nature is something i cherished on my poems even before starting my haiku journey, coming to know haiku that lit the fire in me and makes me join the haiku train.

What do you think of the shortlist in general?
 The shortlist consist of outstanding poets all over the continent. And am optimistic any poet on that list deserved to be there.

What motivation, do you feel, that writers need, in this competitive world?
The greatest motivation that writers need is that, they should never give up. They are the voice of the voiceless, the path may be aphotic, but a light awaits at the end.

If your 2017 haiku submission were food, what would it be?
If my 2017 submission were food, it will be my local food here called "WAINA" a food made from grinded rice and fried, eaten with soup made from vegetables. The food is actually eaten during festivals here in northern Nigerian.

Read his submission here:

July rain. . .
my child traces her name
on the car’s windscreen

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html


ANTHONY ITOPA OBARO; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Anthony Itopa Obaro, from Lokoja, says that the Babishai 2017 haiku shortlist is an array of breathtaking haiku that speaks volumes of the imaginative powers of its authors. He further says that he loves the poems just as much as he loves egusi soup. #Babishai2017





What drew you to enter for the competition?
I  felt that by participating in the competition of this magnitude, my writing could stand a chance of enjoying wide readership, If I did well.

Do you have  a particular personal story with haiku?
Yeah. I have been writing since my teens, but knew nothing about haiku until last year when I read the interview Agyei-Baah granted with Babishai Niwe on haiku. I developed interest in haiku since then, and have been writing haiku for roughly a year now.

What do you feel  towards the shortlist in general?
The shortlist is an array of breathtaking haiku that speaks volumes of the imaginative powers of its authors.

What motivation do poets need to keep writing in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
Writing isn’t likely to fetch all writers much money, for sure. But, I suppose, the writer’s passion to write, and the prospect of his writing enjoying a measure of readership are the two main factors that ensure his pen is busy every other day.

If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
Wow!   Maybe pounded yam and egusi soup. I love this Nigerian delicacy as much as I love my poems on the shortlist.
Read his haikus here:

harmattan
unseen broom sweeping
everywhere


downpour
waterfalls from rooftops
pouring into buckets

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html

Saturday, August 5, 2017

NNEDIMMA EZENWA-OHAETO FROM AKWA, NIGERIA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

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Nnedimma Ezenwa-Ohaeto is from Akwa, Anambra State in Nigeria. She says that her brother, Chinua, motivated her to write and enter for the Babishai 2017 haiku prize.



What drew you to enter for the competition?

I don’t think it is “what” but “who”: it has always been my brother, Chinua, who always wants me and our other siblings to write, express ourselves and enter for competitions. He loves competitions. Making it into the shortlist has been a great joy to me. My entries― although my first time of trying haiku― were edited by Chinua, who gave it its taste and quality.




Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?


Yeah, I do. It was really difficult, for me, writing haikus because it was my first time. I remember how I birthed them: one particular night, I couldn’t sleep, and in the bid of wanting to kill time by doing a thing rather than just lying in my bed, I picked a paper and wrote just three, and one of them got me onto the shortlist.



What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?


Wooow! But I feel great. I feel appreciated. I feel I can write more. I feel my tiny and shy voice can make a difference.
     




 What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?

Motivation poets need, for me, to keep writing: read more, listen to their feelings, and allow themselves be absorbed by their environment(s). In this way they can reflect their inner selves and society in which they find themselves through their outputs.

    


If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
It would be fried rice decorated with chicken.

Her 2017 haiku submission is here:


crickets' chirps
break the quiet of night:
an old man deserts his armchair


 We at Babishai, congratulate her again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/ 

The full winning haikus are here:

http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html






BASH FAHAD FROM UGANDA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Abubasam Fahad Mutumba is an editor with Makerere Unversity's Campus Bee, a performer with a large following and he says that his 2017 haiku submission is a mouth-watering luwombo. #Babishai2017


What drew you to enter for the competition?

I entered the competition because I would like my poetry to get a bigger reach — given the stature of The Babishai Organization. I always look at my pen as a camera; able to paint images for the world to see them the way I saw them.

Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
I don't know if this answers the question well, but to me, every haiku is a story. The reason as to why I write haiku is so that I don't forget the story I have come across.

What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
I feel the shortlist proves that there's literary talent in Africa.

 What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
Someone once said you should always follow your heart; that's exactly what poets should do. Passion always wins.

If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
It would be a luwombo of pasted dry fish, with mouthwatering matooke.

Read his haiku  here:

Ugandan road...
a shrivelled leaf flies in
a cloud of dust

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862.

The full festival programme is here.
http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html

Thursday, August 3, 2017

KARIUKI WA NYAMU FROM KENYA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST


Kariuki wa Nyamu is from Kenya and he believes that the shortlist has elevated each poet to a literary pedestal. He undertook haiku research when called upon to edit a high profile literary magazine, after which his interest grew. #Babishai2017






What drew you to take part in this competition?
Well, although I rarely participate in writing competitions, I must honestly admit that when it is Babishai Niwe Prize, I always feel an impulse to take part, even if I have previously not made it to the long list, leave alone the shortlist until this year. In point of fact, this was my third time to try my luck. I have never given up though. In May this year, once I saw the advert for the Babishai Haiku contest, I set my mind to participate for I could feel that I had something that is out of the ordinary. I am glad I did. Well, here I am on the shortlist and ecstatic about it.

Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
Yes, thanks. Last year, an Editor-in-Chief of one International literary journal [www.thewagonmagazine.com] based in India engaged me to compile and edit the January Issue of the journal sub-titled Africa Literary Special together with two other talented young Kenyan writers. I gracefully took up the opportunity and in January this year [2017], the above mentioned Issue was published both in print and online form. In the said project, I got an opportunity to edit haikus which some of the writers especially from Ghana and Nigeria submitted. As we compiled the literary pieces, I particularly developed a stimulus for the art of haiku writing. Honestly, I had not written haikus before and so I had to undertake a lot of research on them so that I could select the best pieces. Since then, I made efforts to learn Haiku aesthetics through joining Haiku groups as well as reading journals [like The Mamba, Africa Haiku Network, Virtual Haiku, Ghana Haiku Society] where writers post their works and the corresponding critiques. I have learnt a lot from these and more groups and journals. Another thing that has demystified my learning of Haiku writing is my love for nature, photography and art in general. And one more thing, now that my piece has been shortlisted by a great team of judges, I promise to immerse myself in Haiku aesthetics, learn more and continue writing haikus on a regular basis.
What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
I would like to congratulate all the shortlisted poets! I am very delighted to be shortlisted among poets, some of whom have made great strides in haiku writing. This is very humbling! Otherwise, I trust that this has elevated each shortlisted poet to a higher literary pedestal. About the shortlisted pieces, I must say they are terrific! They make us see scenic panorama of Africa and listen to melodic sounds. Ah, each piece is distinctive and fascinating in its own way thus all the shortlisted poets are winners. Bravo!
What motivation do poets need to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
In my opinion, I do not think I can sufficiently manage to cite or even explicate the motivation that poets need in order to continue writing. Reason being, I am one of those people who believe that Poetry is a very personal enthrallment! Consequently, I would like to assert that the supreme motivation should be from oneself. I consider sound critical response as a basic ingredient though. It motivates a poet to go on with writing. I therefore strongly believe that poets need ardent readers who are all set to read poems closely and offer sound feedback that will in due course ensure their literary growth. This could be in form of reviews and commentaries even if it is on Social Media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This chiefly funnels a poet towards the right direction thus offering great motivation to keep on writing. Otherwise when one’s work is accepted in especially internationally published books, journals and online literary blogs or upon being shortlisted and ultimately winning a contest, this certainly offers a great deal of motivation to a poet.

If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
Well, this depends on my place of residence. When I am in Kenya, the Pride of Africa and my first country, the food would be green mukimo served with kienyeji (local breed) chicken stew! And whenever I am in Uganda, the Pearl of Africa and my second country, the food would definitely be matoke served with beef stew. These local delicacies are very yummy!

Read his haiku here:


last night’s rain
in the morning mud 
fresh toad prints


We at Babishai, congratulate Him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html


DAN'BALA UMAR FROM GHANA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Dan’bala Umar is from Ghana and was shortlisted for the Babishai 2017 haiku competition. He says that life itself is a motivation and was inspired to enter the haiku contest by one of the 2016 winners, Alebna Blessmond. Dan’bala says that the judges must have had quite a time to include him on the 2017 haiku shortlist. #Babishai2017

Dan'bala Umar (Courtesy photo)

What drew you to enter for the competition?

I was introduced to the contest by a friend, ALEBNA BLESSMOND who himself was a finalist last year. Initially I was skeptical about submitting for I only discovered Haiku not quite long and I felt it was perhaps too early for me as a learner.

Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
Well.... sigh... Not much that I can think of at the moment, but  I must say that Haiku has influenced the way I look at my environment lately. I pay keen interest to it for inspiration.

What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
Certainly I feel lucky when I look at the shortlist, the judges must have had quite a time.

What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
 Life is the motivation, as a poet, one is a custodian of such a great gift of nature (writing). Therefore, it must be nurtured by writing without ceasing.

If your 2017 Babishai haiku submission were food, what would it be?
 It would have been a Ghanaian Jollof.😊

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html



Wednesday, August 2, 2017

ALAWONDE FEMI; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST


Alawonde Femi, from Oyo, Nigeria, was shortlisted for the Babishai 2017 haiku prize. He fell in love with the haiku after reading the 2016 shortlisted haijins. He is now part of the big and loving haiku family. If his Babishai 2017 haiku submission were food, it would be pounded yam, he says.


Why drew you to participate in the Babishai 2017 haiku prize?
I submitted because of the love I have for a form of haiku brewing here in Africa: Afriku.

Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
I got to know about Babishai Niwe Poetry Competition in 2016. Then, I submitted to the long poetry section. I am glad to say that Babishai Niwe Poetry Shortlist was my first encounter with haiku. I read the interview of the shortlisted haijins and the shortlist, and fell in love with haiku. I had this desire to try it, so I went online and researched. I first stuck to the traditional seventeen lines, then I met Mr. Adjei on Facebook, sent him some of my works, and hecommented. He also clarified matters. I would be ungrateful If I fail to mention Mr. Kalusian, who tutored me online and My Haiku Pond Academy. I feel drawn towards Mr. Adeleke, and the way he crafts his haikus wow me. Haiku brings out the observant spirit in me, and it has brought me in contact with a lot of great and wonderful haijins all over the world. The haiku family is a big and loving one.

What do you feel about the 2017 shortlist in general?
When I saw the shortlist, I was short of words. The mere fact that what happens in Ghana relates to what happens in Kenya, and that I re-experience the childhood I had in Nigeria by reading a haiku from Zambia, shows that indeed Afriku portrays the oneness of Africa. Each haiku on the shortlist is beautiful on its own, and I find it hard to pick a favourite.

What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in thisRidiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
I believe poets need passion and perseverance, these is what drives me.

If your haiku were a food, what would it be?
Pounded yam of course! I don't toy with it.


Read his two shortlisted haikus here:

savannah hunt...
vultures rush to the kill
before me


an owl hoots
we rush to papa's bed
too late


We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

JUSTICE JOSEPH PRAH FROM ACCRA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Justice Joseph Prah is from Accra, a poet who believes in poetri-evolution by a vibrant generation.


 

What drew you to enter for the competition?
 It is just one driving force, an urge to be part of a continental history African haiku poets are once again inscribing down for posterity. I personally belong to the school of thought which believes in the ground thinking that if Africa's poetriscape would continue to sustain its formidability and resilience in the face of those exclusive 21st century adversities, then keen contest of this caliber must often be organised to unearth the latent talent in young but vibrant generation; a class of poets more poised to the teeth to introduce what I always refer to as poetri-evolution.

  Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
Great question! Where do I start from? My word! Let's say at the early part of 2015 I wonderfully met a crop of haiku geniuses with exceptionally creative prowers to write the art! I sincerely got jerked up to the art and since reached the resolute decision to practice it myself. In fact, the rotational tenet on which Ku is fundamentally hinged is what comes to me as a matchless fascination which the  likes of Ezra pound, Robert Frost, Kofi Awoonor and Wole Soyinka may have missed and are still missing entirely during their writing epoch.

 What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
Honestly, as a keen haiku analyst in Africa, I am summarily excited the historical register of Afriku poets is evidenty stretching on and on. The shortlisted Afriku poems show an incredible gamut of wisdom which, in my view, is undeniably equal the girth of the Golden Boabab. Those are topnotch literary crystals worth mounting in a gallery any season. Every icon who successfully migrated through thorough scrutiny onto the shortlist has proven to be an African and not an Africant in practising the ancient Japanese poetry.

  What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?

You see the active stimulant that could spur poets on to pursue a sustainable poetry career is factually relative. However, our individual variances can be tailored into one pursuance to work out for the common good of the continent. It will be necessary for key players like Pan-African Writers Association and their contemporaries to cajole many home-bred poets to frequently use the quill. These associations should do more than they are currently doing to encourage young African writers write for the libraries and the world beyond. Currently, their gesture toward Afriku is absolutely nothing to commend.

 Aside from that, it would be incumbent on every one of us to bring his or her own cream to the table! What do I mean by this? You see, when you come to the writing bench and it is literally crowded with various intellect, you have to do meticulous brainpress up, and this is what many of us especially African novelists, dramatists and poets have to do to jostle our way into the writing universe. Let us cash on a particular style of writing, surf through the debris of subject matters and themes and select the most suitable ones that have the steam to attract readers within and beyond our horizon( Africa). We must ready ourselves to write about our past, present and future solely for the continent, and explore the more the Afromodern matters so pertinent to Africans.

   If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
Wooow! You guys are really there! Hahah! Akple and okra soup with fried "keta schoolboys" hearings. Thank you.

Read his haiku here:

harmattan mango
the first ripening
in the midday sun

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862.
The full festival programme is here.
 http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html

Monday, July 31, 2017

ACEN CAROLYNE FROM UGANDA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

For Acen Carolyne, this is her first attempt at a literary competition like this. She loves the Japanese haiku and was excited to appear on the Babishai 2017 shortlist. The Ugandan writer has since been published in the Mamba journal.

What drew you to enter the competition?
As a poet, I haven’t participated in any literary competition like this, so I intended to give it a try when I came across the call for submissions for the Baibishai Niwe Haiku contest.

Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
Yeah! I really do love Haiku but I never penned down any until I saw the call for submissions. It’s amazing that one among my first three Haikus I had submitted, made it on the shortlist. I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was totally surprised because I least expected it. Thereafter my entry into the contest, I have had an Haiku published in the Mamba Journal and I’m proud of that.

What do you think of the shortlist in general?

Wonderful! reading great Haikus emanating from great minds, each and every Haiku deserves to be on the shortlist and I know it will be a herculean task for the judges declaring the winners.
Congratulations to every brain behind these powerful haikus on the list.

What motivation do poets need?

I think platforms like literary festivals are really encouraging for poets to expose their literary works to the world. Contests will always motivate the writer to keep scribbling.
Poets as well must be self-inspired to inspire the world.

If your 2017 haiku submission were food, what would it be?
It will surely be ‘Banku’ an energy giving food prepared with corn and cassava dough relished by virtually ever Ghanaian. It is one of the most popular food in Ghana enjoy with all kinds of soup, stew and hot pepper. before and after an energy sapping work.
Everybody likes it!

Read Acen’s Babishai 2017 haiku here

the drunken cockroach
reels around the verandah-
rooster chuckles

We at Babishai, congratulate her again. The winners will be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on
The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html

We at Babishai, congratulate her again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.
http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

Sunday, July 30, 2017

AKOR EMMANUEL OCHE FROM NIGERIA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Akor Emmanuel Oche is a Nigerian Poet, Critic, Essayist and thinker. He is the secretary of the Africa Haiku Network. His haikus have appeared on Pengician, Failed Haiku, Under the Basho and the Mamba Journal among others.

Akor Emmanuel (Courtesy photo)



 
              What drew you to enter for the competition?
Haiku writing for me has been one of those things I do almost on a daily basis for the past two years. After being re-introduced to two short poetry forms in 2015, the Haiku and the limerick, I feel in love with the haiku more because it has to do with nature and i am an unrepentant lover of nature. Since then, I have been writing one haiku a day. 
I have always being one of those skeptical about poetry prizes, especially in Africa, I believe it is always saturated in politics and is never fair in its judgments, moreover, awards and recognition are not what makes a writer what he is, they only give him public valediction (my personal assessments though) but after seeing the names of those who made up the judging panel and putting into consideration that this contest had nothing to do with online voting, I thought it wise that it was time I entered my haiku for a contest. 
 Adjei Agyei-Baah and Emmanuel Jessie Kalusian are two haijins I trust so much, I have been working with them for some time now in my office as General secretary of the Africa Haiku Network/ regional ambassador and I can safely say that their judgment is close to infallible, when it comes to African Haiku. So yeah! The AHN co-founders and my colleagues where the inspiration behind me submission.
Two more people I cannot fail to mention as co-inspirers are Taiye Oguns, who constantly reminded me via chats not to forget that I had a contest I must enter for, then my fellow shortlisted poet, Anthony Itopa Obaro, my statesman, who was the first to alert me when the call for submission was publicized. A big thank you to all fours.  
       
               Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?
I have had plans for some time now to write an article I titled A JOURNEY INTO LIFE THROUGH THE NIDDLES EYE: MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THE HAIKU FORM to be submitted to the Mamba, the thought of it came to me on a sweet afternoon while I was heading somewhere natural to feel nature and write one or two ku’s for the day. Thinking the essay through, I realized that I actually don’t have a haiku story or suffix to say, I have forgotten how, why and when I wrote my first haiku. This amnesia, I cannot tell if it was self induced, psychological or natural, but what I do remember is that sometime in 2015, some interesting haikus about the sun written by Ehi'zogie Iyeomoan I read on Facebook, fired me up from my slumber and launched me into serious haiku writing. Soon after, I joined the Africa Haiku Network and was appointed Publicity secretary by the bored. Prior to this, I had submitted a few haikus here and there, some got published others rejected and here we are still growing still learning.

            What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
Ahh ahh ahh the shortlist hmm!
Firstly, as I have said, I trust the judgments of this years’ judges to be 100% unbiased, apolitical and sincere plus being aware that the contest was blindly judged, what more can I say than that I am very satisfied with the shortlist.
Babishai gets more innovative each year and so does the African haiku form (Afriku), let me seize this opportunity to thank the Foundation for the good work they are doing with haiku promotion in Africa, this years’ shortlist is an evidence of it, some new names have emerged in the haiku world because of this contest and many other secular poets in Africa have also embraced the art form.
Everyone familiar with the haiku family in Africa can testify that this years’ list was both as shocking as it was pacifying. Some expected names of haijins making serious impact with the African haiku made up the major bulk of the list, while the others are made up of new converts embracing the art form and to our surprise are doing very very well with it. It is enthralling to see many of my friends on the list, I won’t mention names but will just say, the list was well selected and let the best man win.

     What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously          competitive world that vies for their attention?  
“He only observes Nature in awe through the lens of many eyes all at once. He documents it all for his own enjoyment. If this later gets to fulfill a higher calling in the life of humanity, then fine and good, if it doesn’t, all the same, he moves on to other things awaiting his own demise. It’s simple for him. Chaos or peace, life goes on until each man meets his end…” This is a quote from my recent publication on Medium describing what the true poet is.
Writing as I understand it and as I was taught to understand it, is personal business. Being a writer, like being a Christian, is first about personal salvation before it becomes a thing of mass conversion and conviction. What kills the fire in many writers in today’s H I G H L Y COMPETITIVE world, is the pursuit for immediate glory, the internet and the fake lives it portrays about everyone has introduced a negative craving for recognition in writers, there is little or no time for delayed gratification and craft honing anymore, and when a writers expectation is not met, it becomes easy for other issues of life to steal his attention; family, friends, work, marriage, poverty, lack et al. I have always held the notion that the true artist is that person who can create a masterpiece in the closet of his room, where no one can see it, later locking it up or destroying it without losing sleep. Writing, for the matured writer, is like sex, most people have it every day but none gets angry or worked up for not telling his friends every day how good he was in bed the previous night; it should be a normal way of life. 
Writing is much about character as it is about talent, at the onset or early stages of being a writer, everyone poet must learn to turn his passion for the pen into a strong habit, that is the only way he can still have enough time and energy to create masterpieces when other worries of life scuffles for his attention. Inspiration is for the beginner, motivation is for the occasional practitioner but habit is the foundation on which masters are built.

       If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
IGBARI
A native delicacy made out of meshed corn seeds, green beans, vegetables and lots of palm oil. It is native to the Idoma people of middle-belt Nigeria and can also be found amongst the Igala people of Kogi state and the Igbo people in some parts of Enugu state, both in Nigeria. 
Igbari!  not only because it is native to my people—the Idomas— nor because it is my favorite local dish but because, like the character of my haikus, Igbari is very loose in appearance—more like Jollof rice when cooked—but very rich in nutrients. Its loose nature allows enough space for many other condiments to come in. in my case, my haikus allows enough space for many individual interpretations to come in. 

Read Akor's Babishai haikus here
market square–
the town crier’s voice
summons a crowd

Akor  Emmanuel Oche
Nigeria

nightfall
the modulated chirping
of hidden crickets

Akor Emmanuel  Oche
Nigeria

--> We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html





Saturday, July 29, 2017

KUADEGBEKU PAMELA FROM GHANA; #ABISHAI2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Kuadegbeku Pamela Angela is from Ghana, committed to literary causes and her radar is out for literary landmarks. She pursues writing as a stable career in future. She says that if her haiku were food, it would be fufu and lightsoup. Read more about this enchanting poet.


Kuadegbeku Pamela Angela (courtesy photo)

What drew you to enter for the competition?
I am a keen reader in my own comfort zone and a committed fellow to any literary cause; someone who has since been on a persistent look out for a competition of this nature to rub shoulders with other literary 'landmarks'. I should say this contest is right  in defining my start point in pursuing a more stable writing adventure in the near future. I did have this conviction this contest will carve out a humble spot for me among my peers, and this was entirely the ruling interest that drew me to the competition.

 Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?

Personal story? Not precisely please. But I have come close to seeing the practise of haiku as one expressway to encasing all I have read extensively about as an African girl and an aspiring writer so to speak. However, Basho's haiku have practically left an indelible smirch on me since I have read a great deal in my pursuit of learning how to write one myself.

What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?

The shortlist unequivocally displays myriad of intellect, with all the Ku showing in their capacities the expected aha moments. It has predictably led to another insightful finding that many African poets have the necessary creative skills in their tanks to compete with the international haiku poets. How ever, as an upcoming feminist, I am someway displeased a lot of female poets have failed to find the spotlight in haiku. This is where the gender literary match is leaving absolutely a lot of our women counterparts behind. Hope they wake to the consciousness come another contest season. But am glad to be in the same run-lane with some big whips so far.

What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?

It's really true the dynamics and the interplays have changed unexpectedly in the writing world. Tons and tons of literary materials are day in day out produced beyond the reading population's interest. This phenomenon is sure creating a watertight situation that holds writers at contest end to earnestly keep looking for footholds in their respective continents. This is where this quizzical question stands worth brainstorming over. For me,  it is imperative we produce literary materials that are in close correspondence with our continental demands. Our folkloric stories could be exploited and mutated into readable poems while we also focus some attention on those unforgiving problems that militate against us, giving all to originality. It should be a kind of revival campaign by all to write personally not for the mere fun but for the purpose of writing for the recreation of different reading audience for this century and beyond. I wholly believe the internet dormain can also inject some positive Adrenalines into the whole cause.Thus, the social media pages could help disseminate the brand-new poems we produce. Maybe our devotion to writing haiku could project us also into the circles of success.  What we essentially need now is some regionally based literary groups which can keep whetting the mindset of young poets to write for our print and the audio-visual media as well. These written poems must be solution finding containers than problem detecting ones. It's been too long a habit of diagnosing the pain through our writings, let's prescribe some near- good solutions now.

If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
That would be fufu and lightsoup! I’m salivating already folks.
**********************************
You may read Pamela’s haiku here,

moon circle
palms into palms
an armless child breaks the ring

We at Babishai, congratulate her again. The winners will be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html




Friday, July 28, 2017

OBAJI-NWALI SHEGUN: BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST



Obaji-Nwali Shegun comes from Port Harcourt, Nigeria. This is his second submission to the Babishai Haiku contest, a form of writing he says, is extremely demanding. Obaji’s purpose-driven nature leads him to work diligently and passionately.
Obaji(courtesy photo)

What drew you to enter for the competition?
First of all, I offer a colossal credit to the sedulous and purpose-driven judges for this recognition. Yes! Even if I’d not be a able to row the boat further to the winners’ range of the sea (In my tiny mind though) being among the shortlisted poets, only, is a tender draft, self-healing and heart-warming as it is gratifying. The inclusion of my names and wee lines in the list is ,to me, like lifting a twiddling crab from its hole and setting it in the cue of hyenas, buffalos and leviathans. Oh yes! Such metaphors decorously define the poets making the shortlist. Their creativities transfixed, electrified and compartmentalized me the almost hundred times I circled the arts. The lines shrewdly and astutely picked by irrefutably great and sophisticated Haiku masters muscularly shocked me, and like Carlsberg’s Jacobsen vintage beers excessively taken made me blotto and wholly sloshed.
I was vastly overwhelmed, when I saw my poem in the list. What was I doing when the bang came? What was I doing? Ok, I was in a Vesta Cyber Café in the West of Rivers submitting a short story to Quramo short story prize ‘ bam’  my Gmail inbox spilled it. I felt gashed not with a sword but with hyper exhilaration. I wanted to leap off the swivel chair holding me all the while, but there was a serious crowd that will hardly fancy my yelp and squeal of triumph. The crowd circumscribed the way I had arranged to celebrate the dawn of my victories; if at all I’ve got more victories ahead, but I should believe i have more on the way.
Talking on the magnet that pulled me like metal into this soul-saving competition I’d have to admit its my immense love for Haiku. Last year I had mistakenly stumbled on a word ‘Afriku’ while surfing the internet and the curiosity to unravel the denotation and connotation of this completely new word ushered me into a vast pool of teensy lines that ended up burying me in wonderment and reverence. The capability of words among 17 syllables to effortlessly carve a hole of longing, nostalgia and bitterness in my heart and thereafter abandoned me panting, grunting and facing the images and sounds of the glitches perturbing the continent, the splendour of nature wrapped in aesthetic words instantaneously compelled me into falling in love with Haiku poetry. And since then I decided to study hard, I meant very hard  realizing Haiku is never, never and never as easy to write as nippy as it is convincingly is. Haiku is an exploration, getting a perfect Haiku done demands you jettisoning the comfort of your minds zone and going exploring. If you never darted into the dark with shovel and digger, you’d always come up with a flat and passionless Haiku. This was a big fact I realized after embracing Haiku my new love. I realized Haiku is an angelic maiden sitting in the shade of tree physically convoluted but interiorly soft and lovely, only demanding anyone who desires to love her to follow the particular principles with which the wavy routes to her realm is laced.
I clapped few words together and joined the 2016 Babish Haiku contest but failed. But I choose not to be deterred or unnerved, in that I was indeed in love with the power of Haiku, its ability to surround  a lot of issues in a jiffy and get a large amount of work done and not because of the competition or incentives. Let me digress a bit, Haiku thought me, I’d sometimes fail in letting her fling me to places if I was only interested in winning a competition. And she’s right, am already on places. I am a winner by getting shortlisted. It’s even enough for me even if I’d not step further. 
Now let me flow on, I relished Haiku, the long-winded and eye-opening type of poetry as I enthusiastically immersed my body and soul in the noble genre of poetry. 2017 Babishaiku contest came and I effortlessly joined the race, realizing I was good to go.
So, to be frank with you my love for Haiku, its beauty and convolutedness and a sense that I’ve mastered the art ,to a particular encouraging level, motivated my interest of entering the competition.             
Do you have a particular personal story with the Haiku?                
A particular personal story with Haiku? I elaborately shared it in the first question but I’d complete the story this way. When I bumped into a Wordpress blog outlining Haiku poems written by an African a particular poem stung me, its tenderness and featheriness. Its fluidness and readability- the poem that would become my port of call in this remarkable poetry genre. The poem is one of the Haiku poems written by Adjei Agyei-Baah. And it reads:
Lights return
The cheers of kids
Stamp out the crickets
Yes, simple as it seems, it blew my mind away. How this very few lines naturally and readily captured a moment? A moment I could relate to as an African and a Nigerian living in that part where you’d have to wait for NEPA lights for weeks and when it comes you go feral and haywire in unprecedented jollity. So, I felt unleashing my mind piece by piece  and yet ensure a germane sense would be a good vocation. A fact about  Haiku is, once you mastered the art, the organization of its figure you’d tell the world your stories as nippily as possible. Even the so-many-schedules-entwined individuals will find time to gulp your Haiku and capture the message without all the ado posed by novels and short stories.  And like seriously am enjoying Haiku. It saves my time , energy and free me from the rigour of expectorating too many words to tell a story.
What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
Wow, wow, wow. As I mentioned earlier, the intricacies or multifariousness, intriguing imageries and sounds and brilliance of the shortlisted poems is extremely amazing and super-terrific. Each poem delved robustly into divergent issues and moments one could smoothly relate to.  And the judges? I doff my headdress for them. A shortlist indubitably reflects the wit, cognoscenti and savviness of it judges. The judges are masters in this art. They’ve started a revolution the whole of Africa would very soon turn to and enjoy absolutely. Afriku is a wave and very soon its altruistic fragrance will swallow Africa and it will easily, as it does, on larger scale, enlighten us, offering the assizes with which to confront the numerous challenges unsettling the continent. Once again the shortlist is super-terrific and mind-blowing.
What motivations do poets need to keep writing in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
You’ve got a good question here. My candid advice to poets out there is to read and read many poems and write and write many poems. If your reading is shallow, your writing will definitely be light and narrow. Like, if Haiku is your forte read plenty of it. Mamba Journal is there, Mercy Ituri and Adjei Agyei-Baah blogs are there for you to guzzle (I mentioned them cos their works introduced me into Haiku, ). If it’s other forms of poem go for them via the search internet engines. And I promise  you of incredible places .  Please, lastly, do not write because you want to win an award write for the joy you derive in what you write and the sky will be your limit.
If  your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
Ha ha ha…… as an Effium-Eboyian if my submission should be food it would be  esisa  and ugu soup with plenty okporoko  and anu nchi, my mentor, Obinna Udewe will understand this than anyone. But, since I presently live in Port-Harcourt I’d prefer Edikang ikang and Afang soup. Ask, Ngozi Olivia Osuoha she’d giggle.        
Obaji’s shortlisted haiku is here:

roadside
gaunt vultures nipped
a zonked drunkard 

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.
http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/
The full winning haikus are here:
http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html
                     


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