Monday, June 5, 2017

PRESS RELEASE -THE POTENCY OF POETRY; BABISHAI POETRY FESTIVAL ,4-6 AUGUST


5 JUNE 2017

PRESS RELEASE -THE POTENCY OF POETRY



The Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation is holding the third Babishai Poetry Festival in Uganda. It's a three-day poetry buffet from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th August in Uganda. Poets, poetry publishers, poetry performers, poetry teachers and poetry admirers, will converge in various locations across Uganda to conduct workshops and transform young minds.

In their signature style, the #Babishaipoetrynatureseries launches phase two. The team, with adventurous artists across the region, will trek across Mabira Forest on Friday 4th August. After the success of the 2016 Poetry on Rwenzori Mountain excursion, this year there will be another trek across the green enchantment of Mabira forest.
Poets from all over the region are encouraged to participate and cultivate the practice of orature in organic spaces.

On Saturday 5 August, Tontoma Poetry Jazz will orchestrate traditional poetry performances and at the same venue,32° East/Ugandan Arts Trust, there will be a relaunch of the African Poetry Book Fund Library. Published poets are invited to read from their work and donate their books towards the enrichment of reading poetry. Maisha Moto will host spoken word performers and storytellers across the older generation to a much younger one later on that day from 2:00pm.

There will be a full children's day at the Uganda Museum on the final day, Sunday 6 August, master-classes to groom older poets and finally to close the festival, an award-giving dinner within the city at Humura Resort. Dinner cards are on sale at 40,000/-.

If you're a published poet, distributor of poetry, or bookseller of poetry, come and exhibit and market your work. Uganda needs you.
For more information on the festival, dinner cards or book exhibition, please contact

The Festival Coordinator
George Kiwanuka
Tel:+256 703147862
Twitter: @BNPoetryAward


Saturday, June 3, 2017

What the 'hell' is Christian writing?

What the 'hell' is Christian writing?

Every artistic work deserves a home; not to be discarded like an orphan. Where though, do we place Christian writing? If it's written by a Ugandan, does it fall under 'Self help books by Africans ?' Or rather, in order to be politically correct, do we place it under religious creative non-fiction, just next to the bibles?'

During the #Babishai2016 poetry festival, we held a session on Christian writing, with Paul Kisakye, author of Prodigal Love and Roxanna Aliba Kazibwe, author of My Love is Not Afraid.






What comes to mind when we speak of Christian writing? Paul Kisakye says that Joyce Meyer and Creflo Dollar's inspirational material are popular. Furthermore, Christian literature illuminates Christian values and beliefs. It's a type of writing that voices Christianity.

Paul Kisakye's book, Prodigal Love, is sold mainly to the Christian market and for him, he would never produce art for art's sake.

Courtesy photo

Roxanna Kazibwe's poetry collection, My Love is Not Afraid, evokes a feeling of restoration and hope and through that, she's certain to have received the purpose of being a Christian writer. 

A Christian book emits certain values. Another great example, Roxanna says, is Chronicles of Narnia. 


Roxanna at the 2015 Storymoja Festival 

The Chronicles of Narnia,  fantasy book, heightens the Christian experience by engaging values like forgiveness, loyalty, prayer and faith. 

The Da Vinci Code, on the other hand, tackles the church and religion but because it's not a portrayal of Christian values, is not categorised as such.

During the conversation, audience members suggested that Christian writing is just a label used in order to gain an edge over other literary markets.

The #Babishai2017 poetry festival is scheduled for 4-6 August, beginning with a trek across Mabira Forest; Poetry@Mabira.





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