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

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

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

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

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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CHARLOTTE AKELLO FROM UGANDA; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Introducing Charlotte Akello.

Charlotte Akello from Uganda, was shortlisted for the Babishai 2017 haiku prize. She is proud that Ugandans have represented well this year and if her haiku submission was a food, it would be cooked pilau, she says.

What drew you to enter for the competition?
I love writing haikus so when I heard about this competition, I decided to submit.

  Do you have a particular story with haikus?
I love nature and I love poetry. It's only natural that I fall in love with haikus. I usually take pictures and transform them to haikus. I started writing haikus last year and there's nothing more relieving. I can still capture memories with haikus even when I don't have a camera.

        What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
It's great. I love the depth in the little poems. Too much is said in a few syllables. I also love the fact that Uganda is well represented unlike last year. This shows that Ugandan poets are getting on board.

   What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
Poets need to be patient and aim to become better each day. Some poets tend to give up after a year or 2 yet writing in general needs a lot of patience.

 If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
Pilau. It is eaten on festivals but everyone has his or her definition of a perfectly cooked pilau.

Here below is Charlotte's haiku.

A slice of the moon
swimming in the calm night pond--
another festival

Charlotte Akello is proud that Ugandans are representing well this year. 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

PRESS RELEASE-THE BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST IS OUT

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19 JULY 2017 PRESS RELEASE BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST IS OUT The three esteemed Babishai 2017 Haiku judges, Adjei Agyei-Baah, co-founder of the Africa Haiku Network, Mercy Ituri, a landscape designer and award-winning haikuist from Kenya and Emmanuel Kalusian, editor of the Mamba Journal, had an uphill task of selecting the shortlist of the 2017 Babishai Haiku prize. This upheaval task, with over twice the number of submissions as last year, was an evident reward, with a significant increase in the interest of the African haiku. The shortlist is filled with unwavering talent, intricate African imagery and recognizable brilliance. Congratulations to all those on the shortlist, who come from various parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Below, in no particular order, are the shortlisted:- 1. Charlotte Akello from Uganda 2. Usman Karofi from Nigeria 3. Kariuki wa Nyamu from Kenya 4. Anthony Itopa Obaro from Nigeria 5. Ahmad Holderness from Nigeria 6. Fred Kweku Forson from Ghana 7. Acen Miriam Carolyne from Uganda 8. Kwao Jonathan Tetteh from Ghana 9. Nnedi Ezenwa Ohaeto from Nigeria 10. Alawonde Theophilus Femi from Nigeria 11. Justice Joseph Prah from Ghana 12. Osemwengie Zion from Nigeria 13.  Kuadegbeku Pamela from Ghana 14. Abubasam Fahad Mutumba from Uganda 15. Akor Emmanuel Oche from Nigeria 16. Dan’bala Umar from Ghana 17. Obaji-Nwali Shegun from Nigeria You may read the full winning haikus from here http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/19/babishai-haiku-2017-shortlist/ The winners will be announced on Sunday 6 August at the Babishai 2017 poetry festival dinner. Three winners will receive cash prizes, will be published in the Mamba journal and participate in selected literary festivals around the continent. Festival programme is here:- http://babishainiwe.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/ Sincerely, The Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation Organising Committee Email: babishainiwe@babishainiwe.com Tel: +256 703147862 Twitter: @BNPoetryAward -- The Babishai 2017 Poetry Festival runs from 4 - 6 August.

BABISHAI HAIKU 2017 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

       "We are looking forward to Africa themed haiku i.e. haiku about African sights and sounds. Haiku must contain clear images, settings and juxtaposition. Haiku must be concise; three lines each.

·         It is open to ALL African poets (LIVING IN AFRICA), who will not have published a full-length collection of poetry by July 2017

·         Submissions should be original, in English. Submit using Times New Roman, single-spaced and size 12.

·          Send three Haikus to bnpa2017@babishainiwe.com as a word attachment. DO NOT include your name or contact details on the haiku  itself

·         The subject line should read, #BABISHAIKU2017

·         Include your name, email address, country or birth and country of permanent residence, telephone number and the titles of your haikus in the body of the email

·         The submissions will be accepted from April 13th 2017 to July 4th 2017

·         The 2016 winners are not eligible to apply

·         The short-list will be announced in mid-July 2017

·         More details on the face book page, Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation, on Twitter @BNPoetryAward and the website, www.babishainiwe.com

·         The top three winners will receive 200 USD each and receive publication in the Mamba Haiku journal;

THE  JUDGES

The chief judge of the #Babishaiku 2017 Competition is:-

 

 Adjei Agyei-Baah 

Adjei Agyei-Baah is the co-founder of Africa Haiku Network and the co-editor of the Mamba Journal, Africa’s international haiku voice. He promotes haiku in Africa and as well serve as a haiku teacher and consultant for several schools and institutions in Ghana. He is the author of “Afriku” published by Red Moon Press, 2016 and a winner of several international haiku awards. 

This Babishai Haiku 2017 award is proudly sponsored by:-