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/

LILLIAN AUJO, BABISHAI FESTIVAL GUEST AND PRIZE WINNER OF FICTION AND POETRY

Lillian Akampurira Aujo is a Ugandan writer and a member of Femrite. In 2009, she won the inaugural BN Award with the poem 'Soft Tonight'. In 2015, she won the inaugural Jalada Prize for Literature with her short story "Where pumpkin leaves dwell.” During the 

 During the #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival, she will Participate in a panel, "What are Ugandan women poets poeting about?"

Which one of your written poems do you constantly refer to and why?

1.      People ask me about ‘Soft tonight’, so I find that I keep referring to it a lot. 

 What is your relationship with poetry on the stage?

  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am comfortable on the page, and really uneasy on stage. So my relationship with poetry on stage is pretty novice.  I might change that soon, because for long I have toyed with the idea of being a performance poet.

 At the #Babishai2016 poetry festival, you'll participate in a panel entitled, What are Ugandan poets 'poeting' about? so, what are Ugandan women 'poeting' about?

3.    Politics! And I am glad that people like Anena have found un ignorable ways of putting it in Ugandan’s faces; a title like ‘I bow for my boobs’ is really hard to ignore.

 How would you define a successful poetry festival?

4.    A successful poetry festival has to have a buzz. (Yeah to Babishai on that!). Good performers to draw a crowd. And by crowd I categorically exclude poets, and include the other public. Good organisation of events, so that there aren’t too many similar things going on at the same time; that way guests don’t feel like they’ll have to miss out on something to attend another event. Then it has to have attendance from the public; otherwise who is it for?

 How has academiia influenced poetry, in your opinion?

5.   Has it? In my opinion there’s no clear cut distinction between academia and poetry. Even poets who don’t have degrees in literature and English or MFAs tend to invariably teach themselves the rules of poetry. So the two ‘worlds’ tend to co-exist in poetry..

6.  Parting remarks? 

F

6.   Memes like ‘poetry is for the elite’ need to die like yesterday! All our local languages are rich in poetry, the hawker on the street peddling his wares does so poetically, the touts calling to passengers do so poetically. So we need to stop lambasting ‘poetry’ with ‘elite’.

  Thank you.

   The Babishai Festival programme is here.
 http://babishainiwe.com/2016/07/21/babishai2016-poetry-festival-programme/

THE #BABISHAI2016 POETRY FESTIVAL PROGRAMME IS HERE

Dear Friends,

The #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival programme is here. Follow the link below.

#Babishai2016 Poetry Festival Programme

Contact festival@babishainiwe.com
or  +256 751 703226 for any inquiry.