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

ABIGAIL ARUNGA ASKS WHY EVERYONE IS AFRAID OF TALKING ABOUT SEX; #BABISHAI2016 GUEST

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#BABISHAI@STORYZETU 2016 TWITTER COMPETITION

                       

                  

                              

 SUBMIT TO THE BABISHAI@STORYZETU 2016 TWITTER COMPETITION

Below are the Competition Rules: Submit in only one category, 1.2.3. or 4.

1. Compose a tweet based on a response to a poet who emerged second in a major poetry       competition

2. Compose a tweet based on a response to a poet whose poem you did not accept in your major poetry magazine

3   Compose a tweet in response to emerging second in a major poetry magazine.

4.  Compose a tweet in response to your poem not being accepted by a major poetry magazine.

5.  The competition runs from 1st February to 4 March 2016.

6.  Send the tweets to @BNPoetryAward and @Storyzetu with the hashtag, #BabishaiSZ

7.  The winner of each category will be announced on 10th March 2016, after which the public will vote the eventual winner. The public voting will open after midnight on 9th March 2016.

8.  The winner will be announced on Friday March 19th 2016 by Storyzetu, in celebration of World Poetry Day.

9.  The winners for each category will be voted on by the public until a winner is announced.

10. The judges are the fabulous team @Storyzetu and the public.

11. The winner will win free travel, accommodation and all meals covered during the #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival in Kampala, from 24-26 August. All participants  

    must be residing in Nairobi during the period of the festival and eligible to travel to Uganda from 24-26 August 2016

 For more details, email festival@babishainiwe.com or call +256 751 703226.

#Babishai2016 Poetry Festival Guest-L-Ness The Lioness

Every week, we’ll be interviewing our #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival guests. This week, it’s L-Ness from Kenya. Her session is for children. Babishai Poetricks is in for  a treat. L-NESS alias Lioness is a Poet, a Femcee, a Hip Hop Cultural Specialist, and one of the top lyricist and performance femcees of Hip Hop in the region. 

L-Ness, courtesy photo

Her first album is titled SIMANGWE 2011 and the theme is ‘’Don’t Stop the Music’. One of the songs in this album is being used by Music Copyright Society of Kenya as their campaign theme song against piracy and artist exploitation.

1.      Explain if you are you the poet you wanted to be 5 years ago.

In actual fact, I am growing to be more than the poet I wanted to be five years ago. I started as a rapper and transformed into a Mc/Femcee. I have been blessed and privileged to share the same stage with international poets from all over the world in events like the Poesiefestival 2015 and the Spoken Worlds 2014 concert, both in Berlin. I didn’t even know I was a poet. Other poets and institutions involved in the Poetry and Spoken Word arena like Kwani and Storymoja in Nairobi, Kenya and Literaturewerkstatt in Berlin, Germany, identified me as a poet. They read my translated poems/rap verses and saw my live stage performances and creative writing workshops and considered it poetry. Due to the direction I choose my poetry to take, I am able to tackle selective topics that open discussions which generally people are hesitant to talk about like politics, religion and worship jealousy (Terrorism), social issues, cultural issues, woman power and leadership in Africa.

2.      Poetry is subjective and yet all talent needs to be nurtured. How has this fact influenced your work?

The subjective nature of poetry has influenced different ways of performing, recording, publishing and distributing my works. Some suggest that language and logic are predominantly functions of the left side of the brain, while music/sound is processed in the right side of the brain which deals largely with feeling and emotions. I combine my poetry with musical accompaniment, in addition to the fluctuating tones that I incorporate in my performance poetry, in order to evoke spontaneous reactions from the listeners.

The subjective nature of poetry has also influenced the content of my works, since I aspire to inspire and empower through my poetry thus nurturing young minds. Positive content from any art form contains messages that must protect the listener’s eyes and ears, in order to protect their emotions, thus protecting their hearts and minds. Poetry has the power to mould minds by sharing views on lifestyles and moralities, either godly or ungodly. You find that most African poetry is about our good values, rich history, our struggle and our grappling with the question of how to get to where we ought to be as a continent globally. This is simultaneous with conserving and preserving the positive aspects of our culture and heritage.

Courtesy photo

3.      Tell us a bit how Rapercussions began and how it’s grown?

RAP + PERCUSSIONS is the definition. It is the ancient essence of our communication. It combines conscious poetry and rap alongside live traditional African percussion instruments like Obokano, Marimba, Shakers, Nyatiti, Orutu, Kayamba, Nzumali and reed flute.

The concert was launched at the Goethe Institute Auditorium in Nairobi, Kenya, on the 12^th of June 2015, and the coverage was featured in the African Journal Documentaries.

The educative element of Rappercussion then featured at the Storymoja Festivals on the 16th to the 20^th of September 2015, and it was at the Nairobi Arboretum in Kenya.

The concert has grown into a monthly event at the Tree House in Nairobi, Kenya. It involves more poets and Mcs like Mwafreeka and Monaja. The accompanists and participating team are currently developing a center where people can come and learn how to make and play these traditional instruments.

It has also grown beyond the borders of its origin, to the level of being featured at the Babishai Poetry  Festival 2016, which will be at the Kampala Museum, in Kampala, Uganda. This is where there will be simple explanations about the different functions of these traditional instruments, in the past and at the present, with enlightenment on which community each instrument emanates from.

4.      Your session at the Babishai Poetry Festival is entitled, Roots and Rhymes. Who is the target and what can they expect?

The children are the target, which means that the content is suitable for all age groups who desire to earn back the pride of our culture and heritage. 

They should expect to:-

a.      Learn performance techniques with active participation from their side.

b.      Connect traditional ways of storytelling with current methods of creative writing and performing poetry.

c.       Learn about our traditional instruments, their origins, materials used to make them, functions and roles.

5.      Why was it important for you to accept our invitation?

I respect every chance I get to exchange and share cultural values and heritages which empower others while at the same time being a growth and learning experience for me.

As an African woman, whose content is about Africa, I feel it is a great privilege to be able to visit other parts of this continent in order to broaden the content of my poetry through the different contexts where I get to visit.

6.      What are the two main subjects you find yourself constantly writing about?

a.      Women empowerment because it is through Woman that society gets empowered, everyone in society is related to her as she is somebody’s daughter, someone’s sister, somebody’s mother, someone’s aunt, somebody’s sister-in-law, someone’s grand-mother, another person’s first cousin or distant cousin. All those connected to her therefore, need to be empowered. So Woman empowerment boils up to Family empowerment and hence total Society empowerment.  Society is made up of families and that is what make our continent.

b.      Socio-Political Issues because leadership affects how we develop or under-develop as Africans. We are very hard and smart working citizenry but are being dragged behind by social vices like corruption, income inequalities, tribalism and nepotism. These are leadership related issues.

7.      How do you feel towards art for social change?

Art for social change must be greatly advocated for because:

a.      It is the job of the writer to observe and put out, as a wake-up call to what is going on.

b.      Poetry gives people true solutions.

c.       We can incorporate our own empowerment in poetry instead of depending on foreign aid.

d.      Social progress is attributed to freedom and empowerment of the woman, and social decadence is directly associated with a decrease and lack of that freedom, yet, women are naturally talented and gifted in the arts.

e.      Society suffers from dilemma of equality, the dilemma of difference and the dilemma of identity. Poetry and other arts create adversity in the middle of diversity.

f.        There is over-emphasis on African problems, thus poetry and the arts builds confidence and showcases raw talent and original ideas, as positive aspects of the African society.

8.      We look forward to hosting you. Any concluding remarks?

Your invitation is deeply appreciated and I look forward to the Babishai Poetry Festivals, where we get to network with other poets from the globe. Thank you very much for this priviledge.

We’re grateful to Praxis Magazine online for supporting the #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival. For more details, email festival@babishainiwe.com or call +256 751 703226.

NGATIA BRYAN-#BABISHAI2016 POETRY FESTIVAL GUEST

#Babishai2016 Poetry Festival guest-NGATIA BRYAN. Ngatia Bryan is a performance artist, poet, writer and filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya. His performances blend storytelling with poetry in a very unique manner. He goes by the moniker “Ngartia” while performing. This, he insists, contrives the art that lives within him. The Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation is honoured to partner with Praxis Magazine to interview our #Babishai2016 guests on a weekly basis.

Ngati Bryan-courtesy photo

1.      Explain if you are you the poet you wanted to be 5 years ago.

 Am I the poet I wanted to be five years ago? No. And that is a good thing. Five years ago, I had no clue what kind of poet I wanted to be, I was reading a lot and writing a lot, but I had just gotten introduced to performance and it was changing the way I perceived self expression. There are things that the me from days past thought I'd have done by now, like publish, that I haven’t accomplished yet. There are things I'm doing now that that guy couldn't even imagine. Like writing material for over an hour long performance and following it through.

2.      Poetry is subjective and yet all talent needs to be nurtured. How has this fact influenced your work?

I think subjectivity is the poetry's strongest pillar actually; the fact that personal feelings and views are so intrinsic to the art. If we were all only aspired to objectivity, then our work would sound like reports and investigative journalism. 

My writing is for me, primarily. I need my biases, loves and distaste to hold a position of influence so I can keep myself rooted. I write to see myself, understand how I relate with the universe, how I think, make another baby step at this endless journey of self discovery. It is being subjective that puts the human touch in art. Else, it wouldn't touch people so. And would it really matter then?

Realizing the essence of writing for myself lead to me producing work I am more in touch with. I don’t want to look back ten years from now and wonder how the heck I managed to be so pretentious.

3.      Tell us a bit about Storyzetu and what your greatest desire for it is?

Storyzetu.com is a blog dedicated to providing a free and uncensored platform for young, emerging and established African voices in art. We put up fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and op-eds almost on a daily basis. We are also quite active on facebook, twitter, instagram and will be launching our YouTube channel soon. Recently, we joined the vibrant performance space that is Nairobi with concept events geared towards encouraging experimentation and pushing boundaries.

It is run by a team of four. Hellen Masido, Tonny Muchui, Mutwiri Njagi and I. We initially meant it to be a place for us to collaboratively push our writing, but we soon realized the potential it held and followed that instead.

Our desire is to host writing that sparks changes and influences progressive discussions in Africa. We hope to help in the continuous challenging of established retrogressive systems of thought and in the process; help young writers and performing artists develop their voices.

4.      Storyzetu will be conducting a three-day spoken word workshop during the #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival. Tell us a bit about that.

In collaboration with Babishai-Niwe, we reached out to a number of Kenyan spoken word artists who have been instrumental in shaping the Kenyan Performance Poetry scene and they have agreed to attend the festival. The idea is for the workshop to be more of a thought exchange with our counterparts from around Africa who will be present during the festival.

American Spoken Word is big online. We all draw inspiration or are influenced by it, whether directly or unconsciously. Some of the questions we hope to explore are: How do we make our scene as big? How do we get our voices heard? How authentic is our work? What have we learnt so far? How do use that to map out our future? How do we improve our performance and writing skills?

What we are hoping, is to take the chats that artists have while walking home from gigs and throw them around for discussion, re-examine them and face what we fear most in them.

5.      Why was it important for you to accept our invitation?

Other than the thought of Ugandan food? I attended the Kampala International Theatre Festival late last year and was enthralled by the piece of Uganda’s art scene that I was privileged to experience.

That aside, I watched the festival unravel online last year and was quite excited by what was happening. Having read A Thousand Rising Voices and Boda Boda Anthem, the opportunity to work alongside those who have made that possible was quite thrilling. I also can’t wait to interact with artists from other countries… And of course Beverly can be quite convincing. Not that I needed much of it…

6.      What are the two main subjects you find yourself constantly writing about?

Social issues and human relationships.

7.      How do you feel towards art for social change?

Change in inescapable; we are in constant evolution. Art has the responsibility to be the crest of that wave – to lead the park into the next level of thought and perception – right there next to science and philosophy.

Artists need to be progressive thinkers; we have the ability to touch the depths that other disciplines may not reach. We are with the people, therefore should speak to the people and for the people. Fight for them and talk to them at the same time.

Art cannot run from addressing social change, and I am glad it cannot.

8.      We look forward to hosting you. Any concluding remarks?

Does plantain have to be in season? If yes, will it be in season in August? Because the last time I was in Kampala, I couldn’t have enough of that.


Babishai Poetry Festival
Email: festival@babishainiwe.com
Tel:  +256 751 703226
Twitter: @BNPoetryAward