Tag Archive | African Poets

#POETRY4Change – Hadraawi: Celebrating the great Somali Poet by KHAINGA O’OKWEMBA

Apr27

Maya Angelou Poetry for Change

[This article was written by KHAINGA O’OKWEMBA and is culled from http://www.the-star.co.ke]

Legend has it that in early 1970s, renowned Somali female singer Magool gave a concert in Khartoum, Sudan. Magool returned home leaving behind an enchanted man: a Sudanese man had fallen in love with the Somali nightingale! But she was gone.

The man decided to write her a love letter which he then posted. Unable to read this letter because it was written in Arabic, Magool sought the help of Hadraawi, the celebrated Somali poet, who spoke the language.

The letter was presumably written in red ink, but as Hadraawi read it he discovered that the love-stricken man had used blood drawn from his veins which he had put into a fountain pen and poured his heart out! Hadraawi, the great poet that he is, had his imagination soaring. To come to terms with what he’d just encountered, Hadraawi wrote the famous poem, Has Love Ever Been Written in Blood.

Click Here to Read More

#Poetry4ChangeAfrica | Acclaimed Nigerian Poet Niyi Osundare’s Poem Shines a Spotlight on Corruption

Oct26

“My Lord, Tell Me Where To Keep Your Bribe?” By Niyi Osundare

[Originally published on Sahara Reporters on Oct 26, 2016 and culled from saharareporters.com]

A poem by the renowned Nigerian poet Niyi Osundare.

niyi-osundare-poet

My Lord

   Please tell me where to keep your bribe?

Do I drop it in your venerable chambers

Or carry the heavy booty to your immaculate mansion

Shall I bury it in the capacious water tank

In your well laundered backyard

Or will it breathe better in the septic tank

Continue reading →

#POETRY4ChangeAfrica- Featured Poem: “Father’s Funeral” by Oluwasegun Romeo Oriogun.

Oct22

poetry4changev2

#POETRY4ChangeAfrica

VISION | VOICE |

VISIBILITY | VALUE-EXHANGE|

“First you must first your voice, then you must embrace your voice and then USE your voice in a way that aligns with your highest intention and purpose.”
~Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido

 

Father’s Funeral by Oluwasegun Romeo Oriogun (Ogun Da Silva)

the body was laid to rest
along with his years
his memories
and nothing,


the women i saw
for the first time
yesterday sang
a song of mourning my
body laid claim to
in a way that was
painful,

 

the men sent his
body
away and passed his oriki
to me, a mere boy
who’s still a stranger
to the language
of my birth,
here, in my ancestral
home we buried two
men the day we buried
father; him and the
boy who’d hoped
to live in my throat,
all they left me
was a language
and a story
of my lineage
that will
hunt me like
my shadow.

 

(c) Oluwasegun Romeo Oriogun. 2015 (All rights reserved).

———————————-

About the Poet

Segun Oriogun is a poet from Nigeria, his poems has appeared on some literary blogs and journals such as the Kalahari Reviews. He is in love with nature and his imaginary dog, Sky.

WWN POETRY4Change is a creative platform celebrating the works of talented and exciting new poetic voices and spoken word artists within the African continent and in the Diaspora. It is an initiative created by Nigerian Poet and Leadership Consultant, Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Onyido, of Whole WoMan Network, Canada. The goal is to empower youths by leveraging the power of social media to highlight talents and provide opportunities for mentorship and growth. #MakingPOETRYCoolAgain More details coming soon….