I never picked Poetry! She chose Me!
If there is one thing life has taught me it is the beauty in surprise, and daily I am surprised, from every person who comes into my life. I am more so moved by poets who first love poetry more than fame or money because those are the people who are true to its cause, as they grow it grows with them. So learn to love your art, learn it well, learn how to perfect it each day, learn how to speak each word clearly and to pass a message. Learn how to perform, when to cry when to smile and learn from whom, when and where to ask for help. Learn your art! Then it will give back.
I am actually one of those people who got into poetry out of being pushed by friends and my mother… I always wrote, can’t really remember when I started writing (and not just writing my writing for fun; my inshas were pinned on the school notice board in primary school). With a lecturer for a father, I had to do 5 mathematical sums, a one paged insha and composition per day. Which he used to mark! I was never good in maths though but the languages, that was my strength.
All through my campus life I wrote my poems and stories in a book and would read to my friends when they came visiting or when we were bored. The question of meeting people who wrote poetry and who loved it started and I started my research. One time a group of poets were featured on TV, my mother called me and asked me to find them. I cannot remember who they were; they were talking about Wamathai’s event, so I saved his name and continued on with my research (which was on facebook of course)
Then I got my first writing job with footprints press, I would write stories about successful Kenyan women and men. Meet then and interview them. I remember Chelenge Van Rampelberg, the Kenyan Sculpture, who discovered that she could make sculptures at 26!What an inspiration she was. Then I met Emilio Njau with his wife and that was another story. I met Jeff Koinange on the bench; and I remember telling him that I want to be one of the re-known poets in Kenya and he said, 'the sky is the limit.'
It was my army friend Kennedy Olang who introduced me to Samo Almighty and even took me to my first poetry reading at Sitawa’s Poetry at discovery that was somewhere in 2010. Quite honestly I had never seen a poetry performance, I was so moved… people were performing without reading it was such a beautiful event until Samo performed and asked me to join him on stage. That was when it started! I am sure my heart ran out, the whole room could hear it beat. I was so scared, I pleaded with him and the crowd to let me read my poem next time. But you know Sitawa with her sweet voice there was no escaping this one. If ever there is a worse performance… my first reading was, I was trembling with tears in my eyes, its like I wanted to cry! I finished reading took my bag and left, I don’t even think I told Ken that I was leaving! It was too embarrassing!
Eventually after healing from the embarrassment of the day, I found wamathai on facebook and asked him if I could perform at his event. This time I was prepared, the poem was in my head, all I needed was to be heard this time it would be different I told myself. Sadly at the time Wamathai was not planning an event, he promised that I would be in the lineup for his next event and referred me to Nuru Bahati who was organizing Slam Africa. Even without asking what Slam Africa was about I quickly called Nuru and told him that I wanted to perform at his event. I met Nuru before the event, he took me through it (you know when you are just done with class 8 and you can’t wait to get to form one; that was the feeling I had. I don’t think anything Nuru was telling me was getting in my head). The event was to be held in October being a women’s month it was a competition amongst ladies. I missed the word competition.
Having a fashion designer for a mother, I was prepared on the outside with a killer dress and the poem was thoroughly worked on. At the moment I had no poetry friends, so when I went in I didn’t have anyone to talk to, I just kept to myself. That was when I met Carol Njenga, she came and sat with me started telling me about the event and the last event, who had won and how the competition was. Suddenly I felt fear creeping in. Wait until Carol friends came in…. then the crowd changed from a sharing crowd to competition in the air crowd. I felt like dying, I had never been in a competition before especially unprepared! This was a competition! Now it was sinking! I hate competitions… even a friendly game of poker will piss me off if I don’t win! It would eat me for months! The show started with the tied winners of the last event performing! That was Kuni Mbichi and Anne Moraa!! My oh my! I wanted to run home but in a dress like that! That would have been a dramatic exist which would be recorded in books. I performed at Slam Africa twice, each time the adrenalin got in my way, I honestly do not think I delivered message (but I always looked good- of course).
I have to say this, I met El poet and Abu Sense lost as I was on the slopes of this mountain, were on sailing on the same boat we would meet and talk about plans of doing poetry differently.
I was not satisfied yet, so on September 19th 2010 I organized my own show -Poetry Lust- (with the help of Maggy and Kevin), it was an outside show, I wanted people to sit and to listen to my work- as terrible as it was! I still remember that the show had a turnout of 16 people, but I was lucky because that day, I got the feedback I wanted. You get better each time so never stop! Soon I changed the name from Poetry Lust to Hisia Zangu Poetry because I wanted an African feel, I even started having it with a bonfire:- it was lovely! Then I got tired with the open mic as the need for more than just a platform started growing and workshops came in. Workshops started in 2011 to date, a part of me still wants to do the bonfire event, but that is with time.
Hisia Zangu workshop greatly influences my writing. I am forced to read widely as my peers and audience demand for content. I am forced to write and write better than I did the last time. I have found friends who would call me up after a poem just to ask…… what’s that about?! So Hisia is home for me. With time Sentimental Floetry came, and that was a blessing. With the help of Carol and Vivian Kenya I became a performer. What a team we made! I thank God for these two they helped me find this performing queen. I remember sitting with Poppa, Kaffy, Jicho and Teardrops at street poetry, when it started we were just five!
My journey with poetry has been blessed by two things that is hard work and by the Grace of God. I look back and wonder, at all these blessings happening… I never imagined it! it was never even in a dream! I never thought that I would ever speak so clear to get people walk to me and tell me that they felt me, that I inspired them. I never thought that I could move people in a way that I would sneak up into their lives and find friends through poetry.
Now I am ready to conquer the world!
© Namatsi Lukoye
I am actually one of those people who got into poetry out of being pushed by friends and my mother… I always wrote, can’t really remember when I started writing (and not just writing my writing for fun; my inshas were pinned on the school notice board in primary school). With a lecturer for a father, I had to do 5 mathematical sums, a one paged insha and composition per day. Which he used to mark! I was never good in maths though but the languages, that was my strength.
All through my campus life I wrote my poems and stories in a book and would read to my friends when they came visiting or when we were bored. The question of meeting people who wrote poetry and who loved it started and I started my research. One time a group of poets were featured on TV, my mother called me and asked me to find them. I cannot remember who they were; they were talking about Wamathai’s event, so I saved his name and continued on with my research (which was on facebook of course)
Then I got my first writing job with footprints press, I would write stories about successful Kenyan women and men. Meet then and interview them. I remember Chelenge Van Rampelberg, the Kenyan Sculpture, who discovered that she could make sculptures at 26!What an inspiration she was. Then I met Emilio Njau with his wife and that was another story. I met Jeff Koinange on the bench; and I remember telling him that I want to be one of the re-known poets in Kenya and he said, 'the sky is the limit.'
It was my army friend Kennedy Olang who introduced me to Samo Almighty and even took me to my first poetry reading at Sitawa’s Poetry at discovery that was somewhere in 2010. Quite honestly I had never seen a poetry performance, I was so moved… people were performing without reading it was such a beautiful event until Samo performed and asked me to join him on stage. That was when it started! I am sure my heart ran out, the whole room could hear it beat. I was so scared, I pleaded with him and the crowd to let me read my poem next time. But you know Sitawa with her sweet voice there was no escaping this one. If ever there is a worse performance… my first reading was, I was trembling with tears in my eyes, its like I wanted to cry! I finished reading took my bag and left, I don’t even think I told Ken that I was leaving! It was too embarrassing!
Eventually after healing from the embarrassment of the day, I found wamathai on facebook and asked him if I could perform at his event. This time I was prepared, the poem was in my head, all I needed was to be heard this time it would be different I told myself. Sadly at the time Wamathai was not planning an event, he promised that I would be in the lineup for his next event and referred me to Nuru Bahati who was organizing Slam Africa. Even without asking what Slam Africa was about I quickly called Nuru and told him that I wanted to perform at his event. I met Nuru before the event, he took me through it (you know when you are just done with class 8 and you can’t wait to get to form one; that was the feeling I had. I don’t think anything Nuru was telling me was getting in my head). The event was to be held in October being a women’s month it was a competition amongst ladies. I missed the word competition.
Having a fashion designer for a mother, I was prepared on the outside with a killer dress and the poem was thoroughly worked on. At the moment I had no poetry friends, so when I went in I didn’t have anyone to talk to, I just kept to myself. That was when I met Carol Njenga, she came and sat with me started telling me about the event and the last event, who had won and how the competition was. Suddenly I felt fear creeping in. Wait until Carol friends came in…. then the crowd changed from a sharing crowd to competition in the air crowd. I felt like dying, I had never been in a competition before especially unprepared! This was a competition! Now it was sinking! I hate competitions… even a friendly game of poker will piss me off if I don’t win! It would eat me for months! The show started with the tied winners of the last event performing! That was Kuni Mbichi and Anne Moraa!! My oh my! I wanted to run home but in a dress like that! That would have been a dramatic exist which would be recorded in books. I performed at Slam Africa twice, each time the adrenalin got in my way, I honestly do not think I delivered message (but I always looked good- of course).
I have to say this, I met El poet and Abu Sense lost as I was on the slopes of this mountain, were on sailing on the same boat we would meet and talk about plans of doing poetry differently.
I was not satisfied yet, so on September 19th 2010 I organized my own show -Poetry Lust- (with the help of Maggy and Kevin), it was an outside show, I wanted people to sit and to listen to my work- as terrible as it was! I still remember that the show had a turnout of 16 people, but I was lucky because that day, I got the feedback I wanted. You get better each time so never stop! Soon I changed the name from Poetry Lust to Hisia Zangu Poetry because I wanted an African feel, I even started having it with a bonfire:- it was lovely! Then I got tired with the open mic as the need for more than just a platform started growing and workshops came in. Workshops started in 2011 to date, a part of me still wants to do the bonfire event, but that is with time.
Hisia Zangu workshop greatly influences my writing. I am forced to read widely as my peers and audience demand for content. I am forced to write and write better than I did the last time. I have found friends who would call me up after a poem just to ask…… what’s that about?! So Hisia is home for me. With time Sentimental Floetry came, and that was a blessing. With the help of Carol and Vivian Kenya I became a performer. What a team we made! I thank God for these two they helped me find this performing queen. I remember sitting with Poppa, Kaffy, Jicho and Teardrops at street poetry, when it started we were just five!
My journey with poetry has been blessed by two things that is hard work and by the Grace of God. I look back and wonder, at all these blessings happening… I never imagined it! it was never even in a dream! I never thought that I would ever speak so clear to get people walk to me and tell me that they felt me, that I inspired them. I never thought that I could move people in a way that I would sneak up into their lives and find friends through poetry.
Now I am ready to conquer the world!
© Namatsi Lukoye
I think Hisia is a very happening gig. You go Namatsi!
ReplyDeleteYou are indeed a great inspiration. I look upto you :)
ReplyDeleteQuite inspirational. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who gets scared not just of performing but even posting poems on my blog. I keep wondering how the readers will respond.
ReplyDelete