The poetic world was represented by a selection of very good poets. On Saturday, 2nd October 2010 at 2pm to 3.30 pm, Khainga Okwemba hosted Phyllis Muthoni, Stephen Partington and Njeri Wangari in the Kwani Tent.
The topic of discussion was “New Kenyan Poetry”. The poets talked about their books and what inspires them to write. Njeri, the author of Mines & Mind Fields revealed that initially she wanted to give the book a different title; Fading Faces. But that on consulting one Magareta Wagaceru, they came to the conclusion that the title was a bit dull and wouldn’t attract as much attention as Mines & Mind Fields would. Mines & Minds Field represents transitions. The poems in her book lead the reader through transitions based on traditions, societal issues and religion too. Njeri is inspired by her personal experiences and close observation of what is going on around her.
Most poets would identify with this form of inspiration. Being aware of yourself and what is going on around you can bring forth poetic masterpieces that will be relevant today and 100 years from now. Anyone who understands human nature knows that human beings are the same yesterday today and tomorrow. The only thing that changes is the environment but the feelings, ideas, perceptions and reactions will remain the same till the end of time. Bless the poet who can capture any of the above because he or she will remain relevant for a very long and good time.
She also reads a lot and believes that what a writer reads reflects on what that writer puts on paper. This reminded me of a quote by Samuel Johnson that had been making rounds in my head the entire week; “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading. In order to write, a man will turn over half a library to make one book.”
Moving away from my ramblings, the second poet on the panel was Phylllis Muthoni. She is the author of Lilac Uprising. Partly inspired by the Jacaranda tree and her late grandmother. Phyllis’ anthology is definitely worth your while. Her personal favorites include The Road and We Became What We Ate.
Phyllis, like Njeri, also believes in reading a lot in order to produce good poetry. In her opinion, heroic artists do not just exist. There has to be a foundation or root from whence the good seed will grow. So, the more you read, the better you become. She also seems to have a close relationship with her thesaurus. Phyllis loves synonyms! I agree with her argument on synonyms because I apply them to my writing too. If there is a better fitting word that has the same meaning as the dull option that I intended to use first, I will not hesitate to replace the pat with a resounding slap. And yes, this requires a lot of editing too and Phyllis edits her work a lot.
Steve Partington, the author How To Euthanise A catctus, left a mark too. Turns out the title of his book was lifted from a poem in the anthology. The title is derived from a line in one of the poems in the book. Thinking, out of the poetic box, I’d say. This is a poet who rightly believes that poetry comes with obligation and a poet has to craft his work otherwise it is all just a diary.
The moderator, Khainga brought into light a very valid question. He wanted to know what had brought on the new form of poetry that is less cryptic and lacking in metaphors. Steve spoke of how during former president Moi’s era, poetryhad to be cryptic. Because, otherwise, the consequences were not at all pleasant. A poet in those days had to find ways of passing a valid message through other stylistic devices that included metaphors. However the modern or new poet in Kenya has the benefit of freedom of expression that allows him or her to be less cryptic and get straight to the point.
On the question of poets being hired to work around a theme or writing to order, Steve clearly proclaimed that he would not to that. It wouldn’t be right to accept an offer of money to write against one’s conscience. This according to Steve has made certain poets lose their poetic relevance. He however made it clear that writing to order or for the benefit of certain cause for money is different from writing out of a sense of social responsibility. For example instead of writing poetry for a labor institution, a poet could write a poem for the workers in general.
He also commented on the importance of the collaboration of various art forms. Creativity does not originate from one person. Creative minds feed of each other. A poet will be inspired by a painting and a painter will be inspired by a poem and et cetera. We all need each other.
Steve read a poem from his book; Praise Poem. The poem is about the positive side of the post election violence. It praises the man who did not rape the stranded woman and instead restrained his friends from attacking her, the other man who did not throw stones at a fellow human being and even the man who did not use his panga to commit senseless murder.
The next poetic experience that I led myself to was “Verse of Fire” at the British Council Marquee on Sunday 3rd October at 4pm. Here Benjamin Zephaniah, Tony ‘Smitta’ Mochama and Njeri Wangari engaged the audience in a very lively poetic discussion. The moderator Keguro Macharia made the session even more informative with his comments and questions.
Benjamin talked about secondary school poetry and how the teachers did not make it easy for the students to understand and love poetry. You remember those days in high school when you read a poem, thought that you had nailed its meaning and went on to confidently give the teacher your interpretation? Remember the teacher’s reaction? That reaction that made you go off poetry until now? Well, it turns out that this did not happen in Kenya only. It happened and still happens in secondary schools the world over!
He also mentioned the importance of reading as many books a s possible plus the fact that he draws his inspiration from oppression and not ‘depression’. On the question of the modern wave of trendy poets who get dressed and paid to perform to order, Benjamin reminded the audience that people who listen to poetry are intelligent people. They really do not care about what a poet looks like or which record company he or she is signed under. They only come to listen to the word. This definitely means that if the word is lacking, the audience disappears. Consequently the life line of a trendy poet is very short.
Most importantly, poetry should not and cannot be forced!
Smitta also made some valid contributions to the discussion. A good poet has to be disciplined and must read a lot because without language, nothing fruitful will come out. There has to be a combination of intellectual exercise and passion. He is inspired by the dark moments in life and not vodka as many would think.
On the question whether poetry has become available to Kenyans, Smitta acknowledged the fact that poetry platforms have increased. There are about nineteen monthly sessions in Nairobi and even bars have embraced this form of art.
Njeri also spoke on the new found freedom in performance poetry. Her questions though are; Is it really a good thing? Is poetry not getting lost in the middle of the entire “show”?
She performed one of her poems, “Maisha ya Hawker”. The audience loved the poem and the fact that she went into character had a lasting effect on them. It had a lasting effect on me too because I still hear the hawker saying, “Hawajui niko na AK. Ni risasi ndio natafuta!”
Courtesy: switchedonnaija.com
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