A Poetic Peak and A Rise

From when I was a child, I loved the musicality of words. I knew that this made me different and it still does. 

I have never been moved by the things that many girls like to do, like talking for hours about hairstyles and makeup. Some are able to entertain crowds this way and earn. Not I. I was born with hair which grows effortlessly. I was born with skin that maintains its suppleness, even after a run.

God gave me these attributes so that I could focus on what was on the inside, the poetry. Poetry is not just words that rhyme or lyrics that sound pleasant, it is expression, it is joy, fear, helplessness, courage, openness, vulnerability, the future, the past, silence, noise, playfulness, and all the in-between. 

I have written, published and performed in the name of poetry. I have supported hundreds of African poets with their writing, publishing and performance through the Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation. I have pored over dozens of poetry manuscripts with teams across the world and yet I feel I have just begun. It is an enthralling time to be a poet.

Some of my favourite poetry collections are 'The Animals of My Earth School,' by Dr. Mildred Barya, 'Wheels,' by Prof. Kwame Dawes, 'Weeping Becomes a River,' by Siphokazi Jonas, 'Teaching my Mother to Give Birth,' by Warsan Shire and various collections by Emily Dickinson. 

In my poetry journey, certain individuals have paved the way for me, cut through hedgegrow and roughness to ensure that I flourish. As a writer, studying for my Master's in Poetry at Lancaster University in England provided the impetus to focus in the intellectual space. Thanks to Prof. Graham Mort, who was instrumental.

As an arts entrepreneur, Prof. Kwame Dawes, who runs the African Poetry Book Fund, has supported the Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation through various collaborations. He makes every dream seem reachable.

As a friend and one whose writing inspires and speaks volumes, Dr. Mildred Barya is one of a kind. There are others with whom I have held conversations and whose work I admire. These are Ber Anena, Lillian Aujo, and after participating in the Poetry Africa Festival in 2024, a dozen more poets across the world.

"The invitation to the Poetry Africa Festival in Durban came when my poetry was seeking a home where it would thrive and burst at the seams without censorship or reductionism." Beverley N Nsengiyunva

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I have been introduced by certain individuals in public settings and whenever they mention my name, they reduce my poetic journey to a mere reduction of their own myopic sense of self. 

And then there other places in Uganda and abroad where people mention my name and it is as if a diamond shines between their teeth. They uplift me. They show me to the world with pride. They see me for my worth and want the world to witness this gem. I am grateful to those people.

I am grateful to Poetry Africa. The experience in Durban was unrivalled and the best one so far, in 2024. What a time to be a poet! Because I am a public speaking trainer, I enjoy audience engagement and my poetry performance came from that place, where I engage, share a story and hold a dialogue with the unsuspecting audience. A little but of theatre didn't hurt, either.

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The applause and the encouragement. I was home. Meeting exceptionally talented poets from across the world. Their published works, their performances, their articulation of their journeys, their stories in various languages and just being there with them. I moved me to places I did not even know existed. There was so much synergy and it will ripple into something new. I feel it. I know it.

Two other Ugandans, Dr. Nick Makoha based in the UK, who participated online and also spoken word performer Hawa Kimbugwe with her pieces on parts of the female experience.

Immersed in knowledge and the abundance of those willing to share about how to maintain a high standard as a poet, the journey of branding and marketing and building a network of credible people. 

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At the finale, the Grand Slam Competition, I almost fell off the edge of my seat witnessing one overpowering talent after another. The winner, Olive Olusegun delivered with such intensity and imagination. In second place, Masai Sepuru was equally positioned to share deeply vulnerable poetry about men, choices and prejudices. It was a night above any other night, in poetry.

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I am deeply grateful to Siphindile Hlongwa and Quaz Roodt, the co-curators who managed the Johannesburg and Durban segments of the poetry festival seamlessly. The Center of Creative Arts at Kwa-Zulu Natal University, the entire organising team, supporters and friends.

Beverley N Nsengiyunva

'Weeping Becomes A River' Poetry collection by Siphokazi Jonas

 My idea of a sound poetry collection, is when I read it like a story and reimagine it in various contexts. To top it off, is when I have the pleasure of meeting the poet themselves.

The Poetry Africa 2024 festival, was an assortment of the finest wine, delicacies and feasts of poetry. There were numerous bits of excellence to select from. I shall begin with 'Weeping Becomes A River,' a poetry collection by Siphokazi Jonas, a South African poet, playwright and actor, which was also launched at the festival. Poetry Africa is co-curated by Siphindile Hlongwa and Quaz Roodt, with several huge partners from Center of Creative Arts at Kwa Zulu Natal University, University of Johannesburg and more.

Siphokazi does not come in small parts but brings her entirety to her reading, her writing and her storytelling, which is why the poetry becomes a collection of poems, which  are also able to form stories.

Siphokazi Jonas. (Courtesy photo)

'First baptism,' is one of the most retold stories we have heard, of how boys and girls who have been raised in traditional Sub-Saharan African homes are raised differently, and yet Siphokazi's imagination is unfettered and her specific detail builds a powerful storyline of time and place. She reawakens our own pasts, as we recall some of the pleasures and displeasures of growing up.

I had the pleasure of sharing a Branding and Masterclass session with Siphokazi and Emma Mabye, moderated by Lakin Morgan-Baatjies. During this session, we see how she takes her poetry seriously, removing as many of life's distractions so that she can invest real time to her work.

'White people's things and other translations,' is a theme that many poets grasp. Siphokazi treats this enormous theme with specificity, which makes the experience authentic and palatable. In this, she also questions her own prejudices.

'Weeping Becomes a River,' published by Penguin Random House South Africa, is available online. With a talent like Siphokazi's, a foreword by famous South African composer of film and television series, Dr. Trevor Jones, and a publisher of high note, this is a collection worth reading. Her manager, Martin Myers, does a tremendous job of promoting her.

More details of her work at Siphokazi Jonas

Review by Beverley N Nsengiyunva

P.S I shall be writing about Poetry Africa 2024 in regular doses. 

The Professor Senteza Kajubi Fulbright Memorial Lecture

The Yusuf Lule Lecture Hall at Makerere University, named after former President of Uganda, Yusuf Lule, was packed with students, academics, Ambassadors, members of the private sector and interested individuals.

Thursday 3 October, Makerere University, in partnership with the US Embassy in Uganda, hosted the Professor Senteza Kajubi Fulbright Memorial Lecture. The scholarship was named after the former U.S Senator, Fulbright. Professor Senteza Kajubi was Africa's first Fulbright scholar. where he studied at the University of Chicago from 1952. Kajubi also chaired the National Symbols Committee that decided upon the National Anthem, National Flag and Uganda Coat of Arms.

Kajubi's Family

During the fifth lecture of this kind, this one thematized 'The Role of Higher Education in Building Active Citizens,' there was a panel discussion with Guild President Lubega Nsamba, Dr Pamela Tibihikirra-Kalyegira, Director of Law Development Centre and Dr. Biyinzika Kasolo, Director of GROW at Private Sector Foundation Uganda.

They heartily discussed practical ways of nurturing active citizens proud of their countries starting from home, providing them with opportunities in businesses and teaching them citizenship as a way of shaping Uganda. 

U.S Ambassador William Popp to Uganda, acknowledged the academic milestones of Prof. Kajubi, including being elected Vice Chancellor to Makerere University, twice. He also mentioned Hon. Joyce Mpanga, who was Uganda's first female Fulbright scholar and third female graduate in East Africa, including first Women's Minister of State Affairs in Uganda.

Ambassador William Popp, U.S to Uganda

Ambassador Popp spoke of the introduction of American Studies in the Political Sciences Department of Makerere University and appreciated the efforts that Makerere had made in the past. 

Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Lorna Magara, the first woman in 100 years to be appointed to the position, was lauded for her work towards the university's progress.

...

Bukoto Toastmasters Club, Independence Meeting

There are some events that will take you to the moon, where you will dance with the stars and then play with the sunshine. Bukoto Toastmasters Club.

What a distinguished honour to be a member of a team that plays to win and does not play alone. They take everybody with them. To the Toastmasters that played a role in the meeting held on 1 October, to all the guests who participated, to the members from other clubs who engaged us with energy and verve, mwebale!

Toastmasters is a non profit educational space that nurtures individuals in public speaking and leadership.

We learned so much about our individual independent lives, the importance of grasping a goal and the consistency that lies within it , to me truly free and the hurdles of life which we overcome everyday.

To know more about Toastmasters, kindly visit https://toastmasters.org/

He came to put a Face to the AIDS scourge.

He returned to Uganda to put a face to the AIDS scourge. He returned to Uganda to tell us to take AIDS seriously. He is Philly Bongoley Lutaaya.

As a writer, the work that I do takes me further into the archives of wonder, of miracles and of people of great repute. It was in 2023 that I began a purposeful journey of searching for Ugandans whose lives had made an indelible mark.

Recently during research for a new project, I was reminded of Philly Bongoley Lutaaya, and came across this newspaper clipping on social media.

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A friend of mine was a student at Makerere University in 1989, when Lutaaya visited the main hall to speak to students. Some students who did not get a chair to sit on, actually climbed trees so that they could peer inside the hall and listen to Lutaaya.

"I have come to give a face to AIDS," he said.

"I have come to tell you to take AIDS seriously," he continued.

D. Sam Okware, the head of the Uganda AIDS Control Programme at the time, officially introduced Philly Lutaaya to the students.

In 1989, Lutaaya broke barriers, he restored hope i those facing stigma and his courage opened the doors to initiatives around the country supporting those with HIV and AIDS.

...

Beverley N Nsengiyunva

 

Ugandan Doctor Performs a Successful Postmorten Caesarean Section

In the same year that I gave birth to my own child, in 2018, who was delivered by caesarean section, where I was able to hold her, feed her and kiss her together with my husband, another baby, Gabriel, has a far different story.

I focus my time on searching for iconic Ugandans who have performed near miracles, Ugandans who have impacted lives at a large scale and those who have dedicated their lives to changing communities. I write their stories and share with the world.

Dr. Oriba Dan Langoya, a young doctor of Lacor Hospital in Northern Uganda, about 450 km north of Kampala, miraculously delivered a baby into the world.

Baby Gabriel's mother was brought to Lacor Hospital on a boda boda, which is a motorcycle used for public transport in Uganda. She had travelled 104 km on that boda boda from the nearby district of Kitgum. In critical condition she did not make it alive off the hospital bed. Dr. Obria, an intern at the time, was devastated, as was the medical team.

On listening closely to the mother's abdomen, he could hear the faint heartbeat of the baby. Not one to lose complete hope, he sought his supervisor, the medical attendant, Dr. Odong Ayella, Dr. Oriba proceeded to perform a postmortem caesarean section to save the baby.

That is how he was able to bring Baby Gabriel into the world, in what can only be described as a miracle.

The full story is here: Read more about Gabriel as a young boy and Dr. Opira and his wife's journey in ensuring he has a good life.

Baby Gabriel The Miracle

Poetry at Coffee At Last, in 2011

 Develop a skill. Harness that skill regularly. Maintain consistency with those who excel in that field and whose hearts are geared towards your growth.

Poetry.

In 2011, I performed my first poetry solo. This was at Coffee At Last, that serves a scrumptious meal with delectable coffee. Their very first location was in Makindye, about 20 metres from where they are located now.

I have been friends with the owners, Albert and Amanda, for a long while. They offered me space, infusing coffee and poetry, as they started their business.

With each time I focus on my poetry, so many doors open for me, especially with travel and networking with exceptional talent and globally renowned poets.

This year 2024 is one of those years.

What skill are you developing? Gossiping is not a skill, unless you're gossiping about yourself, which could then develop into theatrical monologue.

Social media trolling is not a skill, unless you're developing a script for NBC (U.S), DSTV and other networks or worthwhile media.

Develop a skill.

Harness it with those not only skilled at it but also committed to your growth. Pay them for that training.

Become unrecognizable with your skill.

Bless!

Beverley Nambozo Nsengiyunva.

I empower individuals on their journey of communication. I use poetry, speaking and writing.