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.

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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/