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 by 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.
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
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