“Justice has
been kidnapped in my country and nobody is willing to pay her ransom, she was
absent at the tribunal when the verdict was given, so the marauders were
declared winners even though the votes were phantom…”
That is a snippet from a poetry rendition by Efe Paul, one of
the leading voices in the Spoken Word Poetry movement, at Read It Loud (a
literary forum organised by the public affairs section of the US embassy in Lagos, Nigeria).
Spoken Word Poetry movement in Nigeria has evolved from small cells to
having a capacity filled audience, it is safe to say a new generation of youths
are rising but certain sections of the society are yet to catch this bug, so It
became imperative to inform members of the public on what exactly this movement
is about.
Spoken Word is
a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose, or verse and occasionally
uses metered verse to express social commentary, it’s a form of poetry intended
for onstage performance rather than print because it’s beauty lies in its delivery,
the poet assumes the position of a prophet or sage reflecting on issues
affecting his society; usually a product of deep meditation, views of the
artist encompasses frank and sometimes satirical comments on politics,
religion, gender, sexuality and other social behaviours; It often contain
references to current events and issues relevant to a contemporary audience;
using clever punch lines, witty remarks, poignant allusions, and sarcasm. The
Spoken Word Poet echoes the yearnings of his society, offering scintillating
performances in from of a dramatic monologue, which are not mere reverberations
or tintinnabulations but are the very pulse of a
generation.
It’s important
to note that Spoken Word originated from blues music and the Harlem renaissance in America.
The modern poetry as its known today became popular as far back as 1960 in
African American community with the last poets, a political and music group
borne out the American civil rights movement.
Spoken Word
Poetry is at its peak in the western world with poets making a living out of
their talent. However the same can’t be said of Nigeria as the Industry is
experiencing snail paced growth, this could be due to fact that it started out
as an elitist movement, with open mic sessions held mainly on the Island. The Industry
received a boost recently when international spot light fell on Chiedu Ifeozo,
he was featured on CNN inside Africa, and another plus for the industry was the
visit of Bassey Ikpi to Nigeria to host and headline a couple of Spoken Word
Poetry shows. Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian based in America, who became a regular
feature on Russell Simmons Def Jam poetry.
Several poets
however have emerged on the Nigerian scene, they include Sage Hasson,
Plumbline, Efe Paul, Atilola, Olulu, Torpedo, Nini Efem, Ivori, Donna K, Increase
(a 13 year old poet), Dark Poet, Wana Wana, Bob Ekat, and the list goes on, and
with the right corporate back up, another blooming industry is set to emerge.
Spoken Word is an outlet for people,
especially the younger generation to express their views outside academic &
institutional domains of university and colleges. Apart from its surface
aesthetic value, which is live entertainment; Spoken Word is an educational
tool, which is intellectually engaging, for a generation of youths that have been
lost to a pop culture with eroding influences. It can be used to instruct,
inform and reshape ideologies, enabling its audience make better informed
decision, as it makes them aware of certain aspect pertaining to human life.
Spoken Word also has been found to be very therapeutic both to the artist and
the listener, as topics discussed are often things the society shy away from
confronting. The advantages can’t be overemphasized as it’s high time we raise
socially conscious youths who will mount the mantle of leadership.
Spoken Word
Poetry is us telling our own story our own way. For a generation where popular
pop culture is shifting attention, deregulating morals, objectifying women,
Spoken Word offers succour.
I will
conclude this with William Wordsworth words, “Poetry is the first and last of
all knowledge, It’s immortal as the heart of man.”
Ajibola Adeoya is a singer/song writer/ instrumentalist/ writer/ poet. He is a graduate of Industrial Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, and he is the convener of SPIN Africa.
