THE CAR...!!!!!

I love cars,

I love to drive them,

To be in control,

Make them jump when I press the controls,

Make them honk and horn for joy,

Service them as often as I can,

And walk away when the joy of driving the car is over.

Thus I have driven many a cars,

And well, crashed a few too.

Saw a car I really would love to drive,

The windscreen is one of a special kind,

With nice and attractive headlights,

A glistening and well tuned body structure,

Solid and well oiled engine,

And with a lovely, attractive and well rounded trunk to match.

It is simply a masterpiece.

I have a lovely dark car of my own,

A true masterpiece too,

And I love my car.

But I still wanted this car too.

I knew I couldn't drive it for as long as I would like,

But I still wanted to drive it.

I made my intentions known,

The car didn't mind,

Cos there seems to be a void I could fill.

But was told the car had a driver,

And that I could tag along if that didn't bother me

So I hopped into the passenger seat

Waiting, watching and biding my time.

After a long while of not getting a chance to be at the steering wheels,

I suddenly found myself at the back seat,

The back seat was full, over crowded and very uncomfortable

I stayed there for a while,

Hoping I could still make it into the driver’s seat, even if for a limited time.

But I had always lived my life according to simple rules

And one which states, “Enjoy it, don’t endure it, or else… walk away.”

I was enjoying the ride no more,

I was enduring it,

Many a request I made was turned down,

And since I was not in control, I couldn't afford to complain too much

So I still tried to enjoy it.

The back seat kept getting fuller, more crowded and more uncomfortable,

But the back seat was never a place meant for me,

I just had to get out

So I jumped out of the window,

No good byes, no reasons, no nothing.

I landed on my behind.

But I was happy I got out.

For a while my absence didn’t seem to be felt,

I also missed the warmth of the car,

I came to terms with the fact that,

I was probably being tolerated and not celebrated after all,

Then I noticed the brake lights were on,

And the reverse lights came on,

The car crept back,

Hesitant, but still crept back,

Didn't ask why I got out,

And I didn't bother to offer any explanation.

Now I stroll along the road with the car beside,

Would I get into the car again?

Well, maybe, or maybe not,

Or u know, on the condition that I get the driving seat,

But that would be selfish

Cos I can’t drive the car forever,

U know, I have a car of my own.

So now I walk,

Even though, I still would love to drive the car.

by Olulu, (the King not from Zulu).

Lagos Girls...!!! (A Spoken Word Poetry Video)

Chill and Relax, a Performance Poetry and Spoken Word Open mic event, is the event for new poets to discover themselves and for experienced poets to further harness their skills.

Though in the past we had looked at faces and frames as the definition of creative abilities. But now, when they say big things comes in small packages, we no longer doubt this cos we have come to know the small frame of a poet does not determine the weight, impact and depth of his words.

One of such poet, is the the slender framed, young and fast growing, Tofarati. A master of rhymes interlaced with wits, ever smiling and confident on stage and well, off it too. He is a regular at Chill and Relax, and he never fails to wow us with his rhymes and wits. 

This is a video of 

Tofarati doing a Spoken Word piece 

titled

Lagos girls

at 

Chill and Relax (September to Remember) 

Don't miss this edition of 

Chill and Relax : The October Fever

A Performance Poetry and Spoken Word open mic Event 

where everyone and anyone can step up and rock the mic.

Date is October 14, 2012 (2nd Sunday of the month)

Time is 3pm

Venue is 16,  Abeni close,  ASA Estate, off Ayodele Okeowo 

street, after Deeper Life church, Soluyi Gbagada, Lagos

Featuring Naija's Finest Poets

Entry is free

Breast wey don fall.....!!!! (A Performance Poetry Video)

It is usually a whole lot of fun at 

Chill and Relax, Performance Poetry and Spoken Word Open mic events.

This is where the best Poets in Naija gather together to 

dazzle us with  rhymes, 

thrill us with wits, 

excite us with words 

and 

make us think with deep sayings.  

One of such poet is Nathaniel I Soonest, a young and vibrant poet. He is ever ready to tickle us with poems laced with wits and wisdom, and he is fast becoming one of the crowd favorite. 

Here is one of his performance 

at 

Chill and Relax - JULY MEDLEY

 doing a poem titled 

Breast wey don fall...!!!

Don't miss this edition of 

Chill and Relax : The October Fever

A Performance Poetry and Spoken Word open mic Event 

where everyone and anyone can step up and rock the mic.

Date is October 14, 2012 (2nd Sunday of the month)

Time is 3pm

Venue is 16,  Abeni close,  ASA Estate, off Ayodele Okeowo street, after Deeper Life church, Soluyi Gbagada, Lagos

Featuring Naija's Finest Poets

Entry is free

What is Performance Poetry?

I can feel my heart racing, like it always does. I’m sitting close to the stage, trying to loosen my limbs without drawing too much attention to myself. The theatre is dark, but for the spotlight on the centre of the stage. Claps echo around the room long after hands have stopped moving. Eyes follow the poet’s every movement- the flick of the wrist, the roll of the eyes, the twist of the heel, the slight tap of the toe on a sentimental line break.

The host calls out my name by way of introduction. I walk tentatively up to the microphone. It always takes a couple of minutes to get into the flow of the show. With every line, you’re aware that you have to keep the audience’s attention. But when and if you do, there’s no other feeling quite like it. Adrenaline pumps through you. The build up, the tension and the nerves suddenly feel worthwhile. It’s the feeling of finding your voice. It’s performance poetry.

In a series of interviews with poets, Spoken Word London asked about the juxtaposition of poetry intended for the page and poetry intended for the stage. Is there a difference?

Yes, according to some. Performing your work means you get one shot at connecting with your audience. You have to keep their attention. Furthermore, one has more freedom to be experimental in print. As the art of reading is a solitary experience, the reader can take time to interpret the piece as they want, at a speed in which they’re comfortable with.

Others, however, maintained that there is no difference. Poetry is poetry. You don’t write it with the intention of printing or performing, you write it to express yourself.

But as I watched the various acts that came before and after me tonight, one issue was burning at the forefront of my mind. What is the difference between reciting and performing? Does performance poetry point toward a distinction between the reading voice and the speaking voice? Does it call for more theatrical devices? And if so, has the performance element of poetry become so important that we’ve lost sight of the actual words and their meaning?

From the 1950s to ‘70s, poetry performance developed as a form of both rebellion and cultural expression. The Beat poets would meet in various corners of New York City, reading their radical work as protest against the stultifying mood of McCarthyism. The art was soon taken up by poets committed to particular social and political movements. Gil Scott Heron, Amira Baraka and The Last Poets all made actual demands for social and political change. Through addressing their audience as a community, they became situated within that community. And through theatrical devices and the emphasis on speech rhythms, the poets were able to showcase a certain cultural identity.

 So the desire to write became less about a grounding in poetry and more about having a voice, expressing yourself and releasing the frustration and hopes of an entire generation. It was about expressing one’s experience in a way best suited to the message and the community. And it showed that we must differentiate between the poetry reading and the poetry performance. The latter presents the poet not as a reader, but as a speaker.

Does this mean, then, that the poetry performance as we know it today is historically connected with the poet’s position within his social and political surroundings?

If so, are we not at risk of allowing entertainment to distract us from the core causes we are speaking about and against. Most of the time, entertainment does not invite focus on issues of particular complexity. It merely does what it advertises on the tin. Amuse and divert.

Slam poetry, for example, has introduced a notion of competition to performance poetry. Is this notion adverse to the very function of art? Slam poets are constantly competing for the approval of the audience, which means they are less concerned with being in competition with the self. Art becomes a show. It becomes point-scoring.

Shouldn’t we allow the poetry to take precedence over the performance factor?

by Nadia Khomami

http://www.spokenwordldn.com/2012/05/08/what-is-%E2%80%98performance-poetry%E2%80%99/

Naija's Spoken Word Poet with the best punchlines and rhyme schemes....!!!

He is cool, calm and collected, 

yet he flows and vibes with silent fury.

His words can via imagination give sight to the blind,

cos like a sword his words pierce through minds,

causing light to shine, 

and you feel it fresh as you listen to it time after time.

His name is 

Jeffery Jaiyeola Plumbline, 

and he always has the tight and right punchlines.

Plumbline doing "E ba mi ki won."

at 

the 2012 February Edition of

CHILL and RELAX: 

a Performance Poetry and Spoken Word event 

in Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria  

Utopia???!!!!!!! (A Spoken Word Poem)

 Utopia???!!!!!!!

Is it utopian to say what should be?

To desire a country that should be

Wrapped in freedom, peace and unity...

I want...

I want a Nigeria where politics is not based on your pocket.

I want a Nigeria where politics is not based on your friends.

I want a Nigeria where politics is not based on thuggery and the propensity of cultism.

I want a Nigeria where politics is not based on pedigree and class stratification.

I want a Nigeria where politics is not based on the number of people you have murdered and your ability to criticize.

I want a Nigeria where politics is not based on negative stratagem

Utopia???!!!!!!!

I want a Nigeria where politics is based on your positive content

I want a Nigeria where the politicians have pedigree in politics not family.

Where right from a certain age a child's strengths are defined and schooled along the lines of political leadership.

Then we would have no fear of the wrong political leadership at the elections.

A crop of people discipled from childhood for the main purpose of ruling Nigeria with unbroken loyalty to the growth and holistic development of the country.

I want a Nigeria where accountability is a blessing not a curse.

I want a Nigeria where the leaders have strength of character and obedience to the sanctity of marriage and single-hood.

Where women and men do not take philandering as the pecks of office.

I want a Nigeria where when we say no to evil we won't be locked up in a dungeon for years and be subject to euthanasia.

I want a Nigeria where good is celebrated and evil is eschewed.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation

where elections will be free and fair not ruthlessly dashed to pieces on the political playground of greed, self aggrandizement and power drunkenness.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation where the democratic government dare not make a fool of themselves and have the president rule a country in absentia.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation where the idea of democracy is upstanding and good intentioned for citizens to run for public office without the fear of selectionism or bias.

Where Politics is a profession and career based on the process of actualizing the need to serve.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation

Where it is not rife with the blame game, but a country where public and political office holders are accountable for their actions and a thousand years of political drudgery would be as a ripple in the ocean.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation

Where the cradle is not beleaguered by corruption and war: their families don't miss them! Where we develop patriotic loyalists teach and train them on the Nigeria we must see.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation

Where we shall run like mighty men; overcome world challenges like men of war; and they shall march everyone on his ways, they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk everyone in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Makes me dream

Of a nation

Where every man: young and old rests in peace under the shade of his own tree

Utopia???!!!!!!!

Aye or nay?

Reality!!!

By

Chinelo A. Onwubuya

You are invited...........!!!!!!

Come watch the best of the best Spoken Word Poets in Nigeria live on stage. Poets such as Sage Hasson, Efe Paul Azino, Plumbline, Chiedu Ifeozo, Bob Ekat, Olulu (the King not from Zulu), Atilola, Donna K, Enigmatic Olumide, Chris Eleri, Ivori, Ndukwe Onuoha, Nini Efem, Soonest I Nathaniel, Increase, Rez tha poet, Tofarati, Holyblaze, Uche Nwadinachi and many others.

The Event will also feature Soul Singers like D Tone, Lumynos, and Ajibola Adeoya.

We also have celebrities who will come perform their poems on stage.

The maiden edition of WORD UP was held on August 18, 2012. It took place at the UNILAG Guest House Lecture Theatre, Akoka, Lagos, and it was a delightful success. 

  

If you wish to partner with us through sponsorship to showcase your products and services, we have the ability to deliver the following benefits:

·  Branding Opportunity

·  Media Exposure

·  Product/ Services Experience

·  Speaking Opportunity

·  Database Acquisition

Performance Poetry and Spoken Word Events is the next tidal wave that will sweep through our country, especially among the youth; do not miss the opportunity to ride on the waves.

Visit http://wordup411.blogspot.com for more information.

WORD UP (Spoken Word Poetry and Soul Music Event) Volume 2 comes up November 17, 2012

WORD UP 

(Spoken Word Poetry and Soul Music Event). 

The idea behind the event is to use Poetry as an Art for entertainment, tool to increase literacy level, and as a means of communication, education and information.

Our goal is to create a Performance Poetry and Spoken Word industry where people can earn a decent living as Performance Poets. A  Spoken Word Poetry industry will help reduce unemployment in the Country as awareness and sponsorship of the Art form increases.

This Art form would also improve the literacy level in Universities and Secondary Schools, and among the populace, as a good Poet needs to be able to read and write, and must also be intellectually sound to be able to pass the message inherent his/her poetry performances to the audience.

The maiden edition of WORD UP (Spoken Word Poetry and Soul Music Event) was held on August 18, 2012. It took place at the UNILAG Guest House Lecture Theatre, Akoka, Lagos, and it was a delightful success. 

The next edition of our event, Word Up (a Spoken Word Poetry and Soul Music Event) is scheduled to take place on November 17, 2012 at the UNILAG Guest House Lecture Theatre, Akoka, Lagos. 

  

If you wish to partner with us through sponsorship to showcase your products and services as we have the ability to deliver the following benefits:

·  Branding Opportunity

·  Media Exposure

·  Product/ Services Experience

·  Speaking Opportunity

·  Database Acquisition

Performance Poetry and Spoken Word Events is the next tidal wave that will sweep through our country, especially among the youth; do not miss the opportunity to ride on the waves.

Chill and Relax: October Fever (a Performance Poetry and Spoken Word open mic Event)

Chill and Relax : October Fever

This is a Performance Poetry and Spoken Word open mic Event where everyone and anyone can step up and rock the mic.

Date is October 14, 2012 (2nd Sunday of the month)

Time is 3pm

Venue is 16,  Abeni close,  ASA Estate, off Ayodele Okeowo street, after Deeper Life church, Soluyi Gbagada, Lagos

Featuring Naija's Finest Poets

Entry is free

One of Naija's best Spoken Word Poet...............!!!!

Passion? He has got it.

Words? He has it in abundance.

Wisdom? He is blessed with it.

Craftsmanship? This is second nature to him.

He was the second Spoken Word Poet I saw live on stage in 2010 before I decided to become a Spoken Word Poet. 

He is the promoter of UNCHAINED VOICES, the TV recording of Spoken Word Poets live on stage.

He is a seeker of knowledge.

His performances take Spoken Word to a whole new level.

He is a skilled Spoken Word Poet, 

and 

his name is Efe Paul Azino,

Efe Paul Azino 

doing Spoken Word Poetry 

at  

Chill and Relax 

(September to Remember) 

on 

September 9, 2012 in Gbagada, Lagos. 

Chill and Relax is a monthly Performance Poetry and Spoken Word Event.