Tag: African poetry

CHIBUIHE-LIGHT OBI DEFINES HAIKUS AS THE FREEZING OF MOMENTS

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Chibuihe-Light Obi is a Nigerian with two haikus on the #Babishai2016 Babishai Haiku shortlist. He defines haiku as the freezing of moments, while at the same time defining himself as a failed painter and amateur photographer.

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Courtesy photo provided by Chibuihe-Light Obi

How do you define Haiku?
I cannot define haiku successfully without thinking of photography -the freezing of moments, movements and time; without thinking of precision. Haiku for me is a gasp that comes well after I’ve seen a mind blowing sight. Say a hill draped in mist. Or a gecko circling a moth. Or an ixora waltzing away in the wind. Much more, how the soul reacts to these spiritual experiences. Haiku is how the mind absorbs the after taste of a sublime sight or situation. It is pause and ponder. It is yoga. Introspection. Meditation. Stand still and see. Folding silence into a song so small you could scrawl it on your palms and tuck it away in your pockets for future use. Haiku is the only way silence or a sigh could be written without ruffling or bruising it.

What is the process of haiku writing like for you?
I am a failed painter and an amateur photographer. In between, I’m a carrier of a very porous imagination. Images stay in my mind, grow, change, metamorphose, until they threaten to spill over in some not/so/funny ways. So haiku is my own way of unwinding, of releasing these images. A means of securing space for them, giving them a chance to thrive. To be. To exist. Often times, my haiku come upon me suddenly, then I scrawl them on anything and forget or gather them up later. In editing, I pay intimate attention to depth, juxtaposition, sound or echo and how the images align with my soul. The last process, well, is shutting my eyes and rereading them over and over again. If I don’t hear and see it -both equally- it ain’t haiku yet.

Were you surprised at being shortlisted?
Actually, it still feels surreal. I just found Haiku less than six months ago, and some friends so far have told me that I don’t know how to do it. This is the first competition I have entered by myself; other ones were done on my behalf. It’s surprising, and that makes it electrifying.

Do you spend a lot of time reading Haikus, and from where?
Since February, which was when I discovered haiku, I try my best to visit a hiaku website at least every morning. I bookmark the websites and downloaded as much as I can. It has so far become a devotion. A way to wake, to unwind, to relax. My own zen. Places I go include: The Heron’s nest. Haiku for People, Frog’s Pond, Adjei Agyei-Baah’s Facebook page. The internet is so free and borderless; break it if you can.

Which African Haiku writers do you know and admire?
God! This may be shameful. But it’s only Adjei Agyei-Baah and I met him on The Heron’s Nest. Nevertheless, Babishaiku has introduced me to Kwaku Feni Adow, Blessmond and Ayesha. Now, the horizon has expanded.

Have you heard of the mamba Journal, a publication of Haikus, produced by the African Haiku Network, co-founded by one of our judges, Adjei Agyei-Baah?

Yes. I heard of the mamba journal on Facebook, Adjei’s wall to be precise. I even shared it in class with my students who before then did not know the word “Haiku”, let alone reading one.

How do you feel we should promote African haikus?
The Babishaiku prize is a good way to begin. The African Haiku Network is another splendid way of promoting haiku in Africa. Poets too should explore this genre of poetry, share their works online, collect them into anthologies and make all the necessary noise.

Any parting remarks?
Thank you Babishaiku for initiating this idea, for dragging me out of my cocoon. It is a juicy bait to lure poets in Africa towards the haiku art form. I am sure this will go a long way in pushing African Haiku to the fore. Hello to Kwaku, Blessmond and Ayesha. It’s nice having you here.

Thank you Chibuihe.

The #Babishai2016 Poetry Festival runs from 24-26 August in Kampala at Maria’s Place, opposite Froebel near Shell Petrol Station.

MAGUNGA WILLIAMS-#BABISHAI2016 POETRY FESTIVAL GUEST

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Magunga Williams a blogger and creative writer from Kenya will attend the #Babishai2016 poetry festival in Kampala, from 24-26 August. He was nominated for the 2016 #BAKEAWARDS-Bloggers Association of Kenya Awards and runs a large online bookstore.

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  1. The Magunga online bookstore is thriving and making a large difference regarding accessibility of literature, how did this idea emerge?

It is one of those things I have always wanted to know. It stemmed from a heartbreak I had when I was a kid when a neighbourhood library was shut down after its owner passed away. I cannot even remember his name. But I remember how much I loved going to that place. It was my refuge. When we were sent home due to unpaid school fees, my brother and I would visit that library. It had so many storybooks.

 

Time passed. That heartbreak healed, like very few heartbreaks usually do, but like many heartbreaks, it was not forgotten. Fast forward to 2014-15 and my partner and I are walking around Nairobi bookshops trying to get her poetry collection into bookstore unsuccessfully. Then I realized many self published authors, and many other authors had trouble distributing and marketing their books. I saw a vacuum and nature did the thing it does with vacuums. Now here I am, managing an online bookstore from the comfort of my house. One step at a time, because that is how I was taught to do things.

 

  1. How may we support this fabulous invention of yours?

How can you help? I throw that question back to you. You read books. You consume them with so much relish. Tell me what challenges you experience and then we can have a conversation about how you think we can solve them. I want to reach as many Africans as possible with this venture. Put a book in as many hands as possible.

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  1. Which are the most popular books so far, from the Magunga online bookstore?

Oh! Elnathan John’s book, Born On A Tuesday, lasted all of two days and they were gone. Same with The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma.

Then there is Den of Inequities  and Last Villains of Molo  by Kinyanjui Kombani.

 

Ooooh! Any book by Zukiswa Wanner rarely stays for long. See, Zukiswa and Kombani have learnt that books are products like any other; you have to market them aggressively, and that is working very well for them.

 

(Do not tell my competitors, hehehe).

 

  1. What kind of poetry do you like to read?

I like easy to read poetry. The kind that affects you without your mind being forced to understand whatever is going on. Think Warsan Shire, Amu Nnadi, Abigail Arunga, Sheila Okong’o and Eric Onyango Otieno.

Woi! This chap called Saddiq Dzukogi is phenomenal.

I still do not know what the difference between poetry and spoken word is. Because Peter Kagayi is amazing.

 

  1. Were you surprised by your invitation to the Babishai Poetry festival last year and why?

Yes. I was surprised. Because I do not consider myself anyone of note in these literary circles, much less in poetry circles. I am a pretender. I know as much as Jon Snow.

 

  1. What do you expect from the festival this year?

I expect more fun. Last year was so well organized and so informative. Guests were treated well, the classes were just as good as they can get. Beverley is an angel. I can say that given the success of last year’s festival, then I am hoping to see a bigger crowd.

 

  1. Where would you place Christian literature in this secular world?

Hehehehe. You know everything has its own space, yeah? People who like stories will enjoy it regardless of whether it is Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Legion Maria, Polo Piach  or Atheist. Remember that book, My Book of Bible Stories that we used to read as kids? Loved that book. Not because it was Christian, but because I was entertained by the stories. Left to Tell by Imaculee Ilibagiza is a sublime story about a woman finding God in the midst of the Rwandan genocide. But regardless of it’s religious inclinations, the story is well told. But of course there are material that I do not see people other than those of that faith buying. For instance, many people will not read The Hand of God simply because they have no interest in it.

 

Am I making sense?

 

  1. Congratulations on your 2016 #BAKEAWARDS nomination, who are some of your favourite Ugandan bloggers?

Peter Kagayi

Harriet Anena

Soooo Many Stories

But you have to agree with me that Ugandans have not really taken to blogging like we Kenyans have. Your internet keeps getting shut down every time the Leopard wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.

 

  1. What food in your opinion, is best for writers?

The edible kind

 

  1. Any parting remarks?

Be a good sport and buy books. Sharing is caring with other things, but not when it comes to books. So go to www.books.magunga.com and make an order now. Haven’t you been told that the best place to be is in between the pages of a good book?