Tag: #Babishaiku2017

USMAN KAROFI FROM KANO STATE; NIGERIA #BABISHAI2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

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Usman Karofi, from Kano State, Nigeria says that he entered the Babishai 2017 haiku competition because of his love for haikus. His personal journey with haikus combines with his passion for nature, which haikus provide.

#Babishai2017

What drew you to enter for the Babishai 2017 haiku competition?

What makes me to enter the contest was first, my love for haiku poems. And secondly, given I came from northern Nigeria where haiku is not cherished most, I think it will be my responsibility to enter the contest and see how good I am.

 

Do you have a personal story with haikus?

Actually I do, haiku being a type of poetry in harmony with nature, there is no doubt my story with haiku lies there. Nature is something i cherished on my poems even before starting my haiku journey, coming to know haiku that lit the fire in me and makes me join the haiku train.

 

What do you think of the shortlist in general?

The shortlist consist of outstanding poets all over the continent. And am optimistic any poet on that list deserved to be there.

 

What motivation, do you feel, that writers need, in this competitive world?

The greatest motivation that writers need is that, they should never give up. They are the voice of the voiceless, the path may be aphotic, but a light awaits at the end.

 

If your 2017 haiku submission were food, what would it be?

If my 2017 submission were food, it will be my local food here called “WAINA” a food made from grinded rice and fried, eaten with soup made from vegetables. The food is actually eaten during festivals here in northern Nigerian.

 

Read his submission here:

 

July rain. . .

my child traces her name

on the car’s windscreen

 

We at Babishai, congratulate him again. The winners will be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

#BABISHAI2017 POETRY FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

The full winning haikus are here:

http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html

 

 

 

NNEDIMA EZENWA-OHAETO; BABISHAI 2017 HAIKU SHORTLIST

Nnedimma Ezenwa-Ohaeto is from Akwa, Anambra State in Nigeria. She says that her brother, Chinua, motivated her to write and enter for the Babishai 2017 haiku prize.

What drew you to enter for the competition?

I don’t think it is “what” but “who”: it has always been my brother, Chinua, who always wants me and our other siblings to write, express ourselves and enter for competitions. He loves competitions. Making it into the shortlist has been a great joy to me. My entries― although my first time of trying haiku― were edited by Chinua, who gave it its taste and quality.

Do you have a particular personal story with haikus?

Yeah, I do. It was really difficult, for me, writing haikus because it was my first time. I remember how I birthed them: one particular night, I couldn’t sleep, and in the bid of wanting to kill time by doing a thing rather than just lying in my bed, I picked a paper and wrote just three, and one of them got me onto the shortlist.

What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?

Wooow! But I feel great. I feel appreciated. I feel I can write more. I feel my tiny and shy voice can make a difference.

 

 What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?

Motivation poets need, for me, to keep writing: read more, listen to their feelings, and allow themselves be absorbed by their environment(s). In this way they can reflect their inner selves and society in which they find themselves through their outputs.

If your 2017 haiku submission were food, what would it be?

It would be fried rice decorated with chicken.

 

Her 2017 haiku submission is here:

 

crickets’ chirps

break the quiet of night:

an old man deserts his armchair

 

We at Babishai, congratulate her again. The winners will  be announced at the #Babishai2017 Poetry Festival dinner on Sunday 6 August at Humura Resort, Kitante Close. Cards are on sale at 40,000/- Call +256 703147862. The full festival programme is here.

https://www.babishai.com/2017/07/17/babishai2017-poetry-festival-programme/

The full winning haikus are here:

http://bnpoetryaward.blogspot.ug/2017/07/the-babishai-2017-haiku-shortlist.html