Introducing Charlotte Akello.

Charlotte Akello from Uganda, was shortlisted for the Babishai 2017 haiku prize. She is proud that Ugandans have represented well this year and if her haiku submission was a food, it would be cooked pilau, she says.

What drew you to enter for the competition?
I love writing haikus so when I heard about this competition, I decided to submit.

  Do you have a particular story with haikus?
I love nature and I love poetry. It’s only natural that I fall in love with haikus. I usually take pictures and transform them to haikus. I started writing haikus last year and there’s nothing more relieving. I can still capture memories with haikus even when I don’t have a camera.

        What do you feel towards the shortlist in general?
It’s great. I love the depth in the little poems. Too much is said in a few syllables. I also love the fact that Uganda is well represented unlike last year. This shows that Ugandan poets are getting on board.

   What motivation do poets need, to keep writing, in this ridiculously competitive world that vies for their attention?
Poets need to be patient and aim to become better each day. Some poets tend to give up after a year or 2 yet writing in general needs a lot of patience.

 If your 2017 submission was food, what would it be?
Pilau. It is eaten on festivals but everyone has his or her definition of a perfectly cooked pilau.

Here below is Charlotte’s haiku.

A slice of the moon

swimming in the calm night pond–

another festival

Charlotte Akello is proud that Ugandans are representing well this year. 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