Culture

WEDNESDAYS WORDS
Poetry is blooming in Kigali
BY CASSANDRA LUKWAGO

ts Wednesday and this is the place to be, says a young woman as she walks into Shooters Lounge in Kigali for a night of poetry. Spoken Word, explains co-founders Betty Tushabe Diana Mpyisi, began as a small venture but has gathered considerable momentum since its launch in July. For Betty, a lawyer, it was a love of poetry and writing that propelled her to develop the idea. When she watched Love Jones, a romantic film that depicts people freestyling their words on stage, she explains, it was so beautiful and creative [that] it hit me, we can actually have this in Rwanda and people can actually do this, she says. What caught my eye even more [in the film], were the friends, seated in the audience, having an argument or rather discussing the poem as it was performed. Diana, for her part, has always been actively involved in media and was a project officer for Rwanda Speaks! a youth initiative under Imbuto Foundation that was designed to enhance public speaking. Diana says she has long wanted to contribute to the development of the arts and theatre industry in Rwanda. In the beginning there were concerns that only a small, select crowd would participate. However, through word of mouth and a healthy following on Facebook, the news spread. People would come for a session and return the next week with a friend or too. There were also some poetry lovers from other countries who had been looking for this kind of forum. The weekly sessions take place at Shooters Lounge, a comfortable bar-restaurant with low sofas and tables, which are sectioned off with a small central dance area that provides the stage. When the recitals start, people move their stools closer to the stage. The lights are soft, which sets the ideal mood for the performers when they step up to recite. Spectators can have drinks and snacks as they listen. The performances basically consist of songs, poems and beat boxing, which are
26 THE INDEPENDENT November 11 - 17 , 2011

Carole Karemera reciting a poem done in French, English and Kinyarwanda. When the first performer steps up to share their poem, they are welcomed with applause, which is followed by a collective silence. Everyone who performs makes it thata performance. It is not a stoic reading of verses. Even the non-French speakers are entertained by poems recited in French for the feeling with which they are delivered. The audience can become remarkably captivated during the performance. Betty shares that some acts have been so moving they have made members of the audience cry. Moreover, some of the recitals are quite personal and performers are not immune to pre-show jitters before they take the stage. Naleli Rugege, a fashion designer, concurs that she gets very nervous before she performs but explains an amazing adrenaline rush often follows the sensation. After the first number of recitals there is an interlude where the audience gets involved in different types of communal games. The break also provides the audience with an opportunity to say hello to friends. Although its a big enough crowd, there seems to be a sense of family among the people; one performer is congratulated on the birth of a child and another mockingly berated for staying away too long. Contrary to what one would expect, the crowd is made up of people of various ages: school kids, young corporate types in suits and the elderly. Betty says that the difference in age has proved particularly interesting on certain nights, such as when the theme of the evening was love. According to Betty the adolescents presented their poems on the hopes of finding love, the young adults on the failures and emotional carnage love has put them through and the elderly on its true existence. Some of the other themes that have been explored in the past are friendship, who am I? and Rwanda night. Each week the themes are posted on Facebook. However, at the moment Spoken Word is taking a break from the themes to allow for more flexibility in the performances. Sometimes people just want to recite what inspires them most, says Betty. Media consultant and regular Spoken Word participant Rama Isibo finds the event inspiring. He says Rwanda has a history of poetry that has been forgotten and this is a great way to revive it. Spoken Word also involves talking about your lineage, which shows how you are attached to other people. There is so much that needs to be spoken about, he says. It is a good place to express yourself, in a safe environment among friends. As a result of the enthusiasm that has greeted the event, the founders now plan to publish an anthology of poems. This is something unique, since there has been no collection of poems from Rwandan youth before, and also because this is one way of contributing to the growing number of young authors from Rwanda, explains Diana. The founders are also planning for a literary concert in December where other poets from the region will be invited. The next step now is to keep up with the momentum, says Betty. Spoken Word has plans to be around for a long time.