Poets from Uganda, Nigeria, and Malawi have emerged as winners in the maiden edition of the Boxing Day Spoken Word Concert organized by Writers Space Africa (WSA) and hosted by Anthony Onugba. The concert featured spoken word artists and lovers of literature from across the continent. Before the show, a call for spoken word artists was published. After this, the judges; Patrick Tom Nzabonimpa from Rwanda and Luckier Chikopa from Malawi, evaluated the entries and selected the top ten to perform at the concert. The top ten were; Benjamin Ssempala with East or West Home is best, Chindo’ Na’ Matthew with god with a small G, Adanna Raymond with More than a noun, culture is a verb, Praise J Ademola with A simple love wish, Jacobs with Awakening, Blessed Grant Rodi with My mouth won’t be shut, Midnight Owl with Bleeding inks, El-Kay Dee with Victory, Elvis Mun with No Rest For The Wicked, and Owori Moses with To Be a Man.
Also among the performances during the concert were Zainab Raji and Amife Sabatina from Nigeria, Leonard, Annesther Wangui, and Rose Wangari from Kenya, Kiekomo Divine from Cameroon, and a host of others. The judging criteria announced by the judges were; Message/Content (40%), Delivery and Performance (30%), Originality (10%), Overall Impact (10%), and Audience votes (10%). Midnight Owl from Uganda emerged in first place with 73.5% (winning $25), Adanna Raymond from Nigeria emerged in second place with 71.1% (winning $15), while Blessed Grant Rodi from Malawi emerged third with 70.55% (winning $10).
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About the winners
Midnight Owl (Uganda)
Destiny Gladys Chaiga, aka The Midnight Owl, is a Ugandan affiliated with the Echo Minds Poets. Her poetry stems from different social issues that she observes, experiences from her life, and future aspirations of things she hopes to do and live. She was the second runner-up at the East Africa Poetic Battle 2022 in Kisumu. She was also among the top ten winning poets for the Covid-19 Poetry and Story Telling Competition 2021 in Uganda. She was selected as a judge for the Adolescent Girls’ Voices Poetry and Storytelling competition for the 2021 and 2022 editions and serves as a poetry mentor at Author Aliker Company Ltd. Destiny is currently a member of the Poets Association of Uganda.
Destiny’s work has been featured on various platforms including the Insurrectionist Magazine and two poetry anthologies; Delicacies from the Direwords Online Writers Fellowship and Dead Manners, An Anthology of New Age Poetry by Read Us Africa. Destiny has been performing spoken word poetry professionally since 2019 and has performed at various events, including poetry shows, weddings, and conferences. Her interest in the spoken word was sparked by her desire to voice her concerns in poems beyond pages of poetry anthologies. Her advice to aspiring spoken word artists is, ‘Don’t give up on yourself. Push forward with your art even if few will support you. You have to take the opportunities that come your way because it is a competitive world. Above all else, trust God to be by your side.’
FavourAdanna Raymond (Nigeria)
Favour Adanna Raymond (NGP VIII) is a spoken word and page poet that lives in Enugu, Nigeria. She is the author of Written On Her Soul, a prose poetry anthology that dissects societal ills against women and children from both the male and female perspectives. She is a lover of nature, music, and anything artistic. Her works have appeared in various anthologies and magazines such as My Woven Poetry Mag, Kalahari Review, and Ibadan Arts. She emerged in second place in the Pendulum Valentine Poetry Contest. She was also longlisted in War of Words 9 and shortlisted in the Poets-In-Nigeria (PIN) Punchy Contest. She writes to heal, inspire, and correct. When she’s not writing, she’s preparing for her next rendition, which is available on her YouTube channel @FavourAdannaRaymond.
Favour got interested in spoken word after watching and listening to some poets and realized that just as musicians can express themselves through their music, so can she express herself through spoken word poetry. Currently, she plans to release a spoken word album and is working on several poetry videos. Her advice to aspiring spoken word artists is, ‘before anything, your art should be a reflection of who you are. Write and speak from within. When everyone is talking about the same thing, it becomes boring. Your version is waiting to be heard. Keep moving, keep speaking.’
Blessed Grant Rodi (Malawi)
Grant Rodi, AKA Blessed Grant Rodi, is a Malawian poet born on March 14, 1997, at Mlambe Mission Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. He has over 60 written poems (English and Chichewa), nine recorded pieces, and one video. Grant has recited his poems on several occasions, including the Tumaini Festival, Tiwale Talent Show, and Domasi College of Education Poetry Show, to mention a few. Apart from being a poet, he is an Event Host, Graphic Designer, and Secondary School Teacher working in the civil service.
Grant’s interest in spoken word poetry began at Namikasi Secondary School where he began writing short stories and poems but didn’t perform until 2013, when he met Charles Moyadi, who recites his poems at their local Church. Charles encouraged him to perform some of his gospel poems at Church and with time, Grant recorded some of his works and these were played on various radio and TV stations across Malawi.
Regarding the spoken word concert, Grant says, ‘When I came across the WSA competition flyer, I was geared to take the challenge considering that it was open for all African Poets. I wanted to face international poets. My main motive was to learn from the other poets, not necessarily be a winner. So when I got the news that I had made it into the top 10, I was surprised and filled with joy. During the concert, I prepared to do my best. So, emerging in the third position made me extremely happy, and I am failing to find appropriate words to express how happy I am.’
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