In two scintillating poems, Echezonachukwu Nduka takes us on a voyage in the River Niger while immersing us in the waters of its glory and beauty, and in Boardwalk he invites us to observe with him the lives of ordinary people at an unknown boardwalk.
A lie begets a lie, and even half-truths do not endure the test of time. Nonetheless, some lies are so cosy that you would never want to spare a quarter of an ear to entertain alternative versions of them. If love marries a lie, their union would produce anything but peace. But I had peace. I raised my head to take a swift break from the game I was playing on my Nokia 3310. According to Dr Jot’s jokes,…
A book festival in Makurdi? In these days of Boko Haram and insecurity? Jeez! You’ve got guts. This is our first reaction, though it is almost immediately replaced by awe, when we see the Instagram post announcing the inaugural Benue Book and Arts Festival. However, like the toad that does not run in the daytime for nothing, we dare the odds and end up having a refreshing time, learning and unlearning from and with other literature and culture…
In this poem, Ahmad Holderness pens an ode to the Sudanese ancient city of Khartoum Who are you now City where love reared herself a throne molded From dust Blue and white skirts flow to the nape of your waist, inviting Snake on a desert; I’m a pattern in your dust Mud house, melting like a pillar of salt, with stars Gazing from behind heaven’s tears, I become stardust A boy begged for…
In this poem, Richard Inya bemoans the piteous fate of pensioners – men and women who spend their years working to better the society only to be treated like worthless beings at old age. An armed revolution Rages against quietness In the belly of starving retirees Their intestines are trapped snakes Struggling to break loose Ever seen they that chew silence And swallow air? Pity is a bucketful of a minute silence Harvested from…
Iskandar Haggarty’s exclusively stylistic poem sheds light into the known and the unknown, questioning their effect on human feelings and nature. perhaps it’s Salah El Din and perhaps not. perhaps the king Ptolemy and the scholar Ptolemy were brothers. perhaps the mother of the night sky sheds her silken dress like comets falling as letters, inscribing lovelorn dunes. perhaps the astronomer asks questions he’s not supposed to ask. perhaps the astronomer falls…
In three elegies as daring as they are poignant, winner of the Windhamn-Campbell Prize, Helon Habila pokes at loss and hope…. 1.ELEGY FOR A CHILD This is how the world ends: First, all beauty will die – All that is green and pure, all That inspires, elevates; all talent, for beauty, Like yours, child, is a great talent. Then all courage will die – all hope, All that keep the fires burning, All that won’t…
The sea over there is a mirror; take a look at yourself at the bottom of the sea. You are strands of seaweeds posing for marauding lives. Oblivion is around the dying. Your soul speaks to your spirit and the sound reaches Agadez. There is a thing about you in Tripoli but your body borders Italy The Saharan sun fleeced your skin like a sheep sheared for wool. The sky bullied your longings, Yet you…
A collective poem compiled and written by Toni Stuart at the 4th African Feminist Forum, 10th – 12th April, 2016 in Harare, Zimbabwe. The poem uses words, phrases, ideas and thoughts shared by the women throughout the forum. the revolution is a woman a black, queer, radical, Azania House-occupying, sjambok-wielding Tahir square-protesting raised fist pumping, bashing, smashing, tearing down Patrick’s invisible walls the revolution is a woman a hijab-wearing veil-discarding, veil-reclaiming church-going, silent-praying, God-denying voice …