Poetry in film

I love to read and write poetry, but it is even more of a pleasure when I see and hear poetry in films. This piece is from ‘YOU’, a Netflix series on love and obsession. You is based on a novel by Caroline Kepnes.

BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

How the hell did you end up here?

“Your life has been better since you met me, you just didn’t know how or why

You paint me a monster, someone who could hurt people

Someone who could do terrible things”

You used to wrap yourself in fairy tales like a blanket, but it was the cold you loved,

Sharp shivers as you uncovered the corpses of Bluebeard’s wives

Sweeter goosebumps as prince-charming slipped one glass-slipper over your little toes

The perfect fit

Indulgence Erotica Open Mic

My poetry/spoken word journey has brought me to a place where I am now hosting a monthly erotica open mic event called ‘Indulgence’.

 

The very first one was held at a friend’s apartment in Kileleshwa, Nairobi. When we shared this first poster, we got numerous enquiries mainly because people seem to misunderstand what erotica is. This has still not changed much though we are getting there. One of the challenges we are having is that people still assume that erotica is purely pornographic. The literature or artistic side of it is mostly forgotten. Numerous open mics have been held in Nairobi but none has been specifically highlighting the works of erotica writers and performers. This being a first in Kenya, there is always something new to explain, learn or explore.

While in Malindi over the Christmas holidays in 2017, I was introduced to the erotic paintings and sculptures of Master Armando Tanzini whose soul and art lives at the White Elephant Sea and Art Lodge. Therein I found my next venue. The second Indulgence Erotica Open Mic was held there in January 2018. I also found Fabbri, a genius musician from Rome, Italy. The most interesting part about organizing this event was looking for the Malindi-based artists to perform within the very short time I was there. One of the things I learnt was there is talent everywhere you look, it’s just that the artists are not being nurtured and motivated. The local artists I found there are an incredible lot and all they are lacking is opportunities (or someone to create these).

It was also in Malindi where the need for a bikini show was birthed. MMmaamamia! Wasn’t it amazing. And because getting a fashion designer to showcase their outfits was getting elusive by the day, we improvised and did a little self-styling of our own. One of the body sizes that is forgotten is petite, so we made them happen. Who said petite girls should not model too?!

Then came the third edition of the event that was held in February this year. Held at a fellow artists own garden in Westlands, Nairobi, we saw lots of couples attend this ‘love edition’. It was also a grand show owing to the amazing performers we had. These included Boneless with his Kamba house music, Fiffi Moto and her bellydance  and chakacha moves and her partners’ wicked Ndombolo, the superb Murray Shelmerdine,  Flautist Jeppy, Music teacher Yovan, Imma Reid, Mama Mkenya, Smitta Smitten, Lusi Mbira, Peter, Poet Roger, Singer Swiga *standing up for the Slay Queens) among others. This time, we made sure there was a curvy model doing a bikini show too. Why not?

I guess what I have realized about Indulgence is that it has a life of its own. Just like my writing, I do not intend to control how it goes. I just go with the flow. I go where it leads me.

For the fourth edition (March 2018), we are taking it to Igiza Lounge at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi.  This is the first time, we are having the event on a Thursday night (22^nd March from 8 p.m. til late) and at a very accessible place. Karibu tule maneno matamu…

Like the FB page for updates on this particular event: http://bit.ly/2Gl1iQN

Check out the video link to Indulgence 3 ‘Love is’ edition: http://bit.ly/2IoD214

 

 

 

 

 

Some lifestyle jobs millenials are opting for

I did this story which appeared on the Pulse Magazine inside the Standard Newspaper in Kenya on Friday. It explores some ways young people are using their passion to make them extra money today.

Millenial careers

 

Women’s day poem

Inspired by the International Women’s Day, here’s the 2017 piece. #beboldforchange

We see you, sisters

By Eudiah Kamonjo

 

We see you everyday mama

Juggling nanny jobs, hard-core chores and all kinds of biasharas

To put all of us through school-alone

Coz he walked out on you, walked out on all of us

And you refused to be inherited or to remarry or be number two

Talking in monologues and sprinkling paradoxes

You thought we’d never understand, but we did

And we salute you, mama!

Coz U R rock steady, steady rocking all life long

You did it mama, for us.

 

We used to see you quite often Sister

Quiet sobs, black eye, bruised ego

Coz he’d come home drunk and irritable and rough-you up seriously

Silently you’d limp your way to the market;

Feigning accidents or juju to anyone who would dare ask

This,  until your art, squeezed out the truth about the silent darkness

Finally you bolded-up,  packed-up your stuff and mtoto kwa mgongo

Shot a goodbye to this fella, though you had no mulla

You knew you’d pick up the pieces, Sister!

You said: Hit the road Jerk, and don’t you come back no more no more no more no more.

 

 

We see you everynoon Grandma

Back-bent dangerously, endlessly toiling in the harsh unforgiving heat

So your dear Grandkids can get at least that one ngwace, that one meal a day

One with the dawn to ensure they were ready and on time for school

That which you and yours (long gone by now)

Weren’t privileged to attend

You are wonder woman Grandma

 

We saw you everynight, Dada

Talking those dark hideous streets by the horn, deep in the night

Flaunting, teasing, insulting, inviting with your moonlight-kissed, thousand-ways spanked thighs, your luscious news,  your bubbly butt

Ready to satisfy today’s Mafisis for some dollars,

Just to get yourself through university

You could do better, but you choose this way of the night

You knew this wouldn’t last forever, nothing ever does under the sun.

 

We see you every month Auntie

Mountain climbing, boxing, running

Then tossing and turning and wondering

How much more Zumba and Rhumba and Jaba-chewing

You’d have to do to get your body back to the way

It used to be before the babies

Just coz of all that crap you are reading online

Telling you that’s why he ain’t interested no more

But you know what Auntie, relax!

Your big booty in all its black glory is just FINE!

Love it and be confident in who you are

Coz you are fine.  wewe uko sawa

 

We see you brothers

Those concerned with the success of our African sisters

Those doing everything in their Alpha-giving, heart-stopping, women-loving power

To kill all of these madness skirting around our African Queens,

Our very own core.

 

We see you, all of humanity

Getting together in colour,

Shield and armour,

Pen and paper, Music and Dance, Schools and Homes

Kitchens and Bedrooms, Offices and parties

Guiding our children, all of us

In thoughts, action , in words

To a world that’s fair for all

A world where we all stand a chance

At dignity, equality, honesty, joy and pleasure.

 

 

A Photo essay

I did this piece of work for News Deeply’s Women & Girls Hub. It was such a great experience and meeting some of the incredible women in attendance was incredible.

Photo essay on the 2017 Women’s March

 

Grim research

The morning after the bombings,

I realized that my bag held three books,

All on the lives of serial killers, grim research for a writing project.

Sure, but I admit I nearly laughed out loud thinking about rescuers who would find me,

How they’d look in my bag and think,’Whoa, maybe this one was for the best!’

-#WordWarrior Cristin O’Keefe in ‘All I’d leave behind’

On writing; one of my bookmarks

 

My hottest poem

My hottest poem

Check out the link above to watch a video we did for one of the poetry pieces from my upcoming collection. Enjoy and please share.

 

 

Beauty will save the world

Reading in unusual spaces-June 2016 edition

We shall find all precious substance,

We shall fill our houses with spoil–Proverbs of Solomon.

Perhaps the above Proverbs explains my own expectations for the June 2016 edition of the Goethe Institut facilitated event ‘Reading In Unusual Spaces’. But just like anything unusual, you just have to prepare for anything.

Curated by writer Tony Mochama aka Smitta Smitten of The Standard Media, writers and other literature enthusiasts met at the Goethe Institut on Satuarday morning 10 a.m. on June 11 2016.

We then walked over to Jevanjee Gardens where we were divided into groups of three. In these groups, we approached random people at Jevanjee inorder to share our love for literature. Since Jevanjee is synonymous with preachers, the organisers felt that some Proverbs of Solomon would be appropriate. I think we could have used other forms of literature too.

The first duo we approached said they were actually in a meeting so we moved on to another guy who was seated solo under a tree. He said his (Kibera) hood name was Wailer and boy! was he a sport. He even read some of the Proverbs out loud for us and explained their applications in life today. Wailer pointed out that he too was a reader. He also had friends who wrote but do not publish since they do not know where to go. He was at Jevanjee because he was waiting for his colleague so they could go for a children’s face-painting job just across the road.

Thereafter, we shared experiences, observations and lessons and one of the craziest ones I remember was from Tony’s group. They had found two men carrying suitcases and looking confused. Upon further enquiry, they discovered that these men were just about to be conned. They had been promised jobs in Kakuma, Northern Kenya in exchange for Kshs. 3,000. They did not doubt the job advert because ‘it was in the newspaper’. The person they were dealing with was still unreachable but they had been waiting there for him for a while already-ready to start their jobs in Kakuma immediately.

Some of the people we found at Jevanjee have smartphones too but none of them was reading as they waited, passed time in readiness for something else or smoked cigarettes. Why not read meanwhile?

Our next stop was the Imax Theatre where we read some poetry printed out by the organiser. ‘Priest accused of not wearing a condom’ by Paul Durcan was quite a discussion starter.

From here, we proceeded to Sabina Joy, a den where sex workers are available around the clock. Along the way, PEN-Kenya current president Khainga O’okwemba tried to derail us into International Life House for what he called an impromptu reading at some airline office. But Tony intervened before this happened.

On reaching the much-anticipated Sabina Joy, we were obviously so many that the bouncer became suspicious> She called the manager who intervened and we were finally let in.

But we were informed that they wouldn’t be switching-off the music since at 12 noon, they were already house-full. The camera people who had been following us were also not allowed in for obvious reasons. As soon as we were settled into one corner of the dimly-lit club, some guy grabbed one of the writer’s phones accusing him of taking photos. But Tony’s prescence was all it took for him to return it.

Over a drink, we continued to read in groups (inspite of the drama and the noise). To suit this special occasion, Potentash read an excerpt from her story ‘Confessions of a high class call girl’. Though I hadn’t come prepared to perform, I was asked to perform ‘my hottest poem’ http://bit.ly/1OkLGyK which I did, really having to raise my voice. This was quite a great voice exercise as one of the attendees cared to point out.

A walk towards the ladies washrooms and wow! The women lined up in wait was unexpected. They were all up and ready for business before lunchtime. I was informed that during the ‘washroom break’, I had missed some drama; a woman had gotten into a fight with a guy –even tearing up his shirt before security could intervene.

I have always been an avid reader, reading everywhere and anywhere I can so I did not have to be converted. I was happy that what we did generated the desired curiousity, which was part of the plan. I also met some really wonderful inspiring literature-loving men and women and had some incredible moments of inspiration and experiences for sure. Not what I had pictured/expected, but definitely worth my time.

The next Reading in Unusual Spaces will be held in Ole Polos.