Poetry – Ife Piankhi

To Be or Not 2B

Earlier this year I was a participant on the East African Soul Train, traveling from Nairobi to Mombasa on the Lunatic Line. We were encouraged to collaborate with fellow artists in the confines of a moving train and create something that was reflective of our personal experiences. The theme of the residency which lasted a week was Kovu Safarini – My Scar.

It was challenging, inspiring and the beginning of me questioning how I as a poet you explore my work in different mediums other than performance and workshoping. read more

Poetry 0

Living in the Era of Trump

Slowly the ink flows to the nib.

A few shakes in the air and it begins to write.

I am chronicling the Age of Trump.

As it begins, who knows where it will end.

But he’s given us a heads up.

To make America great again, by any means necessary.

What irony

Is this once again a case of the chickens coming home to roost?

What goes around, comes around and America has some

Superpower karma coming its way.

So what to do?

In this age of Kali Yuga, destruction is the order of the day.

But there is always a rebirth, read more

Poetry

Escape

Drowning in the depth of my mental

Its hard to breathe deeply

I struggle to find my peace of mind.

Its shrouded in anxiety.

I want to die

then I wouldn’t have to straddle the middle,

masquerading as a strong African woman.

How will I ever find the balance I feel at times

When surrounded by trees?

Free from the urban market flows.

Noisy, polluted confusion over takes my mind.

Mystical levels lay beyond the living.

I believe I will find my peace of mind in the darkness

Its calling me,

come home, come now. read more

Poetry

Loosing my Soulskin

My senga was lost to me in middle passage journey’s

Motherhood and marriage defined who I was meant to be.

The Wild in me conformed to societal ideals of femininity.

My mammaries grew full, for giving but never receiving,

learning to be seen but not heard

like the children produced in close procession.

The milk flowed over my belly, giving life to all and sundry.

In time I learnt this was not right, but I had no fight

I had died inside.

But the culture is strong, it confines me within a need to belong. read more

Poetry

Bagamoyo

Poetry

Poetry for the People

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We are like fuses

that fit into the MotherShip.

If your fuse has blown

You can’t complete the circuit

Thoughts have weight

Elevate.

Dare to dream and visualise

that we live in a state

of conciousness, harmony and love.

Its starts with you and me

Channelling our energy positively.

I know at times its hard

when surrounded with negativity.

But stand strong, stand against the tide of individuality.

By Ife Piankhi

Activism, Articles, Poetry 0

Singing for the Heart Written by Ife Piankhi

Right now, with the growth of the creative industry globally and the culture of “bling” as perpetrated by mainstream artists, I think a lot of people think it’s a way to make fast money. It looks glamorous, being on stage, mingling with stars, having lots of money—which is a myth, there is always a price to be paid when signed to a major label—nice clothes, fast cars and beautiful men and women around you, but in fact it is a profession that takes a lot of commitment, practice and hard work. read more

Activism, Activities, Articles, Diarie, History, Poetry, Workshop 0

Watch ‘Someone Clap For Me’ – Engaging Short Film On Kampala’s Burgeoning Poetry Scene By TAMBAY A. OBENSON

A side of Uganda (specifically Kampala, the largest city and capital of Uganda) that we often don’t get to see here in the USA, and which I hope you will appreciate…

Poetry has become something of a phenomenon in Kampala in recent times, just as much as the political turmoil that tends to dominate headlines both locally, and internationally.

In the below 10-minute short film directed by the Qatari filmmaker Luciana Farah, titled Someone Clap For Me, learn about this so-called “Poetry Movement.” read more