:::: Welcom To My Muse World :::

Literary Greetings 

You are welcome in the name of Apollo (god of poetry), Calliope (epic poetry), Erato (lyric and love poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy), Polymnia or Polyhymnia (sacred poetry), Terpsichore (choral dance and song), Thalia (comedy and bucolic poetry).This is the abode of Poetry where thought is bigger than man.

Since poetry, music, ora literature (orature) and literature in its entire ramification is the connecting factor here, I shall do my best to keep it so. It’s indeed my pleasure to have you here. As a principal in the Creative Industry, I shall make sure our collective intellecture properties are properly protected and acknowledged as at when due.

Please feel free to send your poems and prose works to me, which I shall properly post on the website within five days. I will make sure I post Five new poems and prose work on the site every week under the Best Works of the Week Page tagged: Best this Week and your other works will be on the Feature Page.

::Report on POETRY POTTER::
...heaven of performance poetry

POETRY POTTER...26
By Temitope Olofinlua

The last edition of Poetry Potter has come and gone. This was my first edition and I had a swell time for many reasons. It was a bumper package: the Potter himself (Aderemi Adegbite) was a year older; there were so many interesting people on the guest list (Terry the Rapman, the three members of the REDSTRAT team); not forgetting the beautiful renditions of the spoken word. It was indeed a beautiful symphony of words, music and stories... a real Poetry Potter.

I arrived there a little beyond schedule thanks to leaving home late and Lagos traffic, however when I entered the hall, I knew that I had not missed so much because there were less than fifteen people seated and it was obvious that the invited guests were not yet around. So I sat down and enjoyed Cornerstone’s musical performance as he sang a reggae number. As if the guests knew I was around, they arrived in minutes one by one: Terry, Adewole Ajao (winner of the AMBO 4), and the Redstrat team.

Next performance was Lanre Ari-Ajia’s poetry rendition about two things: a beautiful woman and Obama. The beauty of his poetry lies in his native Yoruba tongue and his ability to play on words through the use of pun or as the Yorubas say “oro ase”. He later rendered them in English for the non-Yoruba in the crowd to enjoy, which revealed the obvious effort to make the words rhyme. Both poems got the crowd cheering particularly the rendition in Yoruba.

Terry the Rapman was upstage next as he was locked in an interview session with the MCs. The questions bothered on his humble background in Kaduna; his musical influences; his first album called “I am Nigerian” which sounded like Eminem’s song rhythmically; the evolution, revolution and business of rap music in Nigeria, among other things. For me through this session, he showed that there is hope for qualitative music in Nigeria and that you don’t have to “belong” by being a part of the current trend of singing “jargons” that sounded alike.

Chude Jideonwu, Emilia Asimuta and Adebola Williams, the brains behind the Future awards soon took the stage. The MCs questioned again: their untold story that led to the FUTURE glory (days of pasting posters themselves, sweeping, carrying the red carpet, etc.); progress report; the significance of people to them; the dynamic nature of their challenges as the years progress. The one lesson that I picked from them was that challenges would always come and the “challenged” has to decide to use it positively because work has to get done and most times it is by you.

Next was a “musical relief” that came through a performance by Ayo, a female guitarist and singer. The title of her song was “Freedom”, and one could feel freedom around as she strummed the strings of the guitar and sang with a slightly masculine voice. She is a star to watch out for (take that from me!).

There was the last interview session with all the invited guests as they responded intelligently to questions from the audience. Whats next for them? Terry closed the session saying that he was working on a 2-in-1 album and videos; his guiding philosophy is to live life as if death was due tomorrow and plan as if he has forever to live.

There was an open mic session to round off the day; key among the performers were Brainstorm, Uche Uwadinachi, Nonnie, Jubril, Segun Eluyemi with his magical nose (Sege Black) with each of them bringing their uniqueness to each performance.

How else could I start my weekend? What else can I say?

This is a blogger's account on POETRY POTTER...heaven of performance poetry

:::: Poem Of The Week ::::

Soweto Uprising

2006 marked the 30 years of Soweto Uprising in South Africa. And I was opportune to be part of the celebration. Well I never knew or had ever heard anything about the uprising before until last year when the Editor of Sunday Guardian and The Life Guardian, Jahman Anikulapo, connected me with Kola, a poet based in London via Yahoo Conference Room. He asked both us to write and collect poems on the Soweto Uprising.

Well, I couldn’t tell him I didn’t know anything about the uprising, it will belittle me as a writer who is suppose to know little of everything thing. And right there on the Net, I started my research on the said cruelled occurrence. And I was able to write two poems out of my research. Also I collected poems from young poets in the country, Nigeria, which was published in The Guardian on the 18th June, 2006.

16th of June this year, 2007, marked the 31st years of the South African Youth’s struggle for total freedom from their colony. Well, too bad, I’m unable to do the same this year but we still have to celebrate with our brothers who sacrificed their blood for our freedom. Africa freedom! Enjoy the poems by clicking on READ ME !