Word Slam 2: Poetic journey under the Samarkand Tree

By Bayo Olupohunda
*Culled from The Guardian Friday Sept 26. 2008

THE biblical, cultural and historical significance of the Spoken Word as captured by legendary sayings such as this Yoruba proverb oro la fi da ile aye (the world was created through the spoken word) was re-enacted recently by the poetic journeys of the Word Slam series from the stable of the Culture Advocates Caucus and Goethe Institut Lagos. The success story of the maiden edition of Word Slam which began on that rainy day in July continued penultimate Saturday under the Samarkand tree at the National Theatre Lagos.
From the scenic beauty of the Lagos Lagoon which provided the background for the court yard of Goethe Institut Victoria Island where the first edition was held in July, lovers of contemporary live poetry blended in beats, dance, music and live performances moved to the nature gardens of the National Theatre under the Samarkand tree. Where else could be more appropriate than under the poetic ambience of the Samarkand tree?

Legend has it that the tree derived its name from the antics of the then (Ogbanje or is it Abiku) NEPA now resurrected as PHCN which seized light in one of the rooms at the National Theatre, when Professor Wole Soyinka was reading from his collection of poems “Samarkand and other Markets I have Seen” prompting him to relocate his reading under the tree where the audience joined him.
The maiden edition of the World Slam series redefined the well-worn perspective of poetry as tortuous and long winding words strung together and meant to be read to an equally sleepy audience. This second edition of the programme featured a new set of prominent, as well as up-coming poets, who performed their poems with themes that addressed issues, such as survival, politics, religion, city hassles, hustles and bubbles, love and hatred and the general “wahala” of life.
Any one in the audience who did not witness the first edition was in for a surprise. Word Slam 2 was bigger and better. Poetic flights and dance with live beats in the background, energetic stage performance, music and instrumental without losing the contextual and thematic concerns of traditional poetry took the audience on journey of poetic fantasy. Artist dealt with a range of themes in contemporary Africa social, cultural and political milieu. Word Slam 2 also concretized the vision of the organizer which was to bring poetry to life in the tradition made popular by the ancient Yoruba Alarinjo Theatre, West African griots and the troubadours of the Middle Ages’ Europe.

Artists on the bill at the event took the audience on a poetic journey and had them glued to their seats as they savoured the beauty of the spoken word. Audience includes culture enthusiast, members of the diplomatic corps and poetry lovers. The collaboration between the Goethe Institut and Culture Advocates Caucus continued to break new grounds in redefining the expression of poetry as a creative art.
The beauty of Word Slam 2 was in the surprises and flexibility in the choice of themes for the day. The event kept the audience glued to their seats because they could not predict what would come next. Ropo Ewenla, the compere and Organizing Secretary, Ife Festival of Poetry added a lot of anecdotes, spiced with Ijala chants and occasional burst of songs rooted in his rich Yoruba tradition. From the intensely cultural voice of Seun Beckley and her group came a new voice in chants rich in African Folklore and spiritual tunes. She uplifted the audience and reawakened the need to go back to the roots.
Then the pleasantly strange but tuneful theatrics of Segun Eluyemi, a multi instrumentalist with an incredible ability to make sound out of the most improbable places in his body. One of the highlights of his performance was when he blew the hand held piano and accordion with the nose. The themes addressed by the poets at Word Slam 2 captured our very existence as a country grappling to redefine our existence in the comity of nations. Why is our country stagnating in spite of the enormous resources at our disposal?
Why is African a laughing stock and one of the most backward continents in the world always depending on handouts called aids? Poets like Ayodeji Akinpelu used his performance to remind the audience that our policy makers need to think for tomorrow rather than live for now while future generations suffer from their painlessness. He asks the audience” are they better than us? To which the audience replied in the affirmative. Ayodeji posits that the advanced countries where some Nigerians run to are not better but are lucky to be governed by forward thinking leaders.
He however left the audience in hopeful note. The hustle and bustle of our land formed the crux of the reggae beats of the emerging artist Cornerstone who through his music asked Africans for a cultural rebirth. The old reliable at the Word Slam maiden edition did not only put up performances that drew standing ovation from the audience, they further confirmed that they have come to stamp their feet on the poetic landscape which the Culture Advocates Caucus through the Word Slam events represent.
With the beats, chants, poetry and commanding performances from established poets like Awoko a multiple instrumentalist and utility performer, he is certainly a small compact explosion waiting to happen. Cornerstone, a distinct word artist and one of the emerging few possibilities of the new age of reggae music, Edaoto a distinctively unique artiste with his equally distinguished musical composition and arrangement, Dagga Tollar, a cool and unassuming revolutionary poet , and the poetic raps of Sage Has. Son is one of the most engaging interpreters of the confounding realities of these times.

They all presented a distinctive individual style and also expose the vast array of talents that abound in the poetry performance genre in our country today. Awoko’s energetic display showed that he is a master of the spoken word and so were others who lightened up the evening with poems and scintillating performances. Biodun Batik electrified the audience with Afro beats anytime he takes the band stand.
For example how could one have known that talents abounds in this genre but for the flexibility of the organizers of this programme who introduced the open Mic and Mind Session that threw up the sensual and beautiful voice of Aye-Ola Mabiaku, a multiple poetry performance winner? The performances of the sensual Aye-Ola Mabiaku, Uche Nwadinachi and Ras Banjo, Wale Laoye were some of the highpoints of Word Slam 2.
The burst of energy from the subtle revolutionary performance of Ayodeji Akinpelu, who was also one of the stars of the Open Mic and Mind session maiden edition in July, who is the described as young voice with a mature message lit the place up and sent the audience for their thinking cap.

The youthful but sensual Aye-Ola Mabiaku, who is the younger sister of Dede Mabiaku, particularly caused some stir among the men folk. She was enchanting. Her stage performance was magical as she elevated poetry into an art, with the soft beats in the background. She was alluring and beautiful as she dazzled the audience with a blend of romance poetry which one of the audiences called “Anatomy of a Woman”.
As a medium of cultural, social, political and national discourse, poetry is a medium of communication that had hitherto spoken only to the learned and the schooled. Sometimes long and boring. The culture advocates Caucus has redefined the old school poems read in classroom or to a listening, boorish audience to a more lively, open and gay atmosphere with beats and a blend of dance and music.
They have so to speak brought poetry to the “market place” of our daily lives. And because there is an element of poetry in our personal and national lives, the Word Slam series has indeed brought poetry to the public domain to be appreciated by all. For every day our lives is a mixture poetic beats that derives from our very existence. It is in this mode that the poems of the day spoke of the struggles of our lives and our inadequacies as a nation.
The show also featured the drum poet of Wale Laoye, the scion of the legendary traditional drummer, the late Oba Laoye, Timi of Ede who created the BBC tune of the sixties. The Open Mic and Mind session feature poets like Ajankoro from Ife who also used the Yoruba Language to deepen the poetic element of pun. The evening of poems was also enriched by the acts of Wale Laoye, Segun Ola, and Lanre Ari-Ajia who brought life into an already excited audience.
Footprints, a group of young dancers curated by Segun Adefila of the Crown Troupe added colours to the event. The maverick Dede Mabiaku, the Fela Anikulapo Protégé sang one of Fela’s old songs. As a feast of poetic chants and performance, Word Slam 2 did not disappoint and one cannot remember when last the Samarkand tree witnessed a rebirth of what gave the tree its name in the first place.
As Word Slam 2 got under way and the poetic performances reached a feverish point, my attention was caught by the swaying branches of the Samarkand tree which moved in gentle rhythm as it swayed in the evening breeze. For a moment, the swaying was in tune to the rhythm of the poetic beats and chants below. So just like the humans gathered under it, the historical tree seemed captivated by the performances of the young poets in performance under its relaxing presence. These young poets are fast becoming the face and future of an emerging genre of the spoken word. And for the Word Slam series and Culture Advocates Caucus, the organizers of the event, the poetic beat goes on.