Best "new" African poets 2015 anthology = : Antologie des meilleures "nouveaux" poetes Africains 2015 = Antologia dos melhores "novos" poetas africanos 2015

386 Pages·2016·3.23 MB·English

by  Tendai R Mwanaka & Daniel da Purifacação (eds.)

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Best “New” African Poets
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5 “ 2015 ANTHOLOGY:
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Consisting of 214 poems, 79 poets, from over 23 African countries W
N Anthologie Des Meilleures “Nouveaux” Poètes Africains 2015
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and the Diasporas, BEST NEW AFRICAN POETS 2015 ANTHOLOGY:
T A Antologia Dos Melhores “Novos” Poetas Africanos 2015
Poetry Progeria, contains poems that deal with a panoply of issues, F
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feelings, thoughts, ideas, beliefs…, on identity, Africanness (Blackness,
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C Edited by: Tendai R Mwanaka & Daniel da Purifacação
Whiteness, Arabic, Asian…), culture, heritage, place, politics, (mis) L A
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governance, corruption, exile, loss, memory, spirituality, sex, gender, O

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love, the individual and many others. It travels from Cape to Cairo,
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Monrovia to Nairobi, rooms in the beautiful Moroccan Sahara desert, E
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pastoral idyllic Savannas, the rainy equatorial rainforests and then flies S

into the Diasporas as each poet speaks his/her own story of the Africa
that she/he knows, dreams and envisions with protective pride and
resolute dedication.
TENDAI RINOS MWANAKA is a multi-disciplinary artist from Chitungwiza,
Zimbabwe. He works with essays, nonfictions, fictions, poetry, plays, music,
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sound art, drawings, photography, painting, video, collage, mixed medias, D dit
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inter-genres and inter-disciplines. n d
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DANIEL DA PURIFICAÇÃO is a citizen of the world. He loves to talk, love, read, ae
think and write without relent. He is a professor and freelance journalist. His Pnd
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interests are broad range, including society, philosophy, politics, education rifai R
and democracy. He has authored two poetry collections (THE ANGOPOEMS et c M
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INTERMITENCIAS) which he hopes to publish posthumously. çw
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Langaa Research & Publishing
Common Initiative Group
P.O. Box 902 Mankon
Bamenda
North West Region
Cameroon
Best “New” African Poets
2015 Anthology
Anthologie Des Meilleures
“Nouveaux” Poètes Africains 2015
Antologia Dos Melhores “Novos”
Poetas Africanos 2015

Edited byTendai R Mwanaka
&
Daniel da Purifacação

Langaa Research & Publishing CIG
Mankon, Bamenda
PPublisher:
Langaa RPCIG
Langaa Research & Publishing Common Initiative Group
P.O. Box 902 Mankon
Bamenda
North West Region
Cameroon
[email protected]
www.langaa-rpcig.net

Distributed in and outside N. America by African Books Collective
[email protected]
www.africanbookcollective.com

ISBN: 9956-763-48-9

© Tendai R Mwanaka & Daniel da Purifacação2015

All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording,
or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without written
permission from the publisher

DISCLAIMER
All views expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the views of Langaa RPCIG.
About The Editors

Tendai Rinos Mwanaka is a multi-disciplinary artist who
lives in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. Contracted books coming out
in 2015 include, Zimbabwe: The Urgency of Now (creative nonfiction),
Finding a Way Home (stories novel), Revolution (poems), Democracy,
Good Governance, and Development in Africa (scholarly essays, co-editor).
Other books published, Keys in the River (stories novel), Voices from
Exile (poetry), Zimbabwe: The Blame Game (creative nonfiction). He is
also a visual artist (photography, painting, drawing, collage,
video.), sound/musical artist, mentor, translator, scholar,
theorist, reviewer, editor, critic... Work has been published in
over 300 journals in over 27 countries, translated into French,
Germany and Spanish.

Daniel da Purificação, was born in 1983 in some place called
Angola. Has a Bachelor diplome and Masters Degree. He likes
to speak and read, is always thinking and writing all the time.
Since 2002 he has lived out of the place where he was born. He
is a Honour invited at Hispanamerican Writers summit
HORAS DE JUNIO that happens every year in Sonora
(México). He also works as a journalist on rádio and a
freelancer, teacher at university, is a public policy consultant...
He is also a recommended facilitator and he talks about society,
philosophy, politics, education, democracy... He has two
collections of poems (THE ANGOPOEMS and
INTERMITENCIAS) that he hopes will be postdeath
publications... Now he lives between México and Angola.

Table of Contents/Table des Matières/Tabela de
Conteúdos

Introduction………………………………………………... xvii

1. Lekpele M. Nyamalon:
Dig the Graves……………………………………….. 1
I will never sell you again my brother …………………….. 2
Inside Timbuktu………………………………………. 3

2. Archie Swanson:
Non…………………………………………………. 5
Suleiman…………………………………………….. 6
In Memoriam…………………………………………. 8

3. Idara Idemeko:
Black water…………………………………………... 9
Filing cabinets and smoked peppers……………………… 10
Asymptote…………………………………………… 11

4. Brok’N Sylance:
Poem 1: A promise ……………………………………13
Poem 2 ……………………………………………… 14
Poem 3: I am African ………………………………… 15

5. Uche Ogbuji:
March as a Lion……………………………………… 17
Rheotype ……………………………………………. 19
Millennium Parent Prayer……………………………… 21

6. Ohioleh Osadebey:
I have learned to boast like my father…………………….. 23
The thing I would love to tell my father…………………… 25

7. Mike Kantey:
v
A vision of Peace……………………………………… 27
Relegation …………………………………………… 29
Night flight to Nairobi………………………………… 30

8. Fayssal Chafaki:
A Faithful Servant O’ Him……………………………. 31
Upon the Forgotten Rock…………………………......... 32
No Wise Man………………………………………… 33

9. Shittu Fowora:
Nouadhibou to Nouakchott…………………………….. 35
Tell ………………………………………………… 37
Renascence …………………………………………… 39

10. Aaron Brown:
N’Djamena Morning………………………………....... 41
Song of the Workers…………………………………… 43
Twin………………………………………………... 45

11. Handson Chikowore:
Cry African Girl……………………………………… 47
When Persecution is a Priority………………………….. 48
Beauty of Botswana……………………………………. 49

12. Hailey Gaunt:
Thamalakane River, Botswana……………………… 51
Water Fight…………………………………………. 53
The Beginning……………………………………… 54

13. Christina Coates:
Mapungwape …………………………………………. 55
House of Kolmanskop………………………………… 56
Heritage Site………………………………………….. 57

14. Chuma Mmeka:
A People’s Culture……………………………………. 59
My Ekpe Dance……………………………………… 61
Once upon a Christmas Day…………………………… 63
vi
15. Akinlade Oluwaseyifunmi:
Jericho……………………………………………….. 65
That Kid…………………………………………….. 67
Odd Love…………………………………………….. 68

16. Osita Kabba:
Ancestors Arrows……………………………………... 69
Poetry Progeria………………………………………. 70
The Realm of the Man with Broken Wings………………. 71

17. Zarina Macha:
Electra and Intrama…………………………………… 73
Angel Face…………………………………………… 74
I Cannot Sleep……………………………………….. 75

18. Freddy Macha:
Nothing is Clearer Now……………………………….. 77
Rumbling Fires……………………………………….. 79
Time is the Enemy…………………………………….. 81

19. Tendai Rinos Mwanaka:
Body………………………………………………… 83
To the Textmaker who Leaves Nothing to Chance………… 84
The Guilty Trip………………………………………. 85

20. Afua Wilcox:
Garri and Tea………………………………………… 87

21. Kariuki wa Nyamu:
Love’s art and Love-craft……………………………… 89
The Extraordinary Love Poem………………………… 91
Palaver……………………………………………… 93

22. Daniel Chukwuemeka:
On the Mercy of the Knots……………………………….95
Your Love……………………………………………. 96
In my Country……………………………………….. 97
vii
23. Troydon Wainwright:
Be there………………………………………………. 99
Ideals……………………………………………….. 100
It Only Took a Moment……………………………….. 101

24. Togara Muzanenhamo:
The Wheel Brace………………………………………. 103
Portrait of a Water Trough……………………………... 104
Zvita………………………………………………… 105

25. John Eppel:
Coming Home to Tea………………………………….. 107
Giving……………………………………………….. 109
The Coming of the Rains………………………………. 110

26. Erica Haldane:
Change………………………………………………. 111
The Futility of Malevolence…………………………….. 112

27. Sheril Guzha:
Why…………………………………………………. 113
Poverty ……………………………………………… 115
Love………………………………………………… 117

28. Chaun Ballard:
Spoiler Alert: Ebola………………………………….. 119
Chrysaora achlyos…………………………………….. 121
Dream Catcher……………………………………….. 122

29. Abbyan Ali:
Night Skies…………………………………………... 125

30. Fiona Mohammed Khan:
The Leaf Would not Fall……………………………… 127

viii
31. John Attah Ojonugwa:
I Have Been Watching You…………………………….. 129

32. Badradeen Mohammed:
Your eyes…………………………………………….. 131
Arguments…………………………………………… 133

33. Achieng’ Em:
Balancing on Oddity…………………………………… 135
Shadows Around Me…………………………………. 137
The Life you Thought you Could Understand…………….. 139

34. Hosea Tokwe:
Eyes Bound to Heaven…………………………………. 141
My Diaspora…………………………………………. 142
The Sun Shines Yet……………………………………. 143

35. Tete Burugu:
Don’t Know How I Made It…………………………… 145
Cunning Linguist……………………………………… 147
Eff What I Want……………………………………... 149

36. Taijhet Nyobi:
Bold Fade……………………………………………. 151
White Lover………………………………………….. 153

37. deziree a. brown:
when innocence dies ……………………………………. 155
what jackie’s body told …………………………………. 156
what the earth gave me………………………………….. 157

38. Sónia Sousa Robalo:
Mulher- menina……………………………………….. 159
Forma de ser …………………………………………. 161
Nós………………………………………………….. 162

39. Sábio Louco:
Tenho Guardado uns Poemas…………………………… 163
ix