Terence Mukasa
It is sometimes difficult to express one’s feelings randomly to people but approaches such as poetry have created a platform or a leeway to vent on issues without being judged or criticised.
Fortune Kaseba (19) has taken it upon himself to create a platform for poetry enthusiasts to socialise and share their crafts, called Penspeak Poetry.
“Being exposed to poetry and ‘light -minded’ people has encouraged me to create space for the people (poet enthusiasts) to socialise and communicate their thoughts on life due to lack of platforms that share or showcase this type of craft,” said Kaseba.
The NUST student added that he wants to promote arts, culture and poetry in the country with a long-term vision of spreading poetry all around Namibia. Kaseba has so far hosted three events in Windhoek - two at Vinyls and one at Basement.
The latest show held at Vinyls, an eatery in the city centre was reminiscent of how poetry used to be done in the heydays.
Kaseba said: “The aim is always to create a safe space and bring people together who cannot express and share their views on life.” He further added that “through poetry, people can openly share their feelings and emotions, and thus giving them a sense of belonging.”
Panspeaks Poetry is a platform that has helped me express my emotions and perception of life to different types of people,” said Tapiwa Junior Jwashure.
Otherwise known as 44_times, the 21-year-old Jwashure pointed out that performing poetry in front of a large crowd can be hard at times, as one is nervous in the beginning, however, he becomes comfortable during the performance.
Another performer, Ndelitunga Shikongeni (22), stated that performing for a larger audience allows people to be aware of poetry and feelings people cannot express.
Poetry platforms continue to create a wide range of close interactions amongst spoken word enthusiasts through sharing ideas and expressing feelings in written literature. Visit penspeakspoetry.wixsite.com/penspeakspoetry-1 for more information
Hear me out... Fortune Kaseba reciting one of his poems at Vinyls.