BY BARNABAS BENEDICT
Poetry is stepping out of the pages of books and into the spotlight in Nigeria, with Abuja emerging as one of the places where spoken-word artists are using their voices to entertain, challenge and start conversations.
A microphone, a stage and a few carefully chosen words can turn a room from laughter to silence. For many performers, spoken word has become more than entertainment. It is a way to talk about family, identity, culture, injustice, gender, relationships and the everyday realities Nigerians face.
One of the recent voices drawing attention is Cameroonian performance poet and writer Che Joy
Her performance, which focused on divorce and its impact on African families, explored the emotional realities behind separation and family relationships. The performance earned her a unanimous decision from the judges to advance in the competition.
Her appearance reflects a broader change in how poetry is being presented and consumed.
For poets, the microphone has become a tool for telling stories that are sometimes difficult to discuss in ordinary conversations. Instead of simply reading poems, performers are using voice, emotion and movement to make audiences feel the issues behind their words.
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Poetry Meets Advocacy
Organisations are also creating spaces for poets to develop their craft and address social issues.
The Splendors of Dawn Poetry Foundation, for example, runs poetry and short-story competitions and promotes poetry as a vehicle for cultural expression and positive change. Its programmes have featured themes including justice, corruption, culture and social responsibility. Social media has further changed the game.
A performance that once reached only an audience in a hall can now be recorded on a smartphone and shared with thousands of people. For young poets, platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and other digital spaces have effectively created another stage.
And that may be one of spoken word’s greatest strengths: its ability to make people feel before asking them to think.
A statistic can show the scale of a problem. A news report can explain what happened. A poet can put a human face on the experience.
That is what makes spoken word increasingly relevant to Nigeria’s creative and public space.
A poem can question a tradition, challenge an assumption, preserve culture, speak against injustice or simply give someone the courage to tell a story they have struggled to express.
For Abuja’s growing community of poets, applause is no longer the only measure of success.
The bigger achievement may be leaving an audience with a question they cannot easily forget.
Poetry is no longer only something Nigerians read. Increasingly, it is something they hear, feel and use to start difficult conversations.
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