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Showing posts from January, 2018

The Child right is always Right

The title here starts with a bit of pun..."The Child’s Right is always Right" and moves to Rhetorical questions.  Let our eyes feast on Mazzy's piece. They said a child has no right, But let me ask without the act of supporting their rights? Would you love to be treated like this, Making you to reject that sweet motherly kiss? They said they need to be corrected And the only option leaves them molested. Wait! Check your actions with sincere emotion. Is your action worthy of any celebration? They said the child may not be right, But she has her own right. The beauty of every child is good Punishment should not deprive them good food. A child is golden as her own right The child’s right is alway right Maxwell Onyemaechi Opia-Enwemuche is an enigmatic poet, a master story teller, and a novelist who loves adventure, culture, and upholds God. His poem, the gods are Angry was listed in the anthology, Footmarks: Poems on One Hundred Years of Nigeria’s Na

Beating the Drums of Poetry at Festival Poetry Calabar 2017

Festival poetry Calabar 2017 held on the 21st through the 23rd of December. The annual festival was indeed an august celebration which hosted a rain of young poetry lovers across the nation with the theme, Drums of poetry: Echoes and Prospect. The festival was housed by James Ene Henshaw Foundation, a renown theatre hub in the city of Calabar. Poets who had arrived from all over the country were ushered into the poetry gallery by Sir Eriata Oribhabor, Chairman of the Festival Poetry Foundation and initiator, Poets in Nigeria. To keep nimble the educative minds of participants, an entertainment package was organized as break from the lecture which saw a tour to Marina Resort's slave history museum The tour was not just a package for entertainment but education also. Friday the 22nd of December had an affirmation to hedonism where the participant's return from the tour was welcomed with a stage play performed by James Henshaw Foundation. This performance duly titled "Th

PoEtRy CaReS...

Did you know that one in five people will suffer a mental health issues at some point in life? It could be severe anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, mood disorder, personality disorder and others. That means some of our friends and family including, might be struggling with one right now. We are pleased to announce that our Chief Curator at Sprinklestoriez has joined the Young African Leaders Initiative Cares(Yalicares) team in raising awareness about Mental health issues in our life and community using poetry as a wheel for awareness and advocacy here at Sprinklestoriez. At Sprinklestoriez , We believe Poetry is therapeutic and medicine for the soul. We use Poetry to talk about issues that effect our life and community and one of those issues is Mental health.  Here, verses and stanzas will help give voice to situations that touch the heart and heal the soul. Do keep a date with Sprinklestoriez in conversation and advocacy for Proper Mental health ca

Raped Boys (Who dares say)

 It is thought that males, even younger males, cannot be victims of rape, nor even that they are vulnerable. In some societies, it is considered shameful and unmanly if a male child cries, because the male stereotype depicts males as being able to protect themselves, which may not always be the case . Chris Fridae , punctures this silence... Of our many mayhems Our early nights were unfavourite: Those nights knew more darkness It's gloom made us today's lost boys By dawn, We couldn't sketch stars We feasted on tales of the burn fires in the cosmo And at dusk we moaned in our little boyish voices But who dares say Edo maidens wear no shame They made tools of our pillars Foes. Hoes. Holes. Our tongues met Lot's wife Too young for pleasure merely baked yet burnt For true boys chase fire flies They say fire hides in its butt They say it glows better with night's darkness But who dares say What we found in the butt of fire flies that chased us

THE PROMISE

We hear the sound like the gushing of water falls: Oh! Marriage is tough!  I just can't keep the vow!  Here's what Ukpon has to say about marriage and the vow in fifteen ripe lines. You loved me because I am young, elegant and strong. You cherish my youth, which blossoms like a flowering plant. And you vowed to be with me till the end of time. But time will come when the teeth, that once were white, Will be encrusted with green and yellow muck, And will drop off leaving the mouth wholly putrid with smell. But don't forget you once kissed those lips. Time will come when the radiance on my face will fade away, And my charming smiles, become strange or full of contours. These plumpy cheeks will sag. Time will come when the seasons mock at me as I lean on sticks, Galloping because these feet nimble no more. Time will come when the sweet fragrance of youth fades away, And the putrescent of aged stinks. Remember your promise! by Ukpon Ntinse Photo credit- Ch

Feel the rust on your mind and Wake up!

Hear what Noble Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has to say to us. Awolowo was 37 years, Akintola 36, Ahmadu Bello 36, Balewa 34, Okotie Eboh 27 and Enahoro 27 and they led the struggle for Nigeria Independence after the death of Macaulay, only Zik was 42 at the time. In 1966, the first military coup was led by K. Nzeogwu who was 29 years and countered by M. Mohammed 28, T. Danjuma 28, I. Babangida 25, J. Garba 23, Sani Abacha 23, and M. Yar'adua 23, and brought into power Y. Gowon 32, Ojukwu 33, Obasanjo 29, and Buhari 24. Most of the military Governors who governed the states under the successive military regimes were under 30 years. Also, the brief democratic dispensation which interjected the military interregnums also saw some Senators and members of the House of Representatives, in particular, populated by persons under 30! Under 30's were also not in short supply with appointments - we have examples of MT Mbu who became Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister at 2

Ada

Don't marry Yoruba men, they're demons, don't marry Hausa men, they're Suicide bombers, Don't marry an Igbo Men, they're ritualists These statements and more are the different ways tribalism shows it's ugly head and this is one of the problems plaguing our Country. Listen to what the amiable Poet LordJacobz has to say to Ada in his epistle. My favourite line remains " we will build a bridge that connects Amala and Ogbono soup" I think love don't really care? What do you think? Ada Out in the middle of the orisun that connects the roaring rivers of Oduduwa, Oranmiyan and Obatala Have I laid the ebo of my head as a sacrifice of cleansing They say the sacrilege is grave Ada Like you, I called the communion of ogun -the iron god Sango-the thunder god and Esu -devil As witnesses to my madness of love for you As I unwrapped our throbbing hearts like Asaro from Erelu's pot Ada I told them of the strong force that glues

Are you in Calabar? Then you should attend! Calabar Literary Society's January Reading

Come engage in thought provoking discussions around literature and humanity, while being serenaded with amazing poetry and well crafted prose, music, storytelling, fun and laughter.

Eko o ni baje o

Headset on, side window seat Here I come, Like a new bride, You unveil me Tired legs from paradise city, Basking in your excellence Unplanned adventure, Plugged in grace Luxury and beauty grovel beneath my skirt Of Alkebulan and festivity... Of love and family unknown Oh! How my lips yearn to slap at your splendour To roll lumps of tin-tales of your stairs across deep And stories stretching hands of light to the cloud But my pen, poetry has shortened. Dear Lagos, I miss you! Eko, will not spoil... /Veralyn Chinenye/ Photo Credit -Eriata Oribhabor

NIGERIAN STUDENTS' POETRY PRIZE

INTRODUCTION Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) is an initiative of Poets in Nigeria (PIN) designed to stimulate creativity, promote literary excellence and broaden the concept of intellectualism among Nigerian undergraduates. Since inception in 2016 at the Students’ Union Building, University of Ibadan, the prize has received over 1000 entries from students drawn from over 100 tertiary institutions, cementing its place as the nation’s foremost poetry platform for students. The 3rd edition of the prize opens for submissions from 15th January to 28th February, 2018. Building on the success of the 2017 edition of the awards ceremony hosted by University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC), winners of the 2018 edition will be awarded in May at Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu. Previous winners of the prize include Noah Oladele (Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), Chinelo Nwangwu (University of Ibadan) and Chisom Okafor (University of Nigeria, Nsukka) in 2016; Bakre Fadil Adedamola

Love Don't Care

At this point eyes met At this joint souls merged

DECEMBER

With December came anxiety and the death of forever and the rise of the ghosts of pains past, present and future. With December came an awakening that I was killing myself to keep the thing that was killing me alive. With December came a realization of the fact that love is not enough and hearts should stick to pumping blood. With December came emotions that told me I could not just keep running through life with these motions that broke me.  I had to break free and break what was breaking me. In December, I felt, I cried, I prayed, I broke, I fixed, I ached, I became. In December, the chickens came home to roost and they weren’t as great as I thought they would be, but I was grateful for their homecoming anyway. In December, I learned that even the most majestic bird can still run into a window and In December, I learnt you were the window I kept running into and I had to stop because I needed a break, to breathe from the endless aching of my head banging against your win