Few weeks back, Hinmikaiye Faith won the 3rd edition of PIN Punchy Poetry. Here, she talks to Semilore Kilaso on participating and winning the contest, her journey as a poet and the importance of poetry.
Hinmikaiye Faith is a medic in training, a spoken word artist, writer and content creator. She is a mental health advocate and is passionate about being a voice of the voiceless for her present generation. She loves to read, learn new things and travel the world. She enjoys going to the beach as it helps her reflect, think and keep her mind refreshed.
1. Congratulations on winning PIN Punchy Poetry Prize 2020. Can we please meet you?
Thank you very much. I am Hinmikaiye Faith, a medic in training, spoken word artist, writer and content creator. I am a mental health advocate who is passionate about being a voice of the voiceless for my present generation. I also love to read, learn new things and travel the world.
2. How did you learn of the contest and what prompted you to enter?
A friend reached out to me and encouraged me to enter for the competition. I was free at that time, as it was the lockdown period. Moreover, I love taking up challenges which I believe will help sharpen my speaking skills.
3. If you are asked to hazard why your piece won, what would you say?
Well, I for one knew that it was really punchy and what was asked for was punchy poetry(winks), but most importantly the message I tried to pass across was the key thing for me.
4. How long did it take to write and perform the winning piece?
Well, I wrote the piece in a day, but it took about two to three days to edit and complete the piece. Then I performed it about a week later
5. What does it mean adjudging a piece as punchy poetry?
Poetry that hits the nail on the head, giving you goose bumps all the way and keeps you rooted in your seats till every word strikes a chord in your heart and you are left with sounds in your ears that keep reverberating. (Laughs) I hope I didn’t sound too poetic, describing punchy poetry.
6. Do you agree that competitions are important and healthy in the creative space?
Yes, I completely agree.
7. Other than the PIN Punchy Poetry Prize 2020, have you ever entered for any poetry contest organised by Poets in Nigeria Initiative or other platforms?
Yes, I have.
8. Can you vividly recall the title of the first poem you wrote? Tell us about it and how you landed into poetry.
Not too sure if it was the first but I’m sure it was one of the first. It is titled…”The Love Of A Mother”. I wrote the poem for my mum. Looking back, I see how simple the poem was because I was quite young. It spoke of a mother’s sacrifice, the pain and joy she goes through for her child. How much of a gem she is and how selfless her love is.
Starting from my secondary school days I started writing diaries and I always had one for every year. I would write about my day and events that happened in my life. After a while I just switched to writing about people and stuffs that were not related to me and from there poetry was born.
9. As poets, some of us tend to look at stylistics. How would you describe poetry in relation to your style?
Interestingly, I see myself as more of a prose writer and story teller than a poet because I love flexibility and poetry has some silent rules one has to follow. In relation to my style I’ll say I am more of a narrative poet and I believe that poetry creates stories and open people’s eyes to see beneath the surface. I love creativity, so I don’t necessarily streamline my poetry to a particular style all the time.
10. How do conclude that you are writing a poem and how do you develop from a word into lines?
By using rhymes, meter structure and words that’ll project the message I want to pass across to my readers. Once I know what I want to talk about, all I do is link up the words, relating them together and before I know it my blank pages are filled with ink.
11. What Nigerian poet or poets do you love to read?
To tell the truth I read more of foreign poets than Nigerian poets. But Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s is a stand out for me.
12. What in your opinion is the place of poetry as a genre of literature in our Nigeria? What future? What opportunities for Poets?
The place of poetry as a genre of literature in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized, so far it has been used as a tool to help pass across information which educates the masses and share the beauty of art through poetry. The future of poets in this country is bright and I believe that with continuous, consistent push we will get the accolades we all deserve. There are budding opportunities for poets that we all have to look out for, no matter how big or little the opportunity might be. (For example, this contest on Punchy Poetry, and many other platforms that carry out contests). With time, little by little we all will get recognised both locally and internationally.
13. What’s your opinion about Poets in Nigeria as a vanguard of poetry renaissance in our country?
Personally, I see Poets in Nigeria as an open doorway to massive development and advancement in the poetic field. So far, I believe that it has been a platform that gives a headway, changing the status quo, creating opportunities for those whose work needs to be put out there and also being supportive in applauding great talents.
14. Thank you for your time. Please leave us with few lines of a poem you have written. (max 10 lines).
You’re welcome, thanks for having me.
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Tell me about the little things
The beauty of being alive
The sunsets and sunrise
The sad tears and happy smiles
The warm embrace and cold good-byes.
Tell me about the little things
The air we all can breathe
The songs some of us cannot sing
The sounds some of us cannot hear
The things some of us cannot see