SPOKEN WAVES (ISSUE 5)
UCHE UWADINACHI
- Can we meet you?
I’m one of those happy wordsmiths on stage called spoken word poet, officially known as Uche Uwadinachi. I am proudly Nigerian from the lovely state of Imo, precisely Obowu. I’m still grooving in my thirties, and enjoying my beard, with a baby face to massage any economic recession. I can be shy off stage but well-disciplined in camera. I was raised in Lagos based on Christian principles by the most caring parents. I’m a Broadcaster and spend most of my time in the radio station where I work –Metro fm. Photography is my part-time career which I’ve been practising professionally for a while now.
- Why Spoken Word?
Hmmmm, this is the same question my girlfriend asked me when I showed her a spoken word business card instead of a credit card when she wanted to go for shopping. Well, I am with spoken word because it has helped me a great deal. It has given birth to other dreams I had and equally sustained me till date. The Spoken word has made me more passionate and realistic with life and everything I get involved in, either as a job, relationship, issues or anything else. Spoken word for me, is a bible of common sense dialectic; teachings of what it takes to be a conscious human relevant to your immediate society and world at large. It has helped me find love and respect for people. I chose the spoken word genre because it is more fluid, active, accommodating and engaging for me than other genres. I can sing, act, rap, jump, write or just whisper it all to you and you will like it.
And lastly, it keeps me hungry for ideas, information and creativity to be unique.
- What do you intend to achieve with Spoken word?
I want to have a voice. I want to be able to share my story and that of many who can’t speak. I want to speak to encourage others to speak too, especially in a world strangled by archaic traditions and disillusioned leaders drunk with power. The spoken word gives that energy to break loose from self-illusions and hatred. The spoken word has also become my therapy to heal fast from pain thus giving me that fulfilment within.
I hope to help promote the genre of the spoken word here in this part of the word in such a way that it will be respected for its form and not for its shortcomings at birth or by the standard of other genre .
I hope to use the spoken word medium to tell people that they should endeavor to do the spoken word with the knowledge of poetry and also that you don’t need to sound ‘poetry’ to perform a spoken word poem.
Uche Uwadinachi is a performance poet and the author of a poetry collection entitled “SCAR in the HEART of pain”. He was the 1st Prize winner of ANA Lagos Poetry Performance Festival (LASPOFEST)Prize 2006, 2nd Prize Poetry Winner of Ken Saro-Wiwa Contest USA 2010, 2nd runner-up in the National Poetry Slam Competition 2012 , 3rd prize winner for Poetry at the FNL POETRY Competition 2012 and Top Poetry Winner (March) of the African Street Writer 2013. Uche made the SECOND spot in the EGC AWARD “TOP 50 Contemporary Poets that Rocked Nigeria in Year 2013″ and got the Spoken Word Poet of the Year 2015 at the Nigerian Writer’s Award 2016.
He has performed poetry in top Radio music show “FYNE 1.0” in Lagos 2015 , comedy show “Standing Ovation with Odogwu” 2015/2016, the Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014 Event in River state and in Ogun state at Wole Soyinka’s Birthday in 2014. He was Judge, Teenage Festival of Life(Poetry) 2013/2014 and Green Author Prize 2016. Uche works with Metro FM Lagos and blogs on www.priestofpoetry.blogspot.com.
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IYANU ADEBIYI
- Can we meet you?
My name is Iyanu Adebiyi, which means miracle, wonder or surprise. I am a native of Ogun state and a hardened patriot of Nigeria. I am also a graduate of Law from the University of Abuja.
- Why Spoken Word?
I believe in the power of the spoken word and its ability to heal or wound. For me it’s an instrument through which you reach out to people. Apart from that, I started spoken word because I wanted to embody the things I was writing. I wanted them to sink in and heal me first.
What do you intend to achieve with Spoken word?
It’s pretty much the same thing that I want to achieve with my entire life and that’s to strengthen the tired, heal the broken, encourage those swimming in anguish and lift them up. I want to speak life to dead things and watch them resurrect. I giggle at that thought every time I think it.
Iyanu Adebiyi is a 23-year-old poet and writer. She is known for her short poems and stories on social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, before she started posting Spoken word videos on YouTube.
Iyanu hails from Ogun state, a graduate of Law from the University of Abuja and has lived most of her life in the city of Abuja. She is currently working on more Spoken word videos and setting up a blog. She has two Spoken word poems out right now titled, ‘Up Nepa’ and ‘Identity’.