 |
| From Left Sabra Ali Amran and Ngollo Mlengeya as captured at the launch of SAWTI's 'Natoka Kurudi in ZNZ. |
The venue
with its thick wistful walls, made of coral stone going back centuries lulled
our ascent via steep steps, onto a big terrace overlooking the port of Old
Stone Town in Zanzibar. This during the sunset hour inside the DCMA-Zanzibar
Dhow Music Academy residence; the sun’s halo gave a lush ambience. Which soon
pulled a humble crowd in the adjoining room to an occasion served open to the
public in Zanzibar.
On this
evening of the 15th of Feb 2020, we were there to witness the launch
of a Zine (a small circulation work published independently), the first of its
kind from SAWTI. A project supported by the ‘British Council’s East Africa
Arts’ Program since last year. The Zine was launched in London last week and
this week it was launched in Sudan.
“This is
bigger than I expected one of my colleagues in the project from the British
Council thought so too, when he saw a copy of the Zine he said ‘This is a book,
this is a whole book!’”Sumia Jaama project founder and director of SAWTI,
shares her excitement at the launch of the Zine titled ‘I come from returning’/
‘Natoka Kurudi’ with another title in
Arabic meaning the same thing.
It was the way she spoke with animated eyes when she talked of her art, a commitment to her craft glued to the words leaving her pursed lips. “I felt very pleased to be shortlisted in this competition, the poetry I submitted for the same. Took three topics, in the first one I delved into old Taarab music, music that was soothing to the soul.
 |
| Sabra Ali Amran reading her poetry at the launch of SAWTI's debut Zine-I come from Returning in ZNZ, Tanzania |
My second poem
took the scene of ‘barazani’ in
Zanzibar, I think this spells home for many of us in East Africa. The man who
sells ‘kahawa na kashata’, the
healthy arguments/discussions, the ‘bao’
board games at the veranda. My last poem looks at our values. In it I reminisce
of the holy month of Ramadan, how in our customs past we easily invited passersby’s to the veranda to break-fast with us, instead of letting them walk
all the way home for the same.” Sabra Ali Amran 56, animatedly shares with us
of her work some of which is found in this SAWTI debut Zine-I come from
Returning.
SAWTI last
year held a poetry competition inviting entries in Kiswahili, Arabic and
English from applicants all over East Africa as well East Africans living in
the Diaspora. Sabra was among the top three winners in the Kiswahili poetry
prize. She is a self published author of two books Tabasamu la Huba and Sikitiko,
she is as well an actress who has appeared in these films Kisasi cha Utata, Eda,
Ramadhani Kareem and Boxera na
Kaundime.
On this
night Sabra was among the guests of honour, she recited some of her poetry with
her whole family there to support her. Including her husband and her two grown
kids Nadya and Nawaal, the woman though in her fifties is a bundle of energy a
true testament that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
Another
guest of honour for the evening was Ngollo Mlengeya 30, in the SAWTI poetry
prize 2019 she was the winner for the Kiswahili prize taking home 500 GBP. A
quiet soul, wife and mother of two, she is an administrator by day with a
Bachelor degree in Business Administration. Her passion for poetry was nurtured
when she met a group of like minded poets in Dar es Salaam, this inside Soma
Book Café; the group is called WAKA poets TZ.
Ngollo as well for the night took to the front
of the room and shared her poems. This one took the audience on a joy ride as
cheers were heard mid stream. “Neno
kiganjani likatulizwa, mashushu wakalidaka na kulinasa| Neno kwenye gazeti
likatwaa na likauza balaa | Neno tulia tuli humtoa nyoka pangoni | Si kwa nguvu
wala shwari, mwenyewe hukongwa moyoni…’Mbwa we’| Ka we mama, si umempata mwenyewe
| Neno kali kumtamkia badala ya tabia kumfunzia |Nini kumtabiria mtoto shela
jeusi kumfunikia.” As Ngollo recited this poem she did it justice as she performed it in tone and gestures. Ngollo when quizzed on her winning poem ‘Bahari’ which is published in this Zine.
‘Sauti ya utulivu ikanijia |Tulia, achilia, tulia achilia...|Naachilia majonzi ndani ya moyo wangu|Naachilia watu niliowafunga kifuani kwangu|Naachilia mitazamo ya akili yangu |Naachilia matarajio yangu| Natulia, Naachilia’ –The poem ‘Bahari’, Ngollo explains began as her love letter to the sea but soon turned into an introspective journey into the lesson of surrender.
SAWTI’s
debut Zine shares works of various other talented poets, animators,
photographers, writers, all from East Africa. Including our own legendary poet
the late Haji Gora his poem ‘Moto wa Dunia’ can be found in this Zine. It was important for the team behind
the SAWTI project to honour the languages spoken widely in East Africa, hence
the publication being in three languages with no translations of individual
works.
“Primarily for me it was important to a) work
around local languages and b) work with artists who are local to those
languages and have their work celebrated…I think it’s extremely important to
know, though it might be difficult to work across different languages. It’s only
barriers that we create for ourselves rather than blaming language, to be the
thing that cuts us off from understanding each other. I mean I don’t speak
Kiswahili but uhmn it was important for me to have those who do be part of the
launch.” Sumia Jaama, SAWTI director affirms, she is a native Somalian who was
raised in Europe and now works in England.
This
publication ‘Natoka Kurudi’ can be found on SAWTI’s website sawti.co.uk a website that was designed by
Tanzanians. Having gone through the book and witnessed the process that
selected the winners for its poetry prize last year. Which included workshops
offered to the applicants that were held in Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam as well
London and Khartoum.
I can vouch that the project has placed an important record in our history.
With a theme that is unifying as taken from the Zine’s introductory note
“Focusing less on the typical and complex question of ‘Where are you from ‘to
‘Who /What do you return to?’…memory transcended through references of a familiar
sound or smell. Be it Haboaba’s voice, or the renowned chips mayai, or a sea horn signaling a ship approaching, or the
adhan, or a gang of them simultaneously…”
No comments:
Post a Comment