Month Of Spoken Word & Poetry

Mutombo The Poet

Ghana is much criticized for having a limited focus when it comes to its major interests in Sports and Entertainment. For decades, Ghanaians and foreigners alike have wondered if football, music and movies are all Ghanaians care about. Our sources of entertainment have somehow limited itself to bars and clubs where music and alcoholic beverages seem to be very good friends.

If ‘’rap’’ is an acronym for “African Rhythmic Poetry”, then let me introduce you to the new river of entertainment flowing into the country. Poetry has existed for centuries owing to the brilliance of Aristotle, Shakespeare, to mention a few, but has failed to survive the craze of modernity. It is through this ancient form of art that a more contemporary art has emerged along with it.

Spoken Word is a form of poetry that introduces the fluency and lyrical potency of poetry with a more interactivity and exciting twist sometimes accompanied with music. This form of art exists very much in some European countries at Jazz Clubs and Comedy Clubs. This is nothing new to Africans or Ghanaians; it is just one of our forgotten cultural works.

Vincent The Revolutionary Poet

 There are a couple of societies working towards this, and that is really commendable. In Kumasi, Ebenezer Donkoh also known as NY DJ of Kapital Radio 97.1 FM has dubbed this month of August, “Poetry and Spoken Word Month” and will seek to promote this art in the Garden City on his drive time show “Homestretch Bumper To Bumper”.

Let us come together to promote a worthy course and broaden our entertainment industry. If you do not believe me, listen to Motumbo the Poet, who already has an album out called “Photosentences”, Chief Abdul Mumeen is a nationwide recognised poet, Vincent Krah the Revolutionary Poet who displayed his abilities on the “Sunrise Show” on TV3 quite recently concerning the President’s demise, and Quajo Manuel (myself), a student of the University of Ghana and you might just understand.