it is a materialistic…hedonistic world that we live in

where you are deemed cool by the money in your wallet

by the clothes you wear and the places you hang out

by the company you keep..by the neighborhood you live in

you try REAL hard putting up appearances…you live your life FAKE

maintaining an expensive lifestyle…trying to keep up with the Jones’

constantly in rent arrears..lacking bus fare…can’t pay the bills

but must be seen on the party scene…doing anything to fit in

dancing…not because you enjoy the music

but really out of the need to be seen

passing judgment on others yet you got your own flaws

with your many imperfections you think you are the epitome of perfection

you are not the sun…the world doesn’t revolve around you

you see..unlike the sun you do not radiate warmth and light

you are cold and dark to those you say are not in your class

you’ve got class…acting class..where they teach you how to fake it

to put up appearances..be pretentious…insincere…dishonest

take a long hard look at yourself…look at what you’ve become

manipulative…cold hearted…self centered

maybe if you humbled yourself…swallowed your pride

and got rid of your air of self importance and arrogance

got to see the world through the eyes of others

you would really say how you feel…

you would be open about your situation

you wouldn’t go through the motions

you wouldn’t be a REAL FAKE..

Liquideep is made of singer songwriter and producer Jonathan ‘Ziyon’ Christian and producer DJ Thabo ‘Ryzor’ Shokgolo.
Check them out on their site: www.liquideep.com

How would you describe your poetry?

My poetry is contemporary,it is life,it is music, a story that is always waiting to be told in words,rhythms and words in silence

You also make use of the traditional Kisii instrument Obokano, how did you come about it?

Yes, I do.I learnt at the age of ten at a relatives home and it became my obsession after.and now i use it to do folk music and poetry to……….

In what way has it enhanced your performance?

It has given the performances the variety and a kind of uniqueness that is only true to GRAND masese.i call it GRAND cONTRADICTION.it brings the whole art in poetry and covers a cross section of the audience as well.

What’s your creative process like?

It involves listening to my inner self,observing my surrounding,listening to people and discussing hence I get the whole picture,then i put it down when am alone in the poetic world.then i think of the best way to present it and to who,why,etc

Which poets do you look up to?

I like Okot p’ Bitek and great East African poets from the 60s,American contemporary poets,Tony Mochama,Ukoo Flani Mau Mau poets,Rumi,Shaaban Bin Roberts and many more

Where have you performed and what has been the reception so far?

I have performed in Nairobi in Kwani? and Wapi since they started,from 2005,Italian Institut,Goethe Institut, KNT, Molo, Kisumu, Kisii.Internationally I have performed in Ghana and the UK.The reception has been great and overwhelming.I have been humbled by the occassional standing ovations and also criticism here and there.

What do you hope to achieve through poetry? Who do you hope to influence?

I hope to help make poetry become a notable literary voice in East Afrika so that it is not overlooked.It has to engage and reward the poets as other forms of art.i hope to advocate for more poetry publications.hope to publish my poetry volumes in Kisii,Kiswahili,Sheng and English.I want to influence everybody who can read and write or listen to poetry.

What do you think is the future of poetry in Kenya and Africa?

There is a great future for poetry in kenya but I think the rest of Africa is ahead.The problem with Kenya is that people havent known what is poetry and what is not.not everything is poetry and that you dont have the outside influence to be cool.Originality in Kenya is questionable.The fact that not much of poetry books are published in Kenya just tells how far behind we are.

What do you wish to see done differently?

Poets need workshops all the time to ensure quality because now there is quantity which might compromise Quality,competitions and prizes,Poetry has to be able to join what they call celeb thing in the local papers,i mean to be regarded highly as any trash(sic) that is in Genge/kapuka.publish poets and let them get established

Which of you poems is a crowd favourite? Which is your favourite?

The crowd favourite should be Letter From My Girlfriend although there could be many and my favourite is Mo Pain,No Gain

Five lines off your favourite piece/ a sample of your poetry…

…..I know you will say this is the voice of treason
But I say No,this is the voice of Kenyan reason
Hii ni voice yangu na meditation za revolution
naanza na kuondoa confusion,
watasema nawa threaten ama na threaten peace ya wakenya watukufu wenye mioyo mikunjufu…………

www.grandmasterobokano.blogspot.com,

www.myspace.com/grandmastermasese

Mike Kwambo on stage at Rhythm & Spoken

My poetry is cutting edge, sometimes controversial,sometimes sweet, sometimes witty, sometimes direct. It is pretty much a reflection of who I am.

What’s your creative process like?
There are two ways to describe my creative process.
1.Ad Hoc! Well…I am the kind of person who will get struck by creative moments while engaged in other activities.Many are the times I have dropped everything else or woken up at two or three in the morning to pursue this creative itch.
2. Structured…There are occasions when I have taken my sweet time, days or even weeks on end to complete my works.

Which poets do you look up to and why?
I look up to Allan Hope a.k.a Mutabaruka, Benjamin Zephaniah , Lamar Manson a.k.a Black Ice, Dana Gilmore,(I love her piece “wife..woman..friend”) and good old William Shakespeare. Their work are thought provoking, conscious pieces. There are plenty of local poets that deliver that kind of content too, they are also sources of inspiration.

Where have you performed and what has been the reception so far?
I have performed at the Kwani? Open Mic at Club Soundd in Nairobi. My first appearance here was in February 2007, I did a piece called “But Nyako” which the audience absolutely loved. I was featured poet at Kwani? in November of that year.I still do the odd performance at this venue.
I have taken a liking to Rhythm and Spoken at the Dass Ethiopian Restaurant in Westlands. The audience is always receptive.Their response is always great , which is very humbling. This gives me the motivation to keep writing more pieces.
I once performed my piece “vision 2030″ at the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) Economic Symposium to a mixed reaction. This piece is questions the Kenyan government’s ability to attain its goals by the year 2030 as pointed out in their wonderfully written master plan.The audience loved it but one Prof. Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary in the Information and Communications Ministry was totally miffed. He took a whole hour responding to this piece before delivering his keynote address.
I have also performed at the just concluded Rift Valley Festival to a wonderful, humbling response from the really attentive audience. I attended this festival as part of Mstari Wa Nne, the performance poetry group I belong to.I use the words wonderful and humbling because we went up on stage just after Chris Adwar and The Villagers Band had wowed the crowd with their energetic performance. I was unsure of the crowd’s response, would they consider poetry an anti climax? Would they stay to listen to poetry ? Would they walk away? They were very attentive when Mstari got on stage. They paid keen attention to our poetry and gave us a standing ovation at the end of it. We made great contacts, big things are definitely on the horizon. It was a very humbling response.
I have also performed at the Kenya Burning exhibition in April 2008, and with Mstari Wa Nne,the Daniel Pearl World Day of Music in 2008/2009, Ignite Poets in October 2009 as well as some private functions. The responses from the audience have constantly been great and it is an absolutely humbling experience when people walk up to you and tell you that they loved your work or that it captures their sentiments.

What do you hope to achieve through poetry?

I would like to see a paradigm shift in our attitudes. We are have so many issues, good and bad that are not being dealt with. they are simply being swept under the carpet. Poetry is one of many vehicles that can address these issues. I aim to educate,provoke and entertain the public, the audiences that I interact with. I aim to influence everybody…the regular Joe and the decision makers in government and larger society.

What do you think is the future of poetry in Kenya and Africa?

With the right exposure and approach, poetry in Kenya and Africa has a very bright future. This is because it can be a very subtle means of dealing with the most sensitive and taboo topics. Africa is going through a revolution of sorts

What do you wish to see done differently?
The whole approach to poetry. I honestly think it doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Poets have got things to say, issues to address, lets give them a chance. We need to change our mindsets and be more appreciative of poetry as a powerful art form and tool of expression.

Which of you poems is a crowd favourite?
Probably Vision 2030, it stirs up a lot of passion from the audience. I would like to think that people tend to associate with the issues being addressed in this poem
For obvious reasons, Big A** Bed, it is raunchy. Raunchy is popular.

Which is your favourite?
It’s not really a poem, it is my intro.I call it “She is” …I regularly open my performances with this intro.

Five lines off your favourite piece
She is….
my biggest temptation…my sweetest sensation
in my heart she’s managed penetration….filling me with joy…elation…jubilation…
she is a sultry goddess…every man wants to possess
when they see her they say lead us out of Egypt like Moses…

http://myspace.com/maikwambo

http://kenyanexpressions.wordpress.com