Imani Woomera

30 Days::30 Poems - Poem Two::MangoPapaya

2011-09-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Poetry, for me, is about authenticity. It is just about the only place I can be effortlessly vulnerable.

A mango does not think that it is flier than a papaya
A bamboo shoot never compares itself to the palm
A wise oak never to the sequoia
so why
why do I compare myself to her?
Probably because it is as if she has always known exactly what she was born to do

and I

well

I'm going to have to get back to you

30 Poems:: 30 Days :: Poem One

2011-09-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

Is there something you are truly passionate about but not focusing on everyday? This is my way of getting myself back on track. I hope you will take this little 30 day journey with me and find some inspiration along the way. x

I am Back.

2011-03-31T20:29:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, someone should have poured ice water over my head to wake me up from my 10 month sleep since I last updated my blog. There is no excuse. Ok well, maybe there are a few, but I am not going to list them here, because the past is the past and.... I AM BACK. The 12 poetesses from The Kibera Girls Soccer Academy rocked the house at Dass. I am incredibly proud of them. Since the show they have continued to write, perform, and they have even done some radio and television performances. These sisters are moving forward.

So much has happened since their performance in Nairobi. The night after the show I flew out to Ibiza and began a new life chapter....

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Day Two of Week Five

2010-05-24T02:34:00.000-07:00

Alright, so yesterday MTV Shuga supa stars Pepe Haze, and Antony Mwangi joined my son, Zion, and I on a trip to Kibera to check out the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. Of course, this is not really a soccer academy any longer, but a full out school providing free education to girls in Kibera.

We found out that the school only has enough space to educate around 150 girls, which in Kibera is a very small number. Teca, the school principal, told us that he is forced to turn down young girls every day due to insufficient space. He said that their goal is to expand to have enough room to educate around 1,000 girls, and that this can be done for approximately 4 million shillings, or $53,000. Even if this expansion is done in steps, it is a realistic goal that I hope to find some way to help them achieve. We were told that all of the school's funding comes from outside of the country, and that they have not found much interest to help from within Kenya. This is really sad.

We were kicking it in their library, which has very few books, some chairs, a sofa and three computers which they said they received last week. The girls were so excited to finally have internet access, and are eager to connect with the outside world.

During our visit the girls performed their pieces, and received a mentoring session from Antony and Pepe. After some time at the school the girls walked us out of Kibera where we managed to take a few photos. The art work that you see was done by an artist named Solo 7, and was created following the post election violence in 2008. I had hope to take more photos, and even do a couple of videos, but for some reason my camera battery died (still cant figure out how since I checked it before I left the house).

Kibera is always an interesting experience for me. There is this community vibe that is really enjoyable, while at the same time it feels as if everyone is very disconnected from one another. I saw a group of religious people worshiping next to group of children rummaging through a massive pile of garbage. I saw a baby walking with a large shard of sharp glass, which I took out of the child's hand while his mother looked on and laughed. I saw a place full of potential, yet suffocating in poverty.

My desire to help these girls help themselves grew tenfold.

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Day One of Week Five

2010-05-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

Just like clock work, the girls rocked up to Dass for our Saturday session. These girls are like my little sisters now so they come with smiles, stories, and big hugs for Imani! Quite a massive change from a few weeks ago when they were so shy I had to practically beg them to tell me something about themselves.

MTV Shuga star and beat box artist, Pepe Haze, joined us for this session once again. So when the girls came in I said, "Alright, show us what you got". One by one the girls performed their pieces as they will at the final show. After that, they got together into their groups of three and performed their mini group pieces. They were all super hot! Finally, they all came together to show us how hard they have worked to perfect their whole group piece.

They blew us away.

During the sessions, I work with them to guide and direct their performances, but they are the ones who do all the work to bring it to life. I have asked them to practice everyday, and they have been working it for real. I am so proud of them.

After the performances, Pepe Haze met with each of the girls individually to mentor them. He worked to bring out the unique spark they each have within the group, emphasizing the importance of embodying their pieces. This instilled in each of them even more confidence and conviction.

At the end of the session we agreed that we would meet tomorrow, as it was now my turn to journey into their world....

*Big thanks to the very humble and cool Pepe Haze for all his time and support with this project*

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Week Four

2010-05-23T23:50:00.001-07:00

This week we met for our usual Saturday session at Dass. With our project counting down to our final show, the girls had to step it up and get their performances strait. They walked in pumped up and ready to read the work they have been doing outside of the sessions.

This is the point they completely blew me away.

This is when they showed me that they have been working hard to write poems that reflected their lives. Poems that represented their experience as young women growing up in Kibera. Poems that have the power to move people.

They will be performing their work at Dass Ethiopian Lounge on Sunday May 30th @ 6PM. If you would like tickets please email me: imani.woomera@gmail.com

This show is going to be AMAZING; I promise.

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Day Two of Week Three

2010-05-23T23:33:00.000-07:00

This project is about more than just spoken word workshops, it is about sharing and experiencing each others world.

So, this week we met for a Sunday session at my home in Runda. The girls had a blast. The dope Pepe Haze also came through. We watched some Def Poetry, ate some good food, went for a swim in the pool, walked around the massive garden, and laughed until the sun went down.

Professional photographer Riz Mehar came through, set up his fancy lights, and did a photo session with each of the girls. The photos taken will feature here on my blog alongside some of their poems so you get a chance to see what they have been up to.

As always, we had a little mentoring session at the end where the girls expressed their desires to expand their lives outside of where they are from. They want to keep their poetry group going after this project is complete. They feel this spoken word poetry thing could be their ticket to share their lives with the world. How cool is that?

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Week Three

2010-05-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

On Saturday the girls and I met for our usual 10 am session at Dass. They entered the space like they always do; shy, a little withdrawn, and most of them afraid to speak their minds. Over the past two sessions I have slowly been getting them to warm up to the idea of poetic self expression. For a few of them this is natural, but for the majority of the group it is like urging a flower bud to open... so... I have been respecting the natural flow of growth; watering them with the information and encouragement they need to leave their comfort zones. For many of them, this is simply speaking loud enough so others can hear them.

But this week, my efforts were less subtle. I threw down the Imani whip telling them that today, they must speak loud and with conviction. I told them they have to be actors, and pretend to be the most confident group of ladies in the world. Then I broke them into two groups, stepped back, and let them mentor one another. This is where the real fun started.

They completely let go!

Photography by Riz Mehar

2010-05-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to Riz Mehar for volunteering his time with the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy.

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Week Two

2010-05-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

So, we have successfully completed week two with the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy! It was a dynamic session, as we broke down the concept of love, which is undoubtably their favorite topic to explore. They examined what love is to them... what it looks like, what it does, what color it is, what it feels like, and compared it to what the media wants them to believe love is. We took love out of the box... which is where it belongs.

We focused solely on writing for this session, while next week we will be working on the elements of performance in prep for the final show which will be held on June 3rd. We are still working on securing the best venue for the event, so watch this space as details unfold.

As you can imagine the girls are excited, anxious, and extremely nervous at the thought of performing in front of you!

Nurturing a New Generation of Writers: Week One

2010-04-26T02:05:00.001-07:00

Over the past several weeks I have been working to make a vision of mine a reality. The idea was to raise enough money to be able to provide spoken word poetry workshops to 12 girls from the Kibera Girls Soccer Academy. For those of you that do not know, Kibera is located in Kenya and is the largest slum in Africa, and the second largest Slum in the world.

A bit about the School....

The Kibera Girls Soccer Academy (KGSA) was established as a grassroots organization invested in the power of community organizing and is dedicated to improving the lives of at–risk and disadvantaged young women by providing free secondary education, artistic programming, and athletic opportunities. The school firmly believes that through active participation in education, arts, and athletics, young women will have the opportunity to develop a stronger confidence in their minds, bodies, and spirits – empowering them to become inspiring leaders in their own communities and country, as they advocate for a brighter Kibera, and Kenya.

A bit about the Nurturing a New Generation of Writers Workshop Series...

The vision is now a reality! Over a five week period, 12 girls form the Academy will take part in eight workshops. They will explore a dynamic range or writing and performing exercises to prepare them for a final showcase of their work in front of a theater audience of at least 300. Last week Saturday we had our first session (see photo above), following a successful fundraiser at Dass Ethiopian Lounge in Westlands, Nairobi where two of the girls performed.

Each week the girls leave Kibera to partake in the workshops outside of the slum. The idea is to expand their minds through new experiences. Following the two and a half hour workshops, we have lunch together before they return home. Next week, the girls will explore microphone technique at Dass, in two weeks I will visit the girls at their school in Kibera, and the following Sunday they will come to my house for a session. Other sessions will be held in the Arboretum to tap into a nature vibe, while others will be held at the theater venue in preparation for the final performance. I am working to be sure we switch up so that we can maximize on our time together.

I will keep you updated over the next four weeks as we count down to the final performance......

Writing Prompts With Anthony Robinson Jr.

2010-03-02T01:50:00.000-08:00

Here is my latest letter from Anthony Robinson Jr. My incarcerated friend and author of Incarcerated Tears Book of Poetry Volume 1.
We exchange two writing prompts every time we write. He sent a couple fun ones: inspiration from the insect and the fruit. I am still working on the fruit one, but the first one, about the insect I wrote:

They call me firefly.

Bringer of light

worshiper of night

giver of life;

Lord, watch us

because some like to lock us

in jars.

We are a tribe of synchronicity

emitting illuminate flashes in unity

we are core strength creatures.

communicators.

Some call us medicine;

slicing our centers into two

Some call us toxic

but only because they can not touch us.

Lord tell me,

Whose night shall we unite to bring the light to now?

Neruda Wrote Love Poems

2010-02-06T00:18:00.000-08:00

Pablo Neruda wrote love poems

Pablo Neruda wrote

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you strait-forwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way."

Say 'Pablo Neruda'

and I think of a latino love poet

who witnessed the cells of love cypher cyclone winds into heart shaped mahogany strong marble, I think of Pablo when I remember that "love is so short, forgetting is so long" and "I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees"

Langston Hughes

loved ink.

it was with ink he wrote to "let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. let the rain sing you a lullaby." It was that love for ink that let him leave us the reminder that "when peoples care for you and cry for you, they straiten out your soul."

Rita Dove reminds me to love intricate.

She told us that she "prefers to explore the most intimate moments. The smaller crystalized details we all hinge our lives on"

Miguel Pineiro's life was made into a movie this is how we love him

Sarah Kruzan stays alive in a California State Penitentiary serving life without the possibility of parole for a sentence she did not deserve when she was 16. She loves something about this life. She trusts something about this life

Illyana Vanzant tells us that truth is love's first born

so I think trust

must be love's lover

love's significant other

Gwendolyn Brooks reminded us that

"when you love a man he becomes more than a body

his physical limbs expand and his out line recedes, vanishes

He is part of this world, the atmosphere, the blue sky and the blue water."

Etta James

Etta loved big&Bold&Blue&Jazz&rhythm&gospel&belted deep notes from the depth of her being

Etta loved being on stage

like I do

this space safe like

babies lost in mother's universe

stars floating particles

I love stars

we are made up of stars

Walt Whitman loved himself

"I celebrate myself, I sing myself.... I exist as I am, that is enough."

Saul Williams

"love is the wind's song: if it is up to me, I'll never die

if it is up to me, I'll die tomorrow

one thousand times in an hour

and live seven minutes later'

I love reading Saul's work

sipping green tea caressing the pages of his books

every time I look or listen or feel Carlos Andres Gomez's energy fill a space

I embrace this love for word weaving masters

literary conquistador's

Carlos's life is a love poem

Saul's life is a love poem

Etta's, Guendolyn, Illyana, Sarah, Miguel, Rita, Langston Hughes life a love poem

Pablo Neruda wrote love poems

This is a love poem.

I am a love poem.

Always remember my life

as a love poem.

Anthony Robinson Jr.: Author of Incarcerated Tears Book of Poems Vol. 1

2010-02-05T03:49:00.000-08:00

Anthony Robinson Jr. and I have never met.

But we have written.

In fact we write to each other once a week, and I know that my letters can only reach him on a Friday. He is currently serving a 23 year sentence in the California State Penitentiary for a car jacking he committed when he was 19. He is now 28.

And he is beautiful writer.

In fact, he has just published a book called Incarcerated Tears Book of Poems Vol. 1. This book is a moving collection of poetry Anthony has written behind bars. The above letter is just a taste of some of his work. If you are inspired, you can find his book by going to www.buybooksontheweb.com.

Pearls Volume:1 and Pearls Volume::2 on iTunes

2010-02-05T01:38:00.000-08:00

What's up Beautiful People!

You can now download both of my albums Pearls Volume: 1 & 2 on iTunes USA, Canada, and UK/European Union. Once I figure out how to post the link here I will. Peace and Pearls.

A Poem for Haitian Youth

2010-02-05T01:31:00.000-08:00

Now that my albums are up on iTunes, I have been thinking of donating some of the funds from my album sales to building art programs for youth. I have been looking around me thinking... youth right here in Kenya need art programs! Then the earthquake in Haiti happened, and people kept sending me the 'Help Haiti' links requesting that I donate money.

That got me thinking... How can I help Haiti in a way that I believe in, and be sure of where my money is going? With the seriousness of Haiti's problems right now, I imagine that art programs for youth are toward the bottom of the 'to do list'. We all know that art works to educate, invigorate, inspire, and heal. I think that is exactly what the youth in Haiti need right about now.

So I have decided to donate 50% of the sales from my latest album Pearls Volume:: 2, to an artistic youth initiative in Haiti. I have a friend who lives there and will help locate the perfect initiative for these funds.

I thought this could be a great, affordable way for people in my network to make a small difference too. All you have to do is buy one track for 99 cents to make a difference. Even if you don't buy a poem.... maybe you can help spread the word. It is greatly appreciated. It is true that we can all do something, no matter how small.

Thank you for your support!

And I will show that nothing can happen more beautiful than death. - Walt Whitman

2010-02-05T00:49:00.000-08:00

Someone I care for lost someone very dear yesterday. This post is my prayer for them both.

This quote by Walt Whitman is one of my favorite of all time. Within it is what I believe death to be. Beautiful. In the book Conversations With God, it says that something like... the moment you die will be the most beautiful moment of your life. It is painful for us to let go, but we must remember that our souls are eternal. Death completes the cycle of life, and then we are reborn. I wonder what you will be to each other next lifetime.

I know it may be silly.......

2009-09-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

but I thought for the longest time that my blog was really a place only I came every now and then to write something down... I don't think it really occurred to me that people are actually reading this. Mainly because I never told anyone about it. I did put a little link on my facebook, but that is it. So imagine my astonishment when people started telling me they read my blog... I started getting emails, people started calling me, someone even announced it to a crowd... so I'm thinking... I better step up my game here... and really begin to ask myself what I want this blog to really be about. What do I want the world to know about me?

I am going to think about this and get back to you all here in a couple of days.

In the meantime, if you think of things you want to know about me, let me know.

Someone: a poem

2009-09-14T11:28:00.000-07:00

Someone has inspired us
we who touch pen to page
toes to stage
fingers to mic
someone along the way has shifted us to journey this art form
real
for me her name is Desdamona Rox
watched her perform a poem about a rocking chair in 2001
since then
I have flipped lives like backs
shaped young minds like earth
crafted sacred spaces where poets can pray
today
I received a message from a young girl I have never met telling me that my poetry on myspace saved her life
that I would never understand but she needs to thank me
says she looks up to me like goddess
and I tell her
it is only because we are a reflection of each other
like mirror we image of god divine
this word is a responsibility
this art a reason to live another day
this air a reason to inhale a little deeper
this breath a reason to expand this vision of our lives
this vision a reason to give thanks
this art is of earth
smells of soil prolific
these letters can only be made out by some but this axé is limitless
we are givers of life
with each hand we stimulate to move
each voice we energize to crack
each knee we prompt to bend
each spark we spit into ash
flame ignites on passion alone
there is always enough
no need to crumble up your pages my sister your words are enough
your experience is enough
there is no need to look outside of yourself for stories to tell
you have no idea whose life you may be saving
right
now

man who embodies the title: a poem

2009-08-24T04:09:00.001-07:00

i think of you when i think of a man who embodies the title

you are symphony

mind body spirit in harmony

you are god

and anyone who has ever told you otherwise is god too just scarred blind

on the brink of seeing one day

but you

know who you are and to your own self stay true

even on a bad day

a day the world wants you to forget your name

healthy and vigorous

you still claim self whole

how many people fall victim to their own existence

flee from responsibilities and become fugitives from their own life creations

your empty pocket book says nothing of who you are

but your skin and integrity or ancient kings says everything

each syllable of each word means something

and anyone who has told you otherwise is god too just scarred blind

on the brink of seeing one day

but you

see now

hear now

feel now

are now

and now is all there is

and your life now

is a love story

entwined with mine

enriched in burnt red earth

i have watched you when no one else was looking

i have clothed you in love from afar

this ocean between us is no march for my magic

someday

i will press my silk lips against the tips of your fingers and hush all this noise

and breathe

taking the eternal moment of now turned then again

i will repeat the ritual of prayer

perhaps you think i am exaggerating but

you are god

and anyone who has ever told you otherwise is god too just scarred blind

on the brink of seeing one day

but you

have never been loved by another

so pure

Staying Focused on the Dream

2009-08-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

How do you like the new logo?

Since I last wrote here, we have had two Slam Africa events. One was an all sisters Slam. They were both a success, and I thank everyone who has been involved in making Slam Africa what it is today. Congratulations to Wanjiku Mwaura for emerging as Slam Champion. Big thanks to Point Blank and Pepe Haze for their contributions to the community. I am setting up a separate blog for Slam Africa. As soon as it is up and running, I will post the information here.

Slam Africa Celebrates One Year

2009-07-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow Slam Africa celebrates one year of success! My partner Moses Mbasu (Spark Africa) and I have built the Slam Africa platform to nurture the spoken word movement on the African Continent. Over the past 12 months, we have been working with youth in Kenya, providing workshops and hosting a monthly Slam event at Dass Ethiopian Restaurant and Lounge. The events have been consistently sold out, and have nurtured the development of a number of poets/spoken word artists, as well as increase the recognition of the movement and individual artists, respectively. All of our slam champions have graced the cover of the WAPI Times Magazine, featured on various news and television channels, and have been featured artists at various events.

Slam Africa has served as an empowerment platform for the youth community to strengthen, sharpen, and showcase their skills as writers and performers, as well as prepare them for Slam competition on an international level. We continue to work with youth in Kenya while establishing contacts in other African countries. It is our goal to equip poets in Kenya with the information and skills needed to expand by providing workshops in other countries and areas where the spoken word art form is not currently known. The long term goal is to introduce the art form to every country on the continent, and eventually provide a Slam platform much like the National Poetry Slam in the United States.

As a newly developed youth initiative, Slam Africa is greatly in need of sponsorship to expand. We would love to have the funding to provide workshops and events free of charge, especially in schools, slums, and community centers. We are calling out to anyone and everyone who has the connections to help us expand our vision of Slam Africa, and bring healing to the continent through the vibrant art form of spoken word poetry.

Watch this space for videos, artists, events, workshops, and other information on Slam Africa, and the development of the spoken word art form on The Continent!

Pearls.

2009-07-13T02:14:00.000-07:00

Pearls is the name of my new album and book. It is a compilation of 18 spoken word poems. You will soon be able to download the album from i-tunes, as well as download the e-book from my website. Watch this space for more information to come. In the meantime, enjoy this video taken at WAPI (words and pictures: Africa's leading underground hip-hop platform), filmed by my very talented friend Director/Producer Katrin Ender (www.katrinender.com).

From Brooklyn to Arusha

2009-07-09T05:23:00.000-07:00

So, it was June 25th 2009 at exactly10:43pm and I was in Brooklyn, walking down Hawthorne St. when my boy Oveous mentioned his blog. It reminded me once again that I have intended to begin a blog of my own for quite some time now. I made a mental note to check out his blogspot when I found myself with some time to spare....

So now, I am in Arusha, Tanzania, for the first time in my life. I came down here yesterday from Nairobi for a quick visit, expecting to spend the next few days away from my computer and embracing the experiance of being in a new place. After living in Kenya for over 15 years, it is painful to think that this is my first time visiting Tanzania, especially since it is so close by. About 24 hours after arriving, I have found myself in an internet cafe, where I have a couple of hours to kill until my people are ready to make a move.... so... I finally find myself with that spare time to check out my boys' blog....

One click led to another, and now I have finally begun a blog of my own. I plan on sharing some of my work here, and using this space as an opportunity to express some of the many things that I observe and feel. I look forward to sharing with you, and hope that you will enjoy the space. One Love.