ALEWA
Concept Alewa is the Ghanaian word for a locally homemade candy. It is very colourful and the makers are creative enough to blend the colours and the ingredients in a way that makes it attractive and sweet, so is Spoken Word Poetry, where words are blended to paint an attractive picture that the observer, reader, or listener appreciates. The “Alewa” has been acronymously coined by the organisers of this show, which means and as well describes the artistes performing on the show: Art Lovers, Entertianers, and Wordsmiths in Action. ALEWA is proudly Ghanaian
ALEWA a P. O . E . T . S e v e n t 2/10/2011
ALEWA SPONSORS
THE REBIRTH OF SPOKEN WORD
BLACK & WHITE EDITION
ALEWA
ALEWA a P. O . E . T . S e v e n t 2/10/2011
ALEWA THE REBIRTH OF SPOKEN WORD
BLACK & WHITE EDITION
Copyright Š 2012 P.O.E.T.S All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. All pictures by GERARD NARTEY PHOTOGRAPH All reviews by LIMELIGHTGHANA.COM Designed by RHYMESONNY
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People Of Equal Thoughts & Spirit Mission Statement To promote poetry in the Ghanaian Society and the world, creating an environment where poets and poetry lovers can write, share and perform their work, through shows, formation of poetry clubs, nurturing of talent and engaging the various generations through the evolution of poetry.
Slogan: We are not creating forever but forever creating
OFFICIAL ALEWA LOGO 1 Designed by Rhymesonny/ Stone
VENUE SWEETIES LOUNGE off the Spintex Road. flower pot junction near Lister Hospital
MUTOMBO DA POET
MISS NDABI
O’ZIONN
M.O.I
RHYMESONNY
KYEKYEKU
PERFORMERS
POETRA
KWAME WRITE
YOM POET NFOJOH
MIZ AKWELE
DK OSEI YAW
PERFORMERS
SELIKEM
NANATSITO
MONALISA
ALEWA GUEST AUTHOR ALBA KUNADU SUMPRIM Alba has been writing for as long as she can remember and regularly flips through, with a wry smile, the stacks of notebooks that contain what can only be described as the melodrama of her teenage years. She graduated from Escuela International de Cine y Television (EICTV), the Cuban film school, as an Editor and worked on several short and independent film projects in Cuba and London before moving back to Ghana, where she now earns her living writing screenplays, television programs, producing and directing television commercials. She has been on the writing and editing team of the BBC WORLD SERVICES TRUST Radio drama, ‘Story Story, Voices from the Market,’ for over six years. She was a writer and director for the BBC WST television drama, entitled, 'Wetin Dey!' Her successful weekly social commentary column – The Imported Ghanaian – has been running for ten years in The Daily Dispatch newspaper, Accra. She lives in Accra, where she is regularly accused of being a citizen of other countries but her own country
ALBA KONADU SUMPRIM
ALEWA GUEST POET MARISKA ABA TAYLOR An African woman who is extremely proud of her heritage and culture and proud to be able to share her views, love, feelings and hates through the power of words Author of "The Secret to Detoxifyiing Your Life and Love", "Rhythms of Poetry in Motion" and " A Widow must not Speak" Have also had works published in various magazines and sites including: Jambo (East African Magazine published in London)2004 One Ghana One Voice.Com Akoben Magazine 2004 Had readings @ Find your voice Spitalfields, E. London 2005 Bless the Mic ,Osu, Accra 2008/2009 Citi FM - African Writers Project Yfm - Young Possibilities Goethe Institute and Interviews with The One Show on Viasat 1 find her on youtube and watch her perform...
MARISKA ABA TAYLOR
THE HOST He is spectacular, good with vernacular Blessed with a gift from above with a spatula Recipe, it’s up to ya, request it and he’ll back you up He is blessed with lines that make lyrics wear make up to match him up Nice guy, nice flow Tried out for an afro Hair line receded now , he’s back to being bald so Solar now connected Never silly like a bad joke, hope he have for Africa He’s really just spectacular He is down with the Alewa fever And has promise to deliver He weave words into fabric like the kente weaver If poetry is a truck, then Paul is the gear lever A free stylist, a poet and DJ/MC extraordinaire There is no questions about his flair His style is he and his talent is rare He's promise to thrill all ALEWA fans...and asking you to be there...
The main thing that is not directly affected by global economic hardships or social turmoil is inborn intellect or talent in the form of creative arts and when brandished well, in our own way we could affect the society we live in.
WANNABE I wanna work in your farm And make sure your crops suffer no harm I wanna be grabbed by your charms And spend the rest of my years in your arms I wanna be the mails you will be sending And make sure I deliver all the ones pending I wanna be the currency you will be spending And make sure I erased all your financial burden I wanna be the one to give you that warm embrace And be responsible every morning to lock up your necklace I wanna built a golden street for you in a heavenly place And make sure mortals don't cover that space I wanna be the only book on your shelf And be the words you will use to describe yourself I wanna be the number you will dialing And the only person you will be calling I wanna be the bed on which you will be sleeping And make sure at the end of the ninth month, you will be weeping I wanna be your tattoo And forever be part of you But I don't wanna reply mails Asking me to explain what happened between me and my friends especially the females Š RHYMESONNY
Alewa is a name of a locally made toffee similar to Brighton rock. Also resembles "gob stopper" sweets which are pepperminty and large. The base color is white and the rainbow of colors striped around it. It leaves your tongue and lips brightly colored and licking of lips continues for a long time as the taste lingers on and on. So P.O.E.T.S. chose this name for the movements program.... Appropriate don’t you think - Tasty, multicolored, words linger on, and you cant just get enough of it. ALEWA!-Š MARISKA
MARISKA TAYLOR DARKO: “I HAVE FOUND THE SECRET TO JOY” Writer, poet and motivational speaker Mariska Taylor Darko who was the guest artiste at the maiden event of ALEWA (The rebirth of spoken word poetry in Ghana) revealed the secret to joy to an expectant audience amidst cheers and claps. According to Mariska, the secret to joy which has been long sought after by many is “forgiveness, being loving, not carrying your burdens to the next day, and giving all to God.” The guest artiste who also thrilled the audience with her poems, reflected on her past experiences which she said “has shaped me into who I am” so she constantly wants to give back to society. Mariska, who has been featured on several shows and events both within and outside the country stressed on the need for proper utilization of time and resources and advised the youth to focus on positive things which will help mould them into better citizens.
MARISKA ABA TAYLOR
ALEWA FREESTYLE Always on my mind is alewa Be it in school reading Kofi and Amina Or in the sand playing Pilolo or pampanaa aLewa Like a live ammunition Waiting to be fired Always restless When alewa was in sight alEwa Exuding sweet essence And rainbow beauty Tempting me Corrupting my innocence aleWa Waiting to capture my tongue Coat it And drug me With its flavor cocktail alewA An inspiration For my childhood fantasies A motivation For my childhood truancies Š DUKE BENSON
ALBA’S SECOND BOOK “A PLACE OF BEAUTIFUL NONSENSE” BEING REVIEWED ON ALEWA
ALEWA I'm just a ventriloquist voicing out tenses Hence I fess up that 'exquisite' you do exist, As the puppet on my arm Nugget of my charm Penchant on the tongue, ... That summons all senses to a prong Rainbow tattoo on skinPolychromatic infection spreading from within As you melt in my hand I split into several coloured chunks Like a broken kaleidoscope of dreams smeared in the scope of a beam Your minty prowess offers dainty powers So, upon you I bestow saintly honors Make me adroit in an hour To pollinate every single flower Chained to creativity, blessedA slave to this virtuous hex.. ŠKWAME WRITE
POETRA Her performance was backed by a seasoned vocalist “Miz Akwele” and Kyekyeku on the strings, her piece was titled “Don’t Try To Judge Me”
MISS NDABI She was flawless in her delivery and a delight to watch.
RIBOAM A great Mexican guitarist and vocalist performed a song in Spanish
D.K. OSEI YAW STEALS SHOW AT THE REBIRTH OF SPOKEN WORD POETRY Call him a naturalist, poetry, music, insane, wits, energy and freedom; it was the top poet and entertainer D.K Osei Yaw who undoubtedly stole the show at the maiden event of ALEWA (The rebirth of spoken word poetry in Ghana) The event, organized by People of Equal Thoughts and Spirit (P.O.E.T.S) at the Sweeties Lounge on October 2, 2011, saw the never disappointing poet/entertainer electrifying the atmosphere with his hot single “Gari foto� which saw many art lovers and fans thrilled, captivated and excited. The poet, who performed with high energy on the night, threw away his jembe which was claimed by one of his loyal fans after what had been a standing ovation performance. He even decided to auction his shoes to the bewilderment and excitement of the audience. The icing on the cake was when he stunned the audience with his acrobatic displays, totally out of the blue which registered him in the minds of many as a true artist and entertainer. Ghana needs to watch out for more exhilarating and breathtaking performances from D.K. Osei Yaw at future poetry shows.
DK OSEI YAW His name DK means Dug out of Korongo, where the first stone tools used by men of old, was discovered in Tanzania the Olduvai Gorge... The king of Garians thrilled fans to his most popular piece “Gari Foto�.
YOM POET NFOJOH Performing his most popular poem “Ghana Boy” being supported by Emy and Kyekyeku
KYEKYEKU One of Ghana’s finest young guitarist, poet and musician, he wowed fans with his rendition of Wanluv the Koborlo’s song “I Be Human Being Just Like You”.
MUTOMBO: POETRY SAVED MY LIFE The highly acclaimed spoken word artist Mutombo, explained how poetry saved his life in a breathtaking piece at the maiden event of ALEWA (The rebirth of spoken word poetry in Ghana) The event, organized by People of Equal Thoughts and Spirit (P.O.E.T.S) at the Sweeties Lounge on October 2 2011, saw the Pidgin Music artiste who was expected by many of his fans to perform his new single “X-RAY”, captivate the audience with an equally better piece “Poetry Saved My Life” where he artistically narrates a young lad’s journey in the world of poetry and fame. The piece which he wrote in 2008 gave the audience a true “alewalistic” experience and leaves his loyal fans in high anticipation of his soon-to-be –released spoken word album “Photosentences” which he says “will be out in a few months.” We wishes the artiste all the best in his forthcoming album.
MUTOMBO DA POET Mutombo performing one of his old poems “Poetry Saved My Life” and no one had any question about his stage presence and energy. He was phenomenal
MINISTER OF POETRY BOMBARDS POLITICIANS It was a first class performance from the King of Rhymes, Rhymesonny who doubled as a Minister for Poetry at the maiden event of ALEWA (The rebirth of spoken word poetry in Ghana). The event, organized by People of Equal Thoughts and Spirit (P.O.E.T.S) at the Sweeties Lounge on October 2, 2011, saw the smartly dressed poet bombarding politicians with his trademark rhymes, true words which left the audience with no other option than to appreciate his unique style. The poet, who concluded with the line “think about the masses and do something about the taxes�, certainly made his case known to the self centered politicians who only think of themselves and neglect the masses to suffer. Expect another exciting piece from Rhymesonny at the next ALEWA event which has been scheduled for early December. Limelightghana.com will update you on the event details.
RHYMESONNY He reaffirmed why he is and still the king of rhymes with a captivating piece titled “Politicians”. His performance earned him another title “the MINISTER of poetry.
ALEWA COLLABORATION OF THE DAY by KWAME WRITE, O’ZIONN, M.O.I AND RITA RICHARDSON this wascollabo was the tights Ghana has ever seen in recent times. Four great performers doing one piece. it was a dramatic poem full of moral, humor, they entertained, educated, informed and edified the audience..
SELIKEM This poet poured “Libation” with words reaffirming his status as a traditional poet of the season.
A CROSS SECTION OF AUDIENCE
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GHANAIAN POETS THRILL AUDIENCE WITH CAPTIVATING PERFORMANCES AT ALEWA The much anticipated “REBIRTH OF SPOKEN WORD POETRY IN GHANA” lived up to its hype as top Ghanaian spoken word artists bombarded an enthusiastic audience with spectacular performances at the maiden event of ALEWA. The event, organized by People of Equal Thoughts and Spirit (P.O.E.T.S) on October 2, 2011 at Sweeties Lounge (Spintex Road) began with an exciting melody by Kyekyeku who later performed “Bedbug” to the amusement of the audience.Edith rounded up the first session with a breathtaking poem which consequently paved way for the next exciting session. Selikem’s poem “Libation” was also whole-heartedly received by the audience and when it was time for the guest artiste Mariska Taylor Darko to step on stage, the expectant audience were glued to their seats as the writer; poet and motivational speaker thrilled them with good poetry and words of encouragement. Alba Konadu Sumprim reviewed her books “A Place of Beautiful Nonsense” and “The Imported Ghanaian” soon after which the new queen of the art, Poetra Ama Asantewaa treated the audience with a breathtaking poem. Since the best is always saved for the last, the final session saw poetry heavyweightYom Da Poet perform “That Ghana Boy” whilst Reboam did a Spanish medley with his guitar but it was D.K. Osei Yaw who arguably stole the show with his hot single “Gari Foto”, a performance which electrified the atmosphere and saw many art lovers overly excited. There were also performances by the king of Rhymes, Rhyme sonny, Pidgin Music artiste/poet Mutombo, a sketch by Kwame Write and a remarkable performance from Chief Moomen and Shaka. According to the event organizers, the next ALEWA event has been slated for early December and Ghanaians should expect a much better, sweeter and mouth-watering performances from Ghana’s finest spoken word artists. The renaissance is definitely on course!
ALEWA MAKING HEADLINES ameyawdebrah.com ghanaweb.com ghanalifestyle.com ghanamusic.com ghanamotion.com nukatagroup.com kulone.com poetryfoundationghana.com kerewa.com newsonline.com accraexpat.com ghanamusic.co.uk 233music.com nigerianews24.com binarybits.com ghanafilla.com limelightghana.com hellotxt.com and more‌‌..