Wam artlook

   Timelines becomes the second Kenyan to clinch the Silver medal at the Global world Poetry Event. He follows the footsteps of Dominion, Who missed out on the top spot by 0.1 point at the 2025 feat held in Mexico. This years, competition was controversial as the people’s favorite Timelines lost thus putting on spot the judging process at the global event. Kenyan spoken word artist Timelines (Dennis Mwangi) - 67th Poetry Slam Africa King and the Garang Nyacharo Memorial Award Winner- clinched silver at the 5th World Poetry Slam Championships in Durban, South Africa, on October 9, 2026 — making it back-to-back world silvers for Kenya. Timelines becomes the second Kenyan to win silver at the global event following Dominion (Moses Kiptoo) who missed the top spot by just 0.1 points at the 2025 edition in Mexico.  Timelines, photos courtesy of Creative Spills FB page This year's competition was controversial. Audience favourite Timelines lost despite a spirited p...

      The young Kenyan artist has so far had two major solo exhibitions in Nairobi. The exhibitions, Thresholds and A Line of Thought converge at the intersection of personal growth, loss and the choices we make on what to reveal about self. Back in 2019, Kenyan young visual artist Anita Kavochy held a solo exhibition dubbed ‘ Thresholds’ at One Off Contemporary Gallery’s outpost at the Rosslyn Riviera Mall. At the time, the young Kenyan artist had brought into the table a very interesting conversation about the self and what we choose to reveal to others either consciously or unconsciously A Line of Thought (Photo Courtesy of Circle Art Gallery FB page)  . Thresholds was an enigma of sorts, with several of her artworks on display, one felt a jolt of freshness from this rising Kenyan artist. Born and raised in Kibera, Anita Kavochy’s work was like a fresh gem coming from the messy Kibera slum. Those who understand the landscape of Kibera slums, ...

   The Kenyan artist’s explores impermanence in his works with a focus towards growth, change while spreading hope. His work is not only a symbol of growth but also a mirror of journey’s from the past while pointing towards a road less taken. From Marshes, Rasto Cyprian brings discussion about life in his artworks. At his mid-20s, the young Kenyan Artist’s work is a sight to behold. He speaks a language that is rarely spoken by Kenyans- a language away from politics and hidden deep into the annals of struggle. This language, Kenyans do not speak it; they live it and it is from experience that the young artist has carved a niche for himself.                                                      Photo: Ephemerals exhibition, Circle Art Gallery  Even though Rasto Cyprian is making headlines now, he has been titillating with b...

  Kenya's premier spoken word platform kicks of the 2026-27 season at Braeburn Theatre, Nairobi [NAIROBI, KENYA - June 2026] - Poetry Slam Africa is set to launch its 2026-27 competitive season with the 1st Preliminary, marking the beginning of a renewed chapter in African performance poetry. The first preliminary will be hosted at the Braeburn Theatre along Gatanga Road on 14th June 2026. Past performance photo courtesy of creative Spills  For the first time in its history, the competition moves from its long-time home at the Goethe-Institut Nairobi to the prestigious Braeburn Theatre on Gitanga Road, signaling a significant expansion in both scale and ambition. The move reflects Poetry Slam Africa's continued commitment to elevating spoken word performance and creating larger, more impactful spaces for poets and audiences alike. Poetry Slam Africa features three quarterly preliminary events, each serving as a pathway to the season-ending Grand Slam Finale. The 2026-27 season...

The Kenyan art scene shows a certain element of universality not only in the kind of audience that attends the events but also in the kind of performers on stage. From visual arts to performance, Kenyan have always shown their ‘Karibu Kenya’ spirit. Nigerian Vivian ofre on stage during grand slam poetry championship where she lost to Kenyan Timelines, photo courtesy of creative spills  There was a scare in 2025/26 Grand Slam competition when a Kenyan and a Nigerian poet tied in the finals. Now, this brought in serious uncertainty among the organizers of Slam Poetry Competition in Kenya. If the Nigerian had to win the competition, she would have to represent Kenya in the 2026 World Poetry Slam Championships! Luckily for the organizers, the embarrassment was mitigated after a runoff between the Kenyan poet Timelines (Dennis Mwangi) and the Nigerian, Vivian Ofre saw Timelines crowned as the 67th slam king hence a representative of Kenya on the global stage.  Ofre is not the only ...

  Since Creative Spills took over poetry competition in Kenya, the competition has grown significantly and produced tens of slam Kings and queens. It has also introduced various activities in order to bolster poetry appreciation in the East African country.  The Kenya chapter of Poetry Slam is run by an organization called Creative Spills. Creative Spills was founded in 2010 and has since run the country’s premier poetry competition since 2013. Creative Spills has seen spoken world poetry develop in Kenya and become part of the country’s top annual entertainment event.  Ian Gwagi, Creative Spills Director. Photo courtesy of Slam Africa festival 2025/26 The history of modern performance poetry in Kenya traces its origin to pre-colonial Kenya. Back then poetry and song were merged into one and took a form of recitation, singing, incantation and lamentations among others. There is scanty of information about the pre-colonial Africa concerning entertainment, especially the ve...