THE GRAND SLAM POETRY FESTIVAL RETURNED WITH A STUNNING SHOWCASE

Dominion was crowned the 66th poetry slam King in a well-attended show at the Kenya National Theatre. He joins a list of celebrated poets after battling out ten other contestants. 

I did not expect much from the just concluded Grand slam Festival at the Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi. Don’t get me wrong, I love poetry and it has become a must attend event in the Kenya’s performance calendar. Nevertheless, this year’s Slam competition did not seem to resonate with me – it was forced, a bit dull and appeared to be far from reality.

Grand Slam winner Dominion  (Photo by Poetry Slam Africa)

Why did I feel so? At the moment, Kenya is on the brink of revolution. The internet is awash with scathing messages towards the arrogant political class and the government. On the other hand, the government is on the offensive with arrests, abductions, disappearances and alleged killings of dissents. In this brewing pot of political turmoil, I found slam to be a diversion from serious issues. 

I was wrong. 

In retrospect, the Slam Festival was the much needed breather to the ensuing discussion about bad governance, corruption, tribalism and femicide in the East African country. It brought in fresh perspective and objective discussions based on the pertinent issues in the society. It yearned to explore and provide a space where young people could speak up without the fear of abduction or being followed. Even though Grand slam offered a safe space for artistic expression, you could feel a dense cloud of fear among the contestants and the audience. Some steered clear from political poetry to avoid victimization by the 'unseen' while others went full throttle to condemn the apparent humanitarian crisis in Kenya. 

Audience at the Grand Slam (Photo by Poetry Slam Africa)

Slam competition brought to stage ten contestants; Scar Poetry, Writefully Ochomo, Ni T.A.P, Kiragu, Dominion, Timelines, Nature servant, Musaa king, Belvin Thee poet and Just Wairimu. The contestants went through three elimination rounds in which the judges' favorites: Dominion, Just Wairimu, Writefully Ochomo and Ni T.A.P made in to the final round. Throughout their performance, the poets displayed a mastery of language, confidence and stage presence that more than awed the audience. The stage was lit with more than 20 poems presented in English, Swahili and sheng. The poets employed myriads of styles to deliver their message to the audience made up largely of young people. The audience seemed to not only enjoy the poems but also immerse themselves in the emotion and the meaning of the well-crafted oratory. 

From the beginning of the performance to the end, there was a lively yet anticipatory mood in the air. Everyone among the audience looked towards their favorite poet carrying the day. In spite of this, they were aware of the tight competition hence with an open mind, looked forward towards accepting the judges’ decision. Towards the end, Dominion was crowned 66th Slam King taking the mantle from Slim Shaka. The 2025 winner was awarded a hundred Thousand Kenya Shillings- first for slam winner and the Dan Garang Nyacharo trophy among other things including representing Kenya at the World Poetry Slam. 

Slim Shaka, the 65th Slam King is the longest serving slam King in Kenya. He was crowned in 2021 just after the COVID19 Lockdown and has been the king until 2025. This is because, the festival took a short break after the devastating effects of COVID19 to regroup and re-strategize. After the break, 2024 opened a new slam season with three preliminary rounds which bore the contestants who were now battling it out at the Grand Slam Festival finale. 

Among the ten contestants, only two performed in Sheng, the rest performed in English. Traditionally, Poetry Slam Africa was home to Sheng poets with their rich yet witty wordplay that resonated well with the audience. However, the shift has seen the rise of more English poets as Sheng poets diminish. Sheng is a beautiful language with rich imagery and corny words. However, as observed, many Sheng poets who come on stage tend to be lost into the rich word play and forget the message of the poem. It will be interesting to see a new caliber of Sheng poets in the league or Teardrops, Gchopevu and Virusi Mbaya grace the stage once more and bring back the liveliness Sheng poets used to evoke from the audience in the future.

Perhaps, if the organizers groom Sheng poets, they may reclaim the lost glory of Poetry Slam Africa. As observed on January 26th, the audience, though well represented, was smaller than the previous Slam Festivals. This could be attributed to among other things, the current political and economic crisis in the country and the dwindling numbers of Sheng poets. However, this remains to be seen if it is indeed the case. 

Papillon on stage  (Photo by Poetry Slam Africa)

Regardless, the milestone achieved by the organizers of Poetry Slam in Kenya is significant. Creative spills has remained steadfast and committed to the promotion of poetry in Kenya. The 2024/25 Slam festival clearly indicated the strides the country’s premier festival has made. To begin with, Creative Spills set up a gala at Emara Ole Sereni hotel. 

During the gala held on 24th of January, past contestants and winners mingled with industry professionals, poetry enthusiasts and supporters over cocktails as they fundraised for the main event. This was new. It marked a milestone from slam poetry being an industry that churns newer poets to a platform that encourages growth through networking by bringing on board other stake holders besides recognizing past winners. It also provided a platform for mentorship especially for the Grand Slam contestants. 

There were a number of workshops built for both poets and the community. One notable workshop brought to the table a discussion dubbed ‘Food is Politics’ in which key issues were discussed including Kenyan Government imposition on mandatory cattle vaccination. Other workshops centered on poetry and performance. In ‘Death Riding Shotgun: The Essence of Slam Poetry’ by the immediate Slam King Slim Shaka, the audience, majorly poets, were taken through the art of performance and owning one’s craft. Slim Shaka's aim was to inspire Kenyan acts into creating international masterpieces that rival slam events around the globe. Representing Kenya at the World Poetry Slam in Brazil in 2023 among other global events, Slim Shaka feels that there is a lot that local creatives need to learn in order to rival other creatives globally. Through this workshop, he hoped he could share some of the experience he gained globe trotting. 

Through, ‘Snappylilbits sound lab,’ musicians, poets, filmmakers, audio engineers and sound enthusiasts were walked into the techniques of creating immersive audio art by Akili Blaq. A sound guru, Akili Blaq drew from his wealth of crafting spellbinding sounds to impart knowledge on how different elements combined to form an out-of-this-world sound experience. 

Throughout the Grand Slam Festival, Creative Spills displayed a mastery in creating an immersive poetry experience. They showed that slam poetry is not just about performance but has elements that bring about a memorable ensemble that audiences not only speak about but also look forward towards attending future events.

The 2025 Festival would reverberate with the Slam Africa Concert. The list of artistes to perform was otherworldly. It showed a carefully and masterfully planned musical display to bring out the best Nairobi has to offer in terms of music as an artistic expression and entertainment. The lineup included; Roger, Zaituni, Two Tea, Checkmate Mido and Liboi. The five artistes colourfully blended their music with africanness through sound and voice to deliver a spirited performance that left the audience in need of more. There was Roger with dramatic stage presence and Liboi softly strumming on her Kalimba with her mellow voice piercing the night with soothing tunes blending tradition and modernity. Zaituni would take us to coastal music while Papillon with his band will play out the African drums and Litungu to the audience excitement. Finally, Checkmate would bring the show home with a blend of rap and beat box. The concert not only showed the depth Creative Spills dove to bring incredible musical showcase but also the beauty of Kenyan music. Indeed, Kenyan musical talent is unrivalled. 

Rising voices performance  (Photo by Poetry Slam Africa)

The festival could not have been well rounded without the inaugural ‘Rising Voices schools’ in which high school students were given a chance to perform as well as learn from established poets. SCSS Swaminarayan Academy students gave an electrifying performance about the death of servant’s dream after they started serving the queen and the hope of a rebirth of those dreams in the future. Apart from the students' performance, poets like Just Wairimu, Scar Poetry and Musa King mentored the young minds into the art of stage poetry which is way different from that studied in school.  

Creative spills, the organization that runs Slam poetry in Kenya has through the years tried to bring newer concepts besides poetry competition. This year, they went out of their way and indeed brought a masterpiece festival that rivals some of the best literary festivals in the country. It remains to be seen what this outfit will produce in the future. In the words of Creative Spills director Ian Gwagi, ‘We have a lot planned for the Kenyan poetry space,’ and believe me, through the numerous long phone conversation and in person discussions Ian, Kenyan poetry scene is up for a grand makeover.

The Grand Slam festival ran from January 25-26 in Nairobi.