PINKPOET KIMANI ON HER ARTISTRY WHILE
IN KISUMU
She is a poet with witty words but a soft spoken personality. A soft spoken heart. Grace
Kimani might strike you as calm, jovial, ordinary lass when you first meet her. Not till you get to know that she is an accomplished young poet whose works
have been featured in two Kenyan poetry anthologies. She is the initiator of
two prominent art gatherings this side of the country having started Spoken
Heart in Maseno and Lakeside Poetry in Kisumu. Pinkpoet has shared the stage
with outstanding poets and artists in the country like Tear Drops, Juliet
Wangombe (who wrote President Uhuru Kenyatta’s acceptance speech) and Nasara
the beat boxer. Be sure to bump into her at most of the many poetry events in
Nairobi. Here’s an interview I did with her through e-mail back in April.
What is it like being a creative in
Kisumu?
It’s been four years since I came to Kisumu and the
experience has been amazing. I have had the opportunity to grow as a poet and a
guitarist while in Kisumu.
When did you start your artistry?
I started performing poetry in 2003 while I was in upper
primary. As for my writing, I started writing poetry in 2006 but it was not
till 2012 that I began incorporating playing the guitar in my performances.
Have you linked up with any other
people who engage in creative processes similar to what you do?
I have met various poets, writers and musicians in Kisumu
who have a passion for art as much as I do. Through concerts and monthly artistic
events I have had the opportunity to meet talented upcoming and established
artist’ in Kisumu.
Being a creative/artist in Kisumu has a
lot of challenges. Which ones for example have you faced?
The major challenge I have experienced as a poet in Kisumu
has been that of selling my poetry. The Kisumu audience has become more
receptive over the years but it is still hard to sell the idea of an exclusive
poetry event in Kisumu. There is always a need to incorporate other arts such
as dance and music to compliment the poetry to a very large extent. Poetry is
yet to secure a strong position in the Kisumu art scene.
How have you overcome these setbacks?
With the help of other poets, we began a poetry lounge in
Maseno University known as Spoken Heart. Through this forum we made poetry
popular and created an interest for poetry in the region.
Is there good competition in the field of
creativity that you engage in?
I would say there is potential for greater competition among
the poets in Kisumu.
In your own capacity, what are some of
your achievements?
One thing
I consider an achievement is the role I played in founding the Spoken Heart Maseno Chapter. Spoken Heart is an
urban contemporary artist’s lounge based in Maseno University. It is a Behavior
Change Communication Group within I Choose Life (ICL) Maseno with the aim of
communicating behavior change through art. It incorporates poets, writers,
visual artists, singers/songwriters and spoken word artists.
It was also during my four years in
Kisumu that some of my pieces were published in two Kenyan poetry anthologies.
There is a perception out there that
Kisumu artists and creatives are not good enough. Do you agree with this? Can
anything be done about this?
Any such perception is misguided. I have been part of the
Kisumu artists’ network and there is great talent in Kisumu. The only thing
that needs to be done is the exposure of this great talent to the rest of the
country and the world.
What kind of support have you got from
the people around you?
I have received moral and financial support from my friends
and family in my pursuit of success as a poet in Kenya.
Who/what inspires you?
I draw my daily inspiration from life experiences, both my
own and those of people around me.
Who do you look up to in your artistry?
Caroline Nderitu, Sitawa Wafula. Phyllis Muthoni, Sitawa
Namwalie and Staceyann Chin.
Where do you hope to have taken your
career in the next five years?
I hope to have published my first poetry book in the next
five years.
Pinkpoet was included in a feature by gigzcampo that
profiled Maseno University’s 10 most inspiring ladies in October last year. The
anthologies in which her poems were featured are Fresh Paint and The Power of
Words.
Click this link to view some of her poems in her Facebook
notes.
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