Paula Lindo – Our histories, stories, present, future.

The NGC Bocas Literary Festival National Poetry Slam, always a special event, was further enhanced this year by the participation of Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe, who performed her first ever Spoken Word poem as a guest at the show. Her poem, titled “What If These Children Knew?” encouraged children from troubled areas to rewrite their history and disprove the prediction that they would never do well in life.

Cudjoe said she was inspired to write the poem after visiting primary and secondary schools and being told that the children would probably not pass SEA or CXC because of their backgrounds.
Two Cents Movement founder, Jean-Claude Cournand, said it was a historic occasion to have a sitting politician perform at a Spoken Word event, and thanked the others who were there, including Minister of Arts and Community Development Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, Senator Mike Coppin and Chief Justice Ivor Archie. The Two Cents Movement organized the Slam along with the Festival and with the sponsorship of First Citizens Bank.
Other guest performances included Marge Blackman and the Jamoo band, Collis Duranty and Inter-Collegiate Spoken Word Champion 2016, Shineque Saunders, whose poem about killing her father’s murderer and then herself sent chills up the spines of the audience.
The first poet to perform, one of four women among 14 finalists, was Safiya St. Clair, who detailed how society, and especially the education system, had failed a young man who was shot.
Michael Logie’s ode to Flow told of his ups and downs dealing with the Internet provider’s lack of service, but he thanked them eventually because he wasn’t addicted to the Internet.
Alexandra Stewart’s vivid poem about drowning described her pain at her father divorcing her mother, but she realized he was an anchor that would have dragged her down.
The youngest poet in the group, 14-year-old Kirby Moses, told the story of a girl in a red hood who had been raped and impregnated by her wolf of a stepfather, and her trial after she stabbed him to death.
Darrion Narine’s punny poem had the audience in tears of laughter as he described the struggles of trying to survive as a UWI student.
Next up was Seth Sylvester, who recounted the story of Sheldon, a violent young man who was a gangster and shot-caller, until his enemies killed his younger brother who had led a blameless life. He then turned his life around and became a preacher and a voice for good.
Kyle Hernandez successfully portrayed a layabout young man, who lives on his mother’s couch and boasts about having a rap career while trying to track young girls.
Deneka Thomas compared rapists to colonizers in ships who conquer and settle in women’s lands without asking permission. She asked why society glorifies the wetman.
Marcus Millette continued in the same vein by reflecting on what influence music has on culture and how it gives tacit permission for rape and other acts of violence against women.
Brandon O’Brien said people are poems. He pledged to use his voice to help those poems that the world seems bent on rubbing out, especially young people who are not accepted because of who they are.
Next was Idrees Saleem, who said people have become complacent and wondered if recurring earthquakes were Mother Nature’s hurt at the increasing crime and corruption around the world.
Verne Titte said he feels like young people aren’t allowed to grow, and are discouraged from following their dreams if they do not follow society’s definition of success.
Defending champion Akile Wallace said people should always fight against being distracted from their dreams. The final poet of the night was Derron Sandy, whose poem was an ode to teenage single mothers, as he said “pregnant and teen does not end your dreams” regardless of people judging them.
Many of the poets used their personal stories in the creation of their poems. Cournand said the event was not about poetry, but about people. He said Spoken Word is the perfect vehicle for engaging young people in T&T and thanked the audience for giving the poets the chance to be heard.
The judges, including poet Paul Keens Douglas, rapso artist Wendell Manwarran, Barbadian writer Nailah Imoja, poet Nicholas Sosa, and English professor Laurence Breiner, deliberated and announced the winner after giving the poets some tips on their technique.
In third place was Idrees Saleem, while Kyle Hernandez was awarded second place. First place went to Seth Sylvester, who was visibly stunned at the announcement and collapsed to the ground. He said overwhelmed and overjoyed were not sufficient to describe how he was feeling at winning the $20,000 grand prize and gave all the credit to God for helping him with his performance.