Bamenda’s lead poetry show Black Swagger will
on Sunday August 26 celebrate three years of existence.
The event to take place
at Blue Pearl Hotel starting 3:00PM has been placed under the theme “Africa.”
According to one of the presenters and active partners of what is now known as
poetry slam Yembe Carl, ‘It’s three years, three awesome
years of creating and presenting this event’  |
| Grand Pa performing during a Black Swagger Event |
Budji Kefen
Co-host affirms through social media.” Black Swagger Poetry Slam is an
educative and Entertaining program which brings together Culture lovers in an
extravaganza of Poetry: Reading, Spoken word performance spiced with Music by
local artists of the north west region with the main objective of promoting
Performances by North West Poets and Singers.”
In the last three
years, the show has seen performance from great poets such as Dr Focho Gladys,
Sophie’s Voice, Joyce Babatunde, Mottani, Dr Fai Donatus , Vugah Samson aka
Grandpa amongst many others .Singers in the persons of Shura, Leonnete,
Zitalight have all graced the platform Created and produced by La Liberte Arts
Group, a creative arts group in Bamenda headed by Mr Akumbu L.Jones with her strategic partners The GREENS
International and YG Incorporated three years ago.
 |
| Presenters of Black Swagger Poetry Slam |
According to
Akumbu Jones “Black Swagger is a Clarion call for us Africans to embrace who we
are and to use our local resources to develop our country in particular and our
Continent in general through the creative arts. BLACK Swagger affirms that we
can enjoy poetry as a tool for intra Africa unity and prosperity. Black Swagger
poetry Slam BSPS is the only arts events that has been consistent in the region
for the past three years, organized once every month, despite little
sponsorship.”
Explaining how it
all started, Akumbu states “it was difficult to get Bamenda populace to embrace
the concept, the fact that there is the absence of a cultural center to fully
engage with the population.”
 |
| Guests during a Black Swagger Event |
“I have pleasantly
and patiently seen the show successfully create a place for Bamenda population
to get first hand performances once every month” Ngalim Franklin,aka Mr Green
President and Founder of The GREENS noted.
The Black Swagger
anniversary event is schedule to take place this Sunday 26 of August at Blue
Pearl Hotel from 3pm to 5 pm.
As to what plans
at three, Mr Akumbu L. Jones adds “It
has developed a loyal audience of close to 200 -300 audience .The show is built
for TV, soon very soon we take it to the TV.”
The core value of BLACK SWAGGER POETRY SLAM
(BSPS) notes that “BSPS is a non-traditional Poetry Event. It posits that
Blackness is a strong clarion call to stand up, stand out and be proud of who
we are. BSPS asserts that we can bring about Change and it can only be
sustainable if we work from within, that's why we work mostly with home talents
or unsung talents: Singers, rappers, poets.”