Nairobi, 31st January 2012. After the success of the first edition held last December, Maneno Matamu returns with a variety of poetry performances in African languages. The next show is to take place at Uhuru Park on Saturday 3rd March and will feature artists such as Njeri Wangarĩ (Gĩkũyũ), Jacob Oketch (Dholuo) and the duo Kunimbichi & Gaz (Sheng’) among others.
“The words brought to life by poets have the power to move people and take them on a personal journey” explains Laila Le Guen, the organiser.”Maneno Matamu seeks to harness this poetic vibe to foster artistic expression in African languages”. Indeed, several decades after Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s call for a revival of African languages through literature, the English language still dominates the Kenyan poetry scene.
Beyond mere entertainment, Maneno Matamu aims at reestablishing the prestige of African languages in Kenya and at promoting their use. The event will welcome the usual poetry aficionados but also park dwellers and the occasional passer-by, an occasion to bring all generations together to celebrate our beautiful linguistic heritage.
About Maneno Matamu
Maneno Matamu is a platform for African poets/writers to showcase their work in the rich and beautiful languages this continent is blessed with.
Its main goals are:
• To revive interest in African languages by encouraging people to learn them, use them, write in them.
• To raise awareness within Kenya/Africa on the amazing linguistic heritage this continent has.
• To bring Kenyans/Africans together to hear all the beauty that lies in each other’s languages and stand proud of their multilingualism.
Blog: manenomatamu.wordpress.com
E-mail: africanpoetry(at)gmail.com
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