Canadian based poet, musician and sculptor, Keisha Monique Simpson was visiting Zimbabwe for a week in August and I managed to catch up with her when she made a special appearance in the at Sistaz Open Mic at the Book Café. Keisha’s poetry has been featured on radio, television and film, she is also a two-time member of Toronto’s Up From The Roots Slam Team and two-time feature at North America’s largest spoken word event, ‘When Sisters Speak’.
Her words reflect the harsh reality of everyday struggles fused with the courage to face them. It was when she took to stage and performed two poems that she had the audience wowed. One of her poems touched on good personal relationships as a means of creating a bigger and better society. She seemed to be saying one cannot expect to build a better community moreso a society if one has not dealt with the smaller issues even at family level.
Q
I understand this is your first time to Zimbabwe, what was your first impression?
KMS
Yes, this is was my first time to Zimbabwe and I love it here! I called my family back in Toronto to tell them how much Zimbabwe reminds me of Jamaica. The warmness of the people, the rich culture, the lush landscape. There is a very strong spirit here. Having the opportunity to connect with so many artists and people along with performing, has been an absolute blessing. This is a beautiful place and it is definitely not my last time coming.
Q
A brief on your workshops & performances in South Africa
KMS
While in South Afrika, I will be co-facilitating a writing workshop with other artists at Cape Town University. This workshop will include all of us sharing our various writing techniques and then fuse what we have learned from each other. Also, I will be mentored by Elders who used their art in the struggle against apartheid. In Soweto, I will be facilitating a writing workshop at Rosa Parks Library for Young Women in the community, which will pull from their own personal experiences with an emphasis on ancestry and spirituality. We will also do visioning at the end of the workshop, which is a process of identifying and acknowledging one’s purpose, accepting it and using visual aids to support us in realizing it.
Q
Our poetry movements are starting to emerge with initiatives from different perspectives what would you say about poetry in Canada.
KMS
There is a huge poetry community in Canada. With the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, When Brothers Speak, When Sisters Speak, monthly open mics, slams and sessions, etc; from coast to coast, there are spoken word poets, dub poets, page poets, etc from all walks of life speaking/writing/reciting on various issues. From the abstract to politics to the personal, there is usually a wide variety of topics at each show. There are also poets and other lovers of poetry who are working hard at creating safer spaces for those us who have had our experiences appropriated, silenced and/or spoken for. Not every community is given the same amount of access to platforms of expression and the struggle for equal foot …On the flip side of this, solidarity is formed between various communities and individuals as a result.
Q Musician, Poet, Sculptor: is this interrelated?
KMS Yes, it is! I have fused my poetry with music (I play the djembe, keyboard and do light producing). I have found that expressing self through various mediums usually aid in the other art forms and as a lover of art, I am therefore continuously learning that everything is interwoven. It’s important to explore new and various avenues of ourselves and allowing
that to flow freely through our creations.
Q How do you view performance poetry as compared to poetry readings (I’ve always felt performance poetry spoke more to the audience than poetry reading does)
KMS I love and have respect for all poetry forms. There is, however, an element of performance poetry that strikes a cord with me. To bear witness to someone standing in their truth, performing with passion is beyond just poetry for me, it is an experience. I have only expressed myself through performance poetry, thus far, mainly for this reason as I feel more connected with the audience. But, this may change depending on what the moment calls for.
Q Any general comments on your experience in Zimbabwe?
KMS Zimbabwe is such as magical place. I was and still am so humbled by the balance of the compassion, genuineness, and resistance of Zimbabwean people. I have testimony upon testimony of wonderful experiences and relationships formed. From the artists to the market women to the business owners to the school children, it has been nothing short of a blessing to connect and share.
The afternoon which was filled with surprises saw the introduction of Milopi, and all female band who had the crowd leap to their feet in no time. Rumbi Tapfuma and the Percussionists held their own. It was an afternoon of powerful spoken word, music and dance and Keisha Monique sure gave an unforgetable performance for the full-house audience at Sistaz Open Mic