Poets Talk: 5 Questions with Ebrahim Soul’O

What is the process of writing a poem like for you? Is it a lot of hard work or easy?

Ebrahim Soul’O: Sometimes it’s hard work. As a poet, on some days, I have to write to ensure that I’m still honing the muscle. So, it really starts to feel like I’m pulling inspiration from my arse (pardon my French). Now being blocked behind there is a Hercules feat to overcome, but somehow God blessed these beautiful bodies of ours to work magically . . . but the ultimate feat that outweighs all Twelve of Hercules’ is the one where your mind desires to go but there is nothing in the system. This is no simple task. Somehow, I work my way around it.

On days when it’s easy, it’s like I have a momentary chance to pull something from the endless stream of God’s conscious and I lay it out on paper without any constraint. It’s light work, and those days can be rare these days.

Please describe your sense of identity in this or any possible world in imagery or metaphor?

Ebrahim Soul’O: I used to be a seed. I am now a tree. When I was planted, there was no surefire way to prove that I would rise from the soil. But I made it out and saw the light. Thereon started my plight. I was watered, and nurtured, and learned my ways from my care takers but soon had to learn to stand on my own. My care takers did a good job, but the world is persuasive. It’ll will test your resilience, so on some days I was swayed by the wind and fell short. I then learnt to take care of myself, after all, you can’t learn to do that until you’ve overcome the worlds persuasive ways.

On this journey I have flowered and also succeeded in fruiting. It’s been beautiful, even for me, to witness. Alas, the world never stops teaching. We’re not always in bloom. I did indeed turn into this beautiful lush green tree, but on some days I have had no leaves, on some days I have no fruit. And I’m at a point in my life where I am learning the valuable lesson of seasons. I might be grounded but that doesn’t not mean I cannot be shaken.

Nekyo Kyene by Ebrahim Soul’O (2022)

If any of your poems could literarily save a person’s life, which poem would it be and can you describe the person whose life you think it would have saved?

Ebrahim Soul’O: This poem would save me or any one that like me has felt beaten up by the world and victimized by habits we succumb to as we overcome our thrashing. Often, we feel like we need help to overcome. For me it’s been that way for so long and same is true for so many other people that I know, who always lay back waiting for help. And no matter what help they get it just isn’t enough. It either feels like an attack, or simply a waste of time because it’s hard to be corrected when your system has been corrupted. And only we can truly cleanse ourselves of this corruption. I believe it’s the only point in time when we’re truly allowed to be selfish. The only time our self-serving actions will serve us for the better.

Help isn’t on the way 
by
Ebrahim Soul'O
 

I’m not one to slit my own veins, to each their own way.
For me it eats away at me slowly like losing weight,
Like colour fading away till it’s drab and pale.
Sometimes I wish I didn’t welcome it and let it stay
To bring me discomfort in my abode each and everyday.
It’s an ungrateful guest that I feed and let have its way. 

What is it about us being friendly yet it’s detrimental?
Do we have a choice to say no to  protect our mental? 
Maybe it’s the wolf in sheep skin that’s cunning?
And once we let it in, it casually conspires to corrupt
and orchestrate something lethal and conniving.
It’s methods are untimely in nature when it comes to impale,
Constrictive they could hold you captive with no one to post bail. 

We let the music play and the entertainer won’t quit -
And its death metal music leads us to the mosh pit.
Where it’s you verses you and ironically the entertainer becomes the audience.
How I wish I had a solution to give you and I some confidence. 
But an Angel once said, it’s about where you find your
peace of mind. And I can’t give you that piece of mine. 
The least I hope is that you can mine deep inside and
find that which will help you be fine. 

Cause if time has taught me one thing, there’s no help coming.

What does Africa mean to you, as potential or reality?

Ebrahim Soul’O: Africa is a fortune experiencing misfortune. The little I know about it is from literature narrated by those that colonized us, and when the story isn’t told by the victim or prey, there’s an untold side of the story. The narrative is changing, there are truths unveiling, and it’s beautiful to know that we once had glorious kings and queens, whose past has somehow been erased by a phase that left us shaken and in an everlasting daze. This is my home, in a state of chaos and confusion on so many different levels—East, West, North, South, and Central. And despite how tragic and flawed it is, it’s a home I absolutely love. It’s people’s attitudes that are admirable, and as I work my way up to better it, I hope and pray that it truly is the future as they often say.

Could you share with us one poem you’ve been most impressed or fascinated by? Tell us why and share favorite lines from it.

Ebrahim Soul’O:

The Guest House. 
from Jalaluddin Rumi


This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

I love this poem because it is simple. I have no particular line that stands out because it’s not the kind where you pluck out a line and it stands on its own. It has to be digested as a whole.

Ebrahim Soul’O, a multifaceted artist from Kampala, Uganda, is known for his alternative hip-hop soul music. Eastern regional Winner of the 2021 Pearl of Africa star search competition, his blend of acoustic melodies, soulful vocals, and hip-hop rhythms has captivated audiences and earned him the title of a “true artist.” With three albums – “Conjolted” (2019), “Akatebankano” (2020), and his latest concept album “Shaka” (2023) – Ebrahim showcases his musical prowess and growth. He is also an accomplished poet, with a collection titled “Conjolted” and a conceptual anthology/biography titled “Ayeh, Leave It to God.” Ebrahim has graced the stages of renowned festivals and events such as Afropalooza, Nyege Nyege, and Blankets and Wine, and has work with local talents like Maurice Kirya, The Mith, and Cindy. His music and poetry resonate with fans for their authenticity and unique sound.

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Richard Ali

Richard Ali is a Nigerian writer whose poems were first published in 2008. He has served in the National EXCO of the Association of Nigerian Authors and sits on the board of Uganda’s Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation. A member of the Jalada Writers Cooperative based in Nairobi, his work has been published in African Writing, Jalada, Saraba Magazine and elsewhere. The Anguish and Vigilance of Things is his debut collection, was published in 2020. He practices Law in Abuja, Nigeria.