Zakiyyah Dzukogi: What is the process of writing a poem like for you? Is it a lot of hard work or easy?
Joel Mbuvi: Writing a poem involves a lot of research and a point of inspiration. Writing a poem comes from the heart and from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Once the research is concrete and my heart is in line with whatever concept I want to write about then a poem is born.
It is not easy because as a creative you have to be in the moment. Most of my work, take quite some time to come up with the concept. Again, the concept has to flow and sometimes finding the flow can be a challenge.
Zakiyyah Dzukogi: Please describe your sense of identity in this or any possible world in imagery or metaphor.
Joel Mbuvi: I would describe myself as a wild wind that was forged by God to crash through social iniquities. I believe that I am Moses and my pen is the staff that creates a path for people to walk through.
Zakiyyah Dzukogi: 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?
Joel Mbuvi: The poem is entitled I will not say. This poem talks about my personal experience. I was a child who has gone through divorce and I was very angry about it and it was really hard growing up. It was not easy to heal from this because my teenage years were full of resentment towards the world. However when I wrote this piece I felt that my anger was well projected and everything I had inside of me every little emotion was indicated in this piece. This is also a dedication to anyone who has experienced this in life and this is an encouragement that you are not alone. If I could heal so can you.
Zakiyyah Dzukogi: What does Africa mean to you, as potential or reality?
Joel Mbuvi: Africa is like what Saul Williams calls it The Philosophers Stone. Africa is basis of everything that is in the world, it is the cradle of mankind the cradle of wealth the cradle of knowledge just to mention a few. To answer this question, Africa to me is the origin of everything and we have so much potential to move further as a continent. This is my reality.
Zakiyyah Dzukogi: Could you share with us one poem you’ve been most impressed or fascinated by? Tell us why and share your favourite lines from it.
Joel Mbuvi: My favorite poem is Black State. I love this piece because it talks about the social injustices. This piece was inspired by a true event where a governor’s mistress was murdered and she never got any justice. The mistress and her unborn child were brutally murdered and this hurt me a great deal. My favorite line is the biblical analogy of the last supper in the words
Our blood is sacred but it’s not to be passed around the tables empty your wine glasses….
Joel Mbuvi also known as Ranx OMania is a Kenyan poet writer and performing spoken word artist. Besides that he is a robust and energetic individual who doesn’t shy away from voicing his opinions. The name Ranx is an acronym that stands for Rise Above Negative Xpectations. He believes that his anger is righteous and this is seen in the aggressive nature of his performances. He is equally a staunch football fan and a hip hop head.
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