Zakiyyah Dzukogi: What is the process of writing a poem like for you? Is it a lot of hard work or easy?
Nakanwagi Zenah: For me, writing a poem is as easy as ordering a cup of ice cream. I don’t have a pulse, yet I write on the spur of the moment. I sometimes spend a week with a poem written “spiritually” before I put it on paper. I don’t force anything; it just comes naturally. That’s why most people relate to my poems; I write from the soul about the usual things that everyone experiences. I don’t look for vocabulary; I tell it how it is. To me, poetry is the only way I can get feedback on how I feel!
Zakiyyah Dzukogi: Please describe your sense of identity in this or any possible world in imagery or metaphor.
Nakanwagi Zenah: As a liberal feminist poet in the world, my sense of identity is like a butterfly fluttering through a garden of vibrant, colourful flowers. It’s a constant exploration of the beauty and complexity of the world around me as I seek to capture its essence in words and imagery. Like a painter with a brush, my identity is a canvas waiting to be painted with the vibrant colours of life. I am constantly inspired by the people and events that shape our world, and I strive to express their stories and experiences in a beautiful and meaningful way.
My identity as a liberal feminist poet is also like a river flowing through the vast, open landscape of the world. It’s a source of life and nourishment, providing a voice for the marginalised and oppressed and empowering them to rise up and demand change. At the same time, my identity is like a flame that burns brightly, illuminating the world with its brilliance and passion. It’s a symbol of hope and resilience and a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always a spark of light waiting to be ignited.
Finally, my identity as a liberal feminist poet is like a seed planted deep in the earth, waiting to grow and bloom into something beautiful and transformative. It’s a symbol of the power of words and ideas to shape our world and a call to action for all those who believe in justice and equality for all.
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?
Nakanwagi Zenah: “Dear God”. I wrote this poem at a time when I felt worthless, unfortunate, and visionless. I had talked to everyone around me, and no one seemed to understand what I was going through. Everyone wanted me to want something different than what I should want. I was alone and dead at that time, and I was being used differently from how I was supposed to be used. So I turned to God for help, for guidance, and for confidence, and indeed, I found solace.
I read this poem every time I feel lost, and it gives me hope and courage to face my fears. This poem can save every person who feels unheard, unloved and misunderstood.
Zakiyyah Dzukogi: What does Africa mean to you, as potential or reality?
Nakanwagi Zenah: Africa has the potential to lead the world, given its wealth in natural resources, clean environment, and adorable health conditions. Africa’s population is steadily growing, and nearly 70 per cent of the world’s youth population is from Africa. This means that there’s room for growth.
If the status quo is maintained, it can reach its goal. Unfortunately, because there are existing superpowers that do not allow other continents to rise to the top, they don’t do it directly. In one way or another, they cooperate with our leaders to reach these goals in exchange for them being given protection to remain in power, which leaves Africa as a potential because there are many factors that do not allow it to be a 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.
Nakanwagi Zenah: “Argument with God”, this poem, reflects how selfish human nature is. This woman was begging God to save her child, but when she saw the cockroach, she crushed it. She wrote:
“Though you are silent, I am sure you hear me,
Be fair,
Be just,
Let him live strong and happy.
Then on the wall, a cockroach, pregnant with eggs,
In the lions of labour
Bringing forth new life
I snatched a newspaper
And hit the cockroach,
It fell on its back,
Struggling for life
And I crushed it with the heel of my shoe.
All the time I was praying
Violently pleading for the life,
The life of my child.”
Nakanwagi Zenah is a Ugandan author. She is the author of I Am a Woman, I Am Love, Spit My Heart, The Naked Mind, and Touch of Emotions. She still hopes to write “the book” one day, and until then, she will keep trying to be better.
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- Poet’s Talk: 5 Questions with Zakiyyah Dzukogi - August 19, 2023
