You are the words you tweet

Oct 7, 2020 |

Recently, I downloaded my Twitter archive and have been going through twelve years’ worth of every tweet I have posted, drawing inspiration from the thoughts, ideas, experiences, etc expressed for my upcoming book, to be published in 2021 by Pan Macmillan South Africa. “Study the past if you would define the future.”Confucius It has been a fascinating trip down memory lane. The things that I considered ‘tweet-worthy’, the ideas that I have had, the moments I have lived through. It occurred to me that, in being active on social media, we are essentially documenting our lives. This can be...

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Language is a tool

Nov 11, 2019 |

In the early days of Twitter, a regular refrain was “it’s only Twitter” when one took offence at the contents of another’s tweet. And then people started losing their jobs, or couldn’t get jobs, or couldn’t get into schools, all because of a view expressed on twitter that was considered beyond the bounds of ‘appropriate.’ Nowadays, we don’t hear that phrase much anymore, but too many people still operate as if social media does not have consequences, which it does, even if it isn’t felt instantly. I have had many a conversation with my 12-year old about the implications of what he shares and...

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The Artist Known As Saul Williams

Jun 17, 2015 | ,

Saul Williams. His influence as a poet permeated the Joburg scene following the release of the film Slam. Many a young poet found voice out of his unwavering desire to share his voice. The power of his words force you to listen and his willingness to draw influence without boundary, speaking truth to power with a confidence that many of us wish we had. I listened to his first album Amethyst Rock Star repeatedly for a year and always found something new in the spaces between the words. And when I listen to it today, it still, at times violently, grabs at my beliefs and forces me to reflect on...

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Poetry: The Power of Po

Nov 3, 2009 |

The intention is, over time, to record little video clips of my poetry. Often, I get so caught up in how to do it properly, in terms of shooting, that I never get round to anything. This is a poem from my 2005 collection Voices In My Head. The internal debate: do I post the video, the text or the video and the text? I've decided to post the video. March 2018: I've been going through past posts on my blog and finding so many broken links, random ideas, etc. I have always wanted to do poetry videos but more from a conceptual perspective. When I initially posted this many moons ago, I had...

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Kojo Baffoe – Staccato Rhythms

Jun 14, 2009 |

Some say poetry is meant to speak for those who cannot speak. It is a tool for revolution. And those who can speak it, have a duty to only reside in that space & that spirit. This is a debate I have had with some of my peers, over the years. I believe the Word must be a reflection of the human experience, in all its glory and folly. There are no boundaries to what it can and cannot speak, however serious or trivial. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JH6gu_Gcpw Every now & then, I actually write what I consider a political piece. This is one. Not necessarily my best performance of it,...

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Kojo Baffoe – Don’t Stop

Jun 12, 2009 |

Is it strange to have a favourite poem, that you wrote? Well, not necessarily wrote but you were there and the pen was in your hand. Who knows where the words come from. Are we merely channelers? Vessels through which greater, higher beings speak? This is my favourite poem. And I was there when it was written, but don't feel like I wrote it. Not necessarily the best performance of it, but it does make me feel good when I speak it. Something to keep me going. A reminder to never stop because this life is a journey. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3tSvoWt9FI What do you think? Let me know.

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