News
My Father & Other Superheroes – The tour
The tour Begins. Check out the flyer here My Father & Other Superheroes -Flyer In Birmingham @ Mac In London @ The Albany In Stockton @ Arc In Manchester @ Contact HERO IN YOU
My Father & Other Superheroes @ mac Birmingham
With all ends there is a beginning. What started as an idea in SpokeLab rehearsal room is now a show with legs. It’s a true story. I should know, because I lived it. Its got good guys, bad guys and more. I am working with the Jedi that is Bengi Reid with support from mac Birmingham and Contact Theatre. Here is the blurb My Father & Other Superheroes The day Nick Makoha realised he was going to become a father, he also realised he had no idea how to be one… This is one man’s honest revelation of how pop culture raised him in the absence of his father. We follow Nick’s journey as he…
Ten Tour @ Southbank
Ten Tour @ Southbank Join me as the Ten tour bus parks itself at the Southbank. Four poets from the anthology TEN new poets from Spread the Word will be reading from their latest work in this special event to celebrate the TEN anthology. The poets are Mir Mahfuz Ali, Rowyda Amin, Nick Makoha and Shazea Quraishi. The event is hosted by the anthology’s co-editor Bernardine Evaristo. By the book here: TEN new poets from Spread the Word
Portfolio
The Complete works
A national two year development programme for ten advanced Black and Asian poets. It partners The Arts Council England, The Foyle Foundation, The Old Possum’s Practical Trust, In association with the Arvon Foundation. It supports writers to produce a full-length collection by providing Individual poet-mentors who will offer intensive critical feedback, tailored support and career development. Writers will have access to a professional development programme, seminars, critical reading sessions, meet-the-editor events and career support and advice. Each year will feature a residential week of writing at Arvon for the group where peer support will be encouraged. The Complete Works will culminate in a final anthology for Bloodaxe in 2010 at a showcase event. During the…
Spokelab Residencies
Spoke-Lab: As a resident artist of Spoke-Lab I developed my show “My Father & Other Superheroes” One man’s honest revelation of how pop culture raised him in the absence of his father. It is an autobiographical account looking at how boys deal with “absent father syndrome”. It looks at how the TV male icons act as a surrogate fathers to fill the void of loneliness. As a new wave of artist I am aware that poetry in the theatre is by no means a new idea. There was a role for poetry in the great world theatres of the past — the Greek theatre, the Elizabethan theatre, the Japanese theatre. However, in modern times the…
Newham Writer in Residence
I was the Writer in Residence for Newham Libraries in a venture conceived by Spread the Word and Newham Libraries and Arts Service together with Arts Council England. The project aimed to increase the number of residents in the borough of Newham actively involved in creative writing and literature. Working with 14-18 year olds in Kingsford and Langdon School I piloted The Hero In You Project. It attempts to help young people identify with positive role models from similar cultural backgrounds as well looking at, and attempting to relate this, to their personal life experiences. It puts the icons/ Heroes into a socio-political context, identifying the characteristics required from within to bring about positive change….
Tate Remixed 2008
It is a digital media collaboration between B3 Media and The Tate. Four spoken-word artists and filmmakers were commissioned to produce a series of short films based on their interpretation of three Tate exhibitions. My poem Vista was used to interpret the Turner prize 2008. I worked along side Stacy Makishi, Francesca Beard and Polarbear. The poems are available online at the Tate website or to download. The Poem Vista reflects on how controversy surrounding the Turner Prize is a great thing for stirring artistic debate. I say: “We all have our own point of view, both in art and in general. Our own way of seeing the world can become so entrenched so as…
Spread the Word Commission
Drawing upon my experiences as writer in residence in Newham I was commissioned to write some poems inspired by the diversity of the borough. I was asked to explore my Ugandan roots and look at how my exodus from Uganda in 1979 had impacted on my life. I gathered aural history form Ugandan elders and young people in the community that I had worked with on The Hero In You pilot. From the interviews and memories I extracted the poems. This new writing commission was produced by Spread the Word in consultation with the writer and LB Newham arts and culture team.
London 2012 Olympic Bid:
As part of Kensington and Chelsea Council’s support for the Olympic bid, the Libraries and Arts service decided to express its interest in the bid through poetry. The Land of Hope and Glory’ and `The Measure of all Things’ were written by myself. I spent time discussing London’s bid to hold the Olympics with a dance class and a basketball team at Lancaster and Golborne youth centres. I spoke to people in libraries across the borough and staff at Kensington and Chelsea Council about their views on the bid. I then used this information to craft two poems, which illustrate the views of the people in Kensington and Chelsea. Poetry written in the libraries and…









