A poet called to share his testimony how his audio was played yesterday in a very "jabronic" almost insignificant radio station. Another poet sent me a recording of his voice performing on stage that was played on TV... not so local a television station, but very far below standard. A fan told me how he listened to Dike Chukwumerije's poem on radio in Lagos and waited for mine until he slept off. I also saw posts of a lot of my poet friends and students narrating how they enjoyed air play yesterday. Oh, I also remember that I was one of the poet invited to perform in a very local television station in Port Harcourt 2 years ago and how when we were done, the staff in charge came and said to me, 'anything for the boys?' I laughed but he was damn serious.
The other poets who had attended the on air meeting previous years calmly said to me that it's normal. They narrated how they've always, 'dropped' something to 'oil their palms' and 'buy fuel'. I ended up 'dropping' 2,000 Naira that day but swore never to grant them interview even if they're inviting:
Wole Soyinka,
I said all of these to say this, we should stop celebrating mediocrity! It is true that we've moved from being almost not celebrated to being 'recognized' but there's more we could have achieved, first as individuals then as a collective bunch of artistes. Only between yesterday and the day before it, over 30 OAPs asked for my audio recordings. Like they don't know that the audios are online. Even when I gave them the links, some of them insisted that I send the files to them because they won't have time to download. I told them that I wouldn't have time to share the files. You see, if this happens to me, I wonder what is the fate of the not so popular poets.
It seems we've gradually started to not just accept but also become satisfied with this trend. The trend where our contents will only be on demand every World Poetry Day. I've always been a sucker for special days and the things people do with them. How some people will never take their spouse on a date until it's February 14th, how most people only go to church on the last day of the year, how some Christians only pray when they're in trouble but this hate for this special day for poetry and the eye-service practices is different. You know why? Because it plays light our efforts to go mainstreams. It ridicules what most poetry promoters like me stand for. Truth is nothing will change if we maintain statuesque. I won't advise any poet to assume a brand that's bigger than his or her worth but I'll definitely charge us to see beyond our individual inclinations and proclivities. It's not about just you. If you lay your crown, people will use it as a carpet. If this happens, no matter how much quality we possess and exhibit, our crowns (which by the way all look same) will look like carpets regardless of the head wearing them. I've bounced events not because the 20K or 30k they're offering won't add value to my personal needs but because I was wondering what they'd offer to the poets under me if that's what they're offering me especially when I compare it to what they've stuffed in the accounts of other artistes.
Funny enough, the events where I was paid well were the same events I was treated well. Contrary to popular opinion, they won't make up for their deficiency of a worthy honorarium with good PR. It has happened countless times to me and numerous friends that I know. Stop celebrating mediocrity. Look beyond your personal needs and have regard for our collectively class. Finally, don't overestimate your worth. I still maintain that you shouldn't lay down your crown. If a platform is bigger than you, instead of going about looking for butt holes to lick, patiently work on your value/brand until you're fit enough to be honored accordingly. Leave your crown where it belongs... On your head! Get better. Buy books that would improve your grammar, rhetoric and pronunciation. Rhyming and the use of wordplay can be improved on. Get mentors to help you make sensitive decisions that will help you brand. Submit to people that have passed the road your preparing to ply. Don't let things happen to you, happen to things. Because like a drop of water on a large body of water, we'll all feel the rippling effects.
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Meet Graciano Enwerem. He's a lecturer, poet, presenter, literary critic and the author of SPOKEN WORD POETRY-101.
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