An Ode to Nas With Notepads, An Ode to The Young Sudanese Poets
PBLCA 15
Some time ago, it could be long or short, depending on your perspective, I was a spoken word poet, and I still am, but much less prolifically so. Those days when I lived the full composition of a spoken word poet were Fire Days, for my writing, my creativity, and for the finessing of a trade, and that all started to happen with the help of a group of young Sudanese poets called Nas With Notepads.
I’m nostalgic for Nas With Notepads, for their art, their efforts, and their community, and I thought what’s a better way to manifest their reemergence into our lives than to share some of their wonders on a newsletter issue?
Allow me to introduce you to some of my favorite spoken word pieces by Sudanese poets who were once part of the Nas With Notepads community.
It is true that my selection here would be limited by the online availability of their work, as well as my own time and space bound connections with their rich community, but believe me still, you will feel something listening to and reading these pieces.
1. الله في جيل لاسماعيل عمر
I just had to start off by this one, because it has been relevant to our lives as Sudanese youth every single day since the poem’s inception.
I have had the pleasure to hear Ismail perform it live one day, and it was something to behold, I hope you will get that chance someday too.
You can read it here, on Nas With Notepads blog.
2. A Self-Portrait by RAJ
Yes, Raj makes her second appearance in this newsletter, because it just happens that she is one of the finest poets this land has had the pleasure of having, in my lifetime.
You can read A self-portrait by Raj here, and you can see where Raj has made her first appearance in this newsletter right here.
3. Venting by Ahmed Salah & The Bereft by Ahmed Hardallo
You know when the Artist and the work of Art merge into one? you know how that feels like and manifests? Yes? Good.
These two spoken word pieces and their artists; The Bereft by Ahmed Hardallo & Venting by Ahmed Salah, remind of that merging phenomenon. Whenever I used to attend a Nas With Notepads event I would listen and observe the stillness of the artists more than I would observe them performing, there was magic in seeing Art in the process of being liberated away from the human form of its artist.
You can listen to these 2 pieces and more on Nas With Notepads’ SoundCloud here.
I end this issue of the newsletter by secretly, not so secretly, praying that there would be more days like the days of Nas With Notepads.