Pulling Back the Veil on "Makola Market"

So, by now, perhaps, you have read A Poet Speaks of Empire and you are curious about the meaning of a particular poem or where inspiration for a poem came from. You may not have purchased a book yet, but posts like this one may tempt you. Over the next few weeks, I will fill you in on the story behind some of my readers' favorite poems. Pour a cup of tea or a glass of fine wine. I plan to pull back the veil on a few of the poems from A Poet Speaks of Empire—one at a time, week by week.

“Makola Market” was a reader favorite. Read it again or, here, for the very first time:

From the pit of the market –

a vantage point for barter and

trade – the echo of bold women

offering their wares for smooth

coins and crumbling bills.

Commerce is happening in Makola

Market on a vast lot – a plaza boasting

of tomatoes, peppers, gari

and rice. Long wished for fabrics – print

and embroidered – Kente cloth  is sold

to the highest bidder.

“This one is called, Your Heart’s Desire,”

says the market woman. How easy is her

gaze and how pleasing her plea.

Supply meets demand, here, at a price

that shifts with the ways of the wind.

Generations of women – farmers’ wives and

farmers, tailors’ wives and tailors – lay

claim to their wealth, measured in bills and

political power. A market woman’s vote

is more than marginal and

her words of praise or ridicule echo

around the market. Those who want

power swoon the market women,

whose pockets are filled with commerce.

My story begins with a confession: while I did visit Makola Market, located in Ghana’s capital, Accra, among the largest and most well-known open air markets in Ghana, this poem truly begins with my experience in a large open air market in Kumasi, Ghana, the seat of power for the Ashanti people.

I was introduced to the market by a co-worker’s brother, Kwame, who was kind enough to visit the market with me and to teach me about the market’s most popular items, vegetables, gari, etc., as well as the rituals and taboos of behavior in the market. During our visit, he got distracted and disappeared for about a half-hour. I was left to sit in the center of the market, knowing only a few words of Twi. This dilemma provided me with the opportunity to observe life in the market.

“From the pit of the market,” I watched women and men bargain for goods. I saw children dawdle by their mothers' sides.  I witnessed commerce and trade on its grandest platform with women as the chief beneficiaries.

Eventually, I got up the courage to bargain with a woman for some kente cloth in a pattern that I had never seen. (Kente cloth is a textile typically worn for special occasions and, centuries ago, only by royalty. See the photo posted here.) The market woman indicated that this pattern was truly unique and was called “Your Heart’s Desire”. She was shrewd and drove a tough bargain—needless to say.

By the time that Kwame found his way back to me, I had let go of a few cedi, but my wardrobe had grown so much richer.

I know from my studies of political science in the classroom that market women, such as those found in Kumasi or Accra, are among the nation’s most powerful entrepreneurs – well-organized and sometimes unionized. They are and have been so powerful that in the late 1970s, Makola Market was razed by President Jerry Rawlings, determined to reign in these entrepreneurs' power.

Today, markets like those found in Accra and Kumasi thrive and form essential elements of the informal economy in Ghana. View the video below to get a sense of life inside Makola Market:

                                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BN3SxN9zyE

Labor Day Weekend Memories

What a wonderful Labor Day celebration I had this weekend! There was good food, good company and good fun at both an intimate party of 20 on Saturday and at a larger, more boisterous celebration of roughly 50 on Sunday. I have a number of great stories to relate surrounding my books!

I had several very interesting discussions around my books with some of the kind ladies who sat with me around the lunch table on Saturday. Once I mentioned that I am a poet, the questions came at me quickly and furiously: "How long have you been writing?";"Would you mind reading a poem for us this afternoon?";"What do your parents think about you being a poet?"; "Who are some of the great, young African American poets of today?"

I noted to them that I had been seriously writing poetry since high school, where I was published not only in my high school's literary magazine, but in an established Spanish-language literary journal for a poem I wrote in Spanish, called "Oda al Girasol." (My high school Spanish teacher submitted this poem to the journal which, subsequently, published the work.)

When asked if I would read a poem from one of my books, I agreed, but in the end, due to conversation and other activities, I ran out of time. If I'd had the time, I would have read "Mama/Abuela," a favorite poem from my first book Contemplating Eve: The Collected Works.(Click here to read the poem. Scroll down to the third poem in this lengthy blog.)

The third question was a loaded one. I mentioned that, while I greatly enjoy being a poet, I have a master's degree in Economics and considerable experience abroad. I have a career to fall back on, which comforts my parents!

I greatly appreciated the final question. The woman who asked about young African American poets noted that she missed the fiery but eloquent social and political commentary of poets like Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni from the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. I highly recommended that she purchase my latest book, A Poet Speaks of Empire, because of its commentary on contemporary Africa. I also noted that Nikky Finney and Kwame Dawes are my favorite poets of African descent but poets like Natasha Trethaway (now the US poet laureate), Cornelius Eddy,  Shara McCallum, Major Jackson and January Gill O'Neil (all of whom are of African descent) are also doing some awesome work.

Perhaps the most memorable conversation I had was with the gentleman in this photograph and his wife. He asked me about my experiences in Ghana, while he discussed his experiences growing up in Guyana. I had run out of copies of A Poet Speaks of Empire but, as I indicated to his wife, he might appreciate The Lily & The Aster. In it is a travel essay concerning my trip to Africa and the poetry, being mainly haiku, is something anyone can appreciate because it is simple and straightforward.

Perhaps the greatest compliment came at Sunday's party. I was speaking to a couple and introduced two of my most recent works. After perusing The Lily & The Aster, the man said "This is really great! The idea that you're a writer is truly commendable. I have always wanted to be a writer." I think that there are a lot of people out there who want to write. With publishing becoming more accessible, the possibilities are endless. Cheers to all of the aspiring writers out there!

Summer Hiatus

What a whirlwind this summer has been! I'm currently in Madison, WI. This is such a pleasant get-away and easy space for reading and writing poetry. Here's a photo of my grandfather's house where much of my work takes place.


I just picked up Nikky Finney's Head Off & Split and Kwame Dawes' Duppy Conqueror at a cozy, little indie bookstore in downtown Madison called "A Room of One's Own" (after a book by Virginia Woolf.) I've looked to Finney and Dawes for inspiration in writing my fifth book of poetry, due out in the spring of next year.

Believe it or not, in this brief two and a half week stay in Madison, I finished writing my fifth book. This next work will concern one theme, namely, love. As you may know, this is a topic I have turned to in many of my early books and one that has been a favorite for many readers. I am currently considering two different titles. I will chose either Love Emphatically  or We Gather in the Name of Love.  The book will concern not only romantic love but love of family and friends. This was a wonderful book to write. And I have quite enjoyed my stay here in Madison. My time has been quite fruitful!

While I have been here, I also managed to get "A Room of One's Own" to put my poetry books on their shelves! So, if you find yourself in downtown Madison, within the next six months, do not hesitate to stop by this quaint little bookstore and pick up your copy of my latest book or some of the earlier titles, if you have not yet done so.

While I have been here, there has been little time to spare, between arts festivals, restaurant week, visiting friends and family, and writing. I also had the opportunity to visit an exhibit called "30 Americans" at the Milwaukee Art Museum. This special exhibit, now at the Museum until early-September, showcases the artwork of the most influential African American contemporary artists from across the country over the course of a forty-year period (Basquiat included). For details on who else was featured, visit www.mam.org.

I was quite impressed by the scale and scope of the exhibit. Every media and genre was represented. The works included in the exhibit varied from inspiring to disturbing. Some examined history, while others celebrated the strides made over the generations. The exhibit was exhaustive but kept me wanting to see more. It was altogether time well-spent.

This final picture was taken just three weeks ago at a family event in Plymouth Meeting, PA. I arrived with a table full of books and managed to sell a few to family and friends. As potential customers glanced at the books at my table, I received many words of encouragement, "Keep writing!" they said.

July was a busy month for me and for my poetry. I hope to return to writing weekly blog posts sometime this fall. Stay tuned!

A Review of NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names

What follows is a lengthy piece, but one which is well worth your time. It is a review of Caine Prize for African Writing winner, Zimbabwean author, NoViolet Bulawayo's new book, We Need New Names. The review's author, Ikhide R. Ikheloa, provides excerpts from the book, as well links to relevant blogs, essays and other material which enhance our idea of just what this new book is all about. In what he calls "some of the best poetry prose [he has] read in his life", he finds one of the most "contemporary pieces of literature that [he has] read in a long time" -- a book which fits into our texting, tweeting, Facebook culture. Bulawayo does not hold back in depicting the daily challenges of children growing up in poverty in contemporary Africa. As Ikheloa points out, "The words seep into your bones and slap you awake." The book does not dissolve into what some books about Africa do, namely "poverty porn," but rather presents a startling and complex portrait of modern life in Africa. Here's a review of NoViolet Bulawayo's new book:

http://xokigbo.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/for-noviolet-bulawayo-we-need-new-names/

On Kwame Dawes: His Work and Aesthetic

Kwame Dawes is a Ghana-born, Jamaican-American poet and professor whose work has won him countless awards, including an Emmy for his amazing work on the website, "Live Hope Love" (http://www.livehopelove.com/#/home/) a beautiful and interactive collection of poems, music, photography and video, dealing with people living with HIV in Jamaica. More about that site later.

In my latest book, A Poet Speaks of Empire, I praise Dawes' ability to "write a growing torrent of a poem" which "inspires wisdom and a knowing only he knows." Dawes has the remarkable ability to breathe life into ordinary words and to inspire reflection with each evocative lyric. Even in his prose, his language is so very precise and thoughtful. This much is evident in books, Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius and poetic works like Midland. 
  
I chose to highlight Dawes in my book, not only because he was born in Ghana and seems to have retained an inspiring sensibility and respect for where he comes from, but because of his determination to preserve a perspective on Jamaica which is altogether unique and somehow fragile. In the halls of academia, Dawes is one of the few who respect reggae as an aesthetic that needs to be examined and understood. In many ways, I understand why he writes and is so prolific. He seems to aim to write the books that he wishes to read himself and finds far too few of in the halls of libraries and bookstores. 

I wrote A Poet Speaks of Empire for just this reason. I have been unable to find many books that reflect on the current political and economic developments in the whole of Africa in recent years. No doubt, current events are being written about. In the years since independence, there have been a plethora of African authors writing about the promises and the challenges faced in the immediate post-colonial era. International publication of such authors seems to have waned in recent years. I have had difficulty identifying more contemporary authors who speak of the hopes and concerns I touch upon in my latest book.

Kwame Dawes has a new book out entitled, Duppy Conqueror, after a title of a song by Bob Marley. I have not read the book yet, but based on the reviews I have read, Dawes continues his commitment to promoting a pan-African awareness.


"Live Hope Love" (http://www.livehopelove.com/#/home/) is a stunning example of Kwame Dawes' work and commitment to issues facing the African diaspora. On the site, rich poems accompany gritty photography which present the face of HIV in Jamaica in recent years. The poetry that you will find on this site documents the courage and challenges that many Jamaicans deal with in the face of this epidemic. Check out the site and do not miss poems like triumphant "Nichol," who cries, "Man must live/ Man must live." Dawes notes that in all Nichol's smiles and in the persistence of his will, he "is the posture of survival."

In my work, I owe a debt of gratitude to poets and authors like Kwame Dawes, who have blazed a path for authors documenting and reflecting on the experiences of people in the vast African diaspora.

It only seems appropriate to cite the words of Franz Fanon, a thinker on the frontier of the Negritude movement: “Our history takes place in obscurity and the sun I carry with me must lighten every corner.”

A Review of "Building BRICs: The New Scramble for Africa" by Barbara Njau

For those of you whose interest in Africa's economic rise was peeked by previous blogs or by the introduction to my latest book, please read on as I review/summarize a fascinating new essay published by Barbara Njau, the Kenya-born, Senior Reporter and Markets Editor of "Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) Magazine" (part of the Financial Times).

In her essay, aptly entitled, "Building BRICs: The New Scramble for Africa," she indicates the gains made in the last 15 years on the continent of Africa due to the rise of, investment from and trade with the "global south," or the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China). Njau provides qualitative and quantitative evidence that Africa is, in fact, experiencing a renaissance, one that will have far-reaching consequences for growth and development on the continent in the decades to come.  
  

Indeed, over the last decade, there has been a “realignment in commercial relationships…a shift in centers of global production away from western markets, towards emerging markets generally.” The West's economic downturn of 2008 marked a watershed moment in this gradual shift. 

The BRICs are leading the pack with new investments in everything on the continent from infrastructure to mining to schools and hospitals. China alone invested $100 billion by 2008 according to Standard Bank. China, in particular, has become the continent’s largest bilateral trading partner. By 2009, 15% of sub-Saharan Africa’s trade was with China, followed by 12% with the US. As Njau carefully notes, “for the first time in decades, Africa’s growth appears enduring.”

According to Njau, BRIC nations know how to work in markets and with populations similar to their own, those with low incomes, low savings and low purchasing power. BRIC nations can “more readily understand the dynamics of the continent’s markets and adapt their products accordingly.” As a result, multinationals based in BRIC countries and building in Africa are more risk averse than Western multinationals and are willing to engage with a rising middle class.

Njau also notes the many changes in the political and economic environments in Africa in the last few decades. Improved macroeconomic management, more transparent business environments and robust interest in African markets on the part of emerging market economies have herded in a dynamic new era for the continent. 

She also observes that “one of the positives cited about the growing interest of the BRICs in the continent is the positive spill-over effects that the BRICs’ expertise will have...as integral actors in transferring skills and technical know-how to their African employees. The Chinese firm, Huawei, which is the world’s second largest telecommunications equipment supplier, has worked to integrate African talent into its global operations.” Such practices are evidence of important investments in human capital which will have far-reaching effects on Africa’s future growth and development.

Rather poignantly, Njau points out that the BRICs' investment in Africa and Africa's exploding growth illustrate that Africa should be taken seriously as a viable investment destination by the world at large. “Africa, with nearly one billion people, represents the world’s third largest market after China, which has a population of 1.3 billion people, and India, with 1.2 billion people.”

Finally,“With new opportunities opening up, and more tangible developments on the ground…people will demand their cut. This could begin to shift African politics away from domination by ethnic loyalties, and create new alliances around demand for public goods and a share of the national cake.” In other words, improved economic conditions in Africa could lead to political revolutions in favor of democracy and greater economic equality as it has in East Asia over the past few decades. The Africa we know could very soon emerge transformed.

If you'd like to read the essay in its entirety, simply go to Amazon and enter the title, "Building BRICs: The New Scramble for Africa" or the author's name, Barbara Njau.

  

Paris Review Interview with Chinua Achebe

Read this stunning and illuminating interview with Chinua Achebe, the so-called "father of African literature." The world lost this literary luminary at the age of 82 just a little over a week ago. In this extended interview, read about his life and his craft. Learn something about this soft-spoken giant of literature that you didn't know. Brew some tea. Take your time...

http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1720/the-art-of-fiction-no-139-chinua-achebe

Chinua Achebe is best-known for his novels, Things Fall Apart, No Longer at Ease and Arrow of God, among others. He is perhaps lesser known for his poetry, although it is equally as powerful. If you'd like to read some of his poetry, simply visit my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Contemplating-Eve-The-Collected-Works-Other-Books/110883098935354 

I've posted a poem from Chinua Achebe everyday for the last week. (You do not need to have a Facebook account to read the poetry on the page, so click away!)