Kenyan poet Moses Gitonga aka Roger was declared winner of the country’s 62nd Slam Africa Poetry Competition preliminaries held at the Alliance Francaise, an art and cultural center in Nairobi.
The captivating September 11 event saw the likes of Rozzette, Kevin Nyaga, CEO, K9 (K-Nine) Archduke Martinez (Martin Mwangi), Rodger (Moses Gitonga), Junglegarl (Agnes Ngaruiya) and Daudi Speaks, compete against each other. The competition also included a group challenge pitting Shingai and Mumbi against Maji Mazuri.
Rodger stood out with his piece, which made a satirical observation at how we use the mobile phone. With a refrain, ‘We are just having dumb conversations on our ‘smart’ phones, he emerged the winner qualifying for the grand slam poetry festival set for December.
The Creative Band Kenya and the impressive rock band Rash were among the artists who showcased their craft at the event. Other established poets, Kenyan Poet and Dorphan, also performed for the charged crowd.
In the groups category Maji Mazuri and the duet of Shingai qualified for the grand finale festival that will be held on December 10th and 11th.
Rodger will be joining previous Kenyan slam winners Tess Aura (June slam winner) and Kalamu Ya Mshairi (Kim Chokera) (March slam winner) for the 2016 62nd slam poetry crowning of the slam king/queen.