Four years of fun in Poetry Potter

By Chuka Nnabuife

FOUR years ago, a platform with a curious name, Poetry Potter, was created in Lagos for creative writers. Within a short while, young poets, playwrights, novelists and short story writers took the opportunity to launch themselves. Older ones equally gave them ample space to operate.


Folksingers, folk-dancers, artists, theatre practitioners, art promoters/managers, culture workers and arts journalists also explored the forum to display their creative ingenuity. It was a monthly outing. Despite its tag, Poetry Potter became a forum for several genres of art.

Taking stock, four years after, the organisers feel happy at the journey so far. Co-ordinator and convener, Aderemi Adegbite, chief executive of Kowry Kreations Ltd., the promoters of the initiative, remarked: “The remarkable issue about the platform which was created on January 28, 2006, is that it is wholly youth-centred and does not alienate adults who are regarded as the reservouir of wisdom from which the younger generation must drink. Today, Poetry Potter – a monthly event – has won quite the hearts of arts and literary enthusiasts.”

He describes the event, he stages regularly at the premises of the National Library, Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, Lagos, a “poetry/spoken word red carpet.”And explains the idea behind the project as motivated by a desire to make the young creative minds see windows of business opportunities in their talents.

“This in an initiative taken from the entrepreneur perspective of the creative industry, it attempts to spur the business of poetry/spoken-word in Nigeria and Africa, and as well make the genre as lucrative (business wise) as its sister genre, music. We hope, by introducing some social elements into the promotion of poetry, we will push it a bit forward from its current point. And we promise to do this consistently with integrity,” he said.

Working with this mindset, the promoters of Poetry Potter regularly imbue it with highlights that will boost the image of the artistes they showcase as they believe that the celebrity status of an artiste helps his success in the business as well as the social acceptance of his art. The result is that the function made originally, for literary works now come across as a pot-pouri of all manner of art from the verbal to the visual, the performing and the literary. Adremi noted that the regular changes aide the thrill of the event. In his view, the dynamic exploration of the ideological direction has caused the inculcation of new beats into the original Poetry Potter template.

In line with “the orgnisation’s core focus, which is “adding values to arts, and literature in Nigeria and Africa at large,” we embark on a three-months-show of poetry starting with red-carpet interviews and picture of the audience because we believe that poetry/spoken-word is in everything called entertainment. And the business aspect of this genre in the Nigerian and African oral literature (orature) is essential for its promotion and income generation too,” said the poet and art events’ manager who is still in his twenties.

He explained that dynamism is the main edge and success gimmick of their event. According to him, they decided to serve poetry alongside folktale, folklore, folksongs, rap, dance, drama and others following the discovery that poets and their audience, are generally, elitists whose tastes seldom excite the lager public hence making the art and promotion of arts not “really sell in Nigeria.”

Making the creative artiste earn more and reach more audience with his creativity is the organisational objective of the Poetry Potter project. To this effect, the organsers lure corporate venture and art-enthusiastic organisations to their fold. Their August and October 2009 events was held with the collaboration of two companies, HEV/Snap Pictures and Capricorn Tents and More.

Aderemi further informed: “In October 2009, Poetry Potter, as a moving/literary arts platform was chosen to be part of the maiden edition of the would-be yearly festival, sponsored by GTBank Plc; Produced and Directed Ben Tomoloju.

“At the GTBank Poetry Festival, Kowry Kreations Media, created the platform to discuss the theme: ‘Poetry – its genesis and future in the Nigeria literary arts scene,’ during the Poetry Potter Youth Forum segment.”

Aderemi informed that what the frontline poet, Odia Ofeimun noted during the interview session of the segment, to a large extent endorsed what they were doing. Ofeimun submitted that the only way forward for poetry was committed documentation of new works in book forms and the provision of more platforms for regular discussion of the art.

With that prompt “we decided to publish a poetry collection of Sage Has.son, which we hope, the foreword will be written by Odia Ofeimun. This, we will present during the second edition of GTBank Poetry Festival in 2010,” Aderemi said.

Monthly, Poetry Potter plays host to guest artistes. The guests are drawn from writers and arts personalities who are not mandatorily youths but professionals whose career records would inspire both young and old creative minds.

Within the past four years such personalities as Segun Adefila, the arts director and choreographer of Crown Troupe of Africa; Steve James, director of Ivory Ambassador Dance Company; actor and film maker Jude Orhorha; the poet Folu Agoi (former Chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors ANA, Lagos state chapter); and the Publisher of DADA Books, Ayodele Arigbabu who is also an author have been Poetry Potter’s guests. Also among their guests list are award-winning authors Toni Kan, Ofeimun, Prof. Ahmed Yerima, Kaine Young Agary and Jude Dibia as well as Tolu Ogunlesi.

Celibrity artistes of other genre such as Chief Yemi Adeyemi (a.k.a. Pa Suara in Super Story television serial), dance instructor Dayo Liadi of Ijodee Dance Company, painter and playwright,Mufu Onifade founder of ‘Araism’ group, the lawyer and playwright Wole Oguntokun, promoter of Theatre at Terra live drama series, celebrity athlete, Enefiok Udo-Obon (an Olympics silver medalist and author of the Silver Liner), marverick broadcast anchorman, Denrele Edun, Mirian Travis, an African-American librarian and arts enthusiast, the young poet, Sage Has.son, winner of Amstel Maltal Box Office 2 (AMBO 2) O.C. Ukeje, the African-American dancer and choreographer, Lesley Carter, singer Yinka Davis, Red Strat – organisers of The Future Awards – (Chude, Adebola and Emilia) among many others have been guests over the years.

Looking back at the four years of Poetry Potter, Aderemi deems it a big success story that has the potentials of getting bigger and better.