Poetry is one of the most impeccable art forms; a top tier form of expression, whose existence is of the essence. Poets convey things we may think but lack the range to articulate. They live in their heads and always echoing things they see through the medium of writing or spoken word.
Here are 5 poetry collections by African women that you should read:
1. Wild Imperfections: An Anthology of Womanist Poems - Compiled & Edited By Natalia Molebatsi
Wild Imperfections is an anthology of womanist poems by 40 Black women from Africa and her diaspora.
The collaborative body of work reflects lives of most, if not all women, women and women, particularly those born Black and poor by design in a post-slavery, post-colonial world.
The collection also contains poems honouring different generations of ancestor women, like Sarah Baartman and Rosa Parks, whom the compiler and editor says were born at different times, yet all of them cultural and political mirrors to Black girls and women.
Some of the featured poets include: Lebogang Mashile (South Africa), Nikki Giovanni (USA), Malika Booker (Grenada/Guyana/UK), Kadina Sesay (Sierra Leone/UK), Ladan Osman (Somalia), Staceyann Chin (Jamaica), Nadia Alexis (USA/Haiti), Ngwatilo Mawiyoo (Kenya), Julie Jokoto (Ghana), Tjawangwa Dema (Botswana), Gcina Mhlope etc.
Poems such as Vulva Volcanoes by Lebogang Mashile and I’ve Come to Take You Home by Diana Ferrus will tear at your heartstrings.
Natalia Molebatsi is a South African writer, poet and singer.
2. Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth - Warsan Shire
This is a light, yet powerful pamphlet, that features a collection of poems about love, immigration and so forth.
In true Warsan Shire style, the poems are both captivating and moving, as her work documents narratives of journey and trauma. Her work is one of those that gives the reader the right language to express thoughts they may not have the range to articulate; Warsan’s mighty pen empowers you with the language to echo your thoughts and experiences candidly.
Some of the most memorable poems from this collection include: Conversations About Home (at the Deportation Centre), Questions For Miriam, In Love and In War, Ugly.
Warsan Shire is a Kenyan-born Somali poet, writer and activist, who is based in London. She has done readings of her work internationally in countries such as Germany, Italy, South Africa, to name a few.
3. Questions For Ada - Ijeoma Umebinyuo
This collection remains one of the most intriguing beautifully penned words. This body of work truly epitomises what Writivism.org described it, “These are poems for the lost, for the found, for the brokenhearted, for the lover, for those drowning in home - they are for all of us.”
Ijeoma must have been in her bag when she penned this collection. It is one of those writings you will always reference, like some go-to reference point for things you cannot clearly express, however when you find a poem in this collection, you know, that’s what you would have loved to say.
Poems such as Five Languages, Cruel, Blood, Pain, Bottled Memories and so many others, will stay lingering in your subconscious.
Ijeoma Umebinyuo is a Nigerian writer and poet. She’s one of the most prolific poets of our time.
4. Soft Magic - Upile Chisala
Soft Magic is Upile’s debut poetry collection published in 2015. The collection was warmly received by poetry lovers, and since then, her short and powerful poems have become a voice for young Black women as they are often used as words of affirmation on social media, among other platforms.
Upile Chisala is a Malawian author, writer and storyteller and a graduate of University of Oxford.
She is the founder and facilitator of of the poetry mentorship program Khala Series.
5. Bless The Daughter Raised By Voices In Her Head - Warsan Shire
This is the latest offering and debut full-length poetry collection from the iconic poet, which was released on 1st March 2022. Warsan is truly the poet’s poet. She is undoubtedly one of the iconic poets of our time. Her words are consistently powerful in every body of work she puts out; her consistency is a thing of beauty. You can’t help but marvel at her limitless imagination and impeccable use of words to convey deep themes.
Some of the memorable poems from this collection include: Assimilation, Home, Midnight In The Foreign Food Aisle, Dahabshiil Sends Blessings, among others.
Photo Credit: Cassava Republic