Poetic Justice
slam poet ishmael osekre speaks from the heart
The first time Ishmael Osekre, GS ’09, performed at the Bowery Poetry Club, not everyone was impressed.
“Son,” said the owner of the club, “the next time you want to preach, go find a church.”
Osekre declined the advice and has continued creating and performing his particularly thought-provoking poetry.
Osekre was introduced to slam poetry in high school in Accra, Ghana, after a classmate won a trip to Florida through a slam poetry competition.
Osekre decided to try his hand at the competition, and while it called for short pieces, Osekre found that once he started writing, he had a lot to say. As his poetry got longer, he began to incorporate a performative element in his pieces, dramatizing his presentation and backing his words with a beat.
“In Ghana, people were used to intellectuals writing 12-line poems, or five lines, or whatever—so it was a new thing for people to see a poem that told a story, that had a lot of rhythm, that wasn’t rapping, that was ... satisfying and inspiring.”
After moving to New York to attend Columbia, Osekre found a thriving community of spoken word artists in the city. He joined their ranks as a performer and as an observer, drawing on the art of others to enhance his own work. Although he has done significant work in Ghana—performing on radio and television—Osekre still wants to refine his message.
“I find that so many spoken word artists say almost the same things all the time—but there’s just so much to be talked about. I want to focus on my studies and try to figure out a way to make what I study benefit from how I present, and how I present benefit from what I study. I’m working a lot more on content, so that I can have a really, really good package and not just be another poet out there.”
This self-aware, savvy approach to writing poetry is at the core of Osekre’s art. He works on his accent so that he can be understood by more people and repeats key phrases to ensure that listeners take something away from the performance.
Slam poetry is about the relationship between the poet and the audience, and Osekre takes no chances with this connection, employing his smarts, his charisma, and his culture to connect with the people for whom he performs.
Ever the perfectionist, he prefers to slam on campus when he is experimenting with new methods and only performs in public after his poetry is polished, conveying a clear message. His poetry is built around this message, which is one of advocacy for Africans he feels responsible to represent.
Owner of the Bowery Poetry Club aside, Osekre says he has received an overwhelmingly positive response to his poetry, and he has taken steps to expand his audience. Recently, Osekre has formed a band, the name of which is as yet undecided (although they are currently considering Interrobang, as well as Bush and the Cheneys.)
Striving to develop his art, Osekre hopes to move spoken word steadily in the direction of music, without crossing over into rap territory. “It’s going to be a fusion of African music, soft rock, a little bit of light hip-hop, with spoken word instead of rap, and very strong hooks that make you remember the message.”
Despite being in the early stage of its creation, the band has managed to write and perform a song, “No More,” that is included on the soundtrack for an independent film called Blackout. Don’t be surprised if you see this video on television as Osekre sent copies of the single to MTV and MTVU. For now, you can catch the video on YouTube.
Along with plans to continue his education, Osekre hopes to one day return to Ghana, if only to see his family and regain some of the perspective he thinks he may have lost here in New York.
“I know there is a responsibility to heavily contribute to Ghana and Africa, and I feel strongly about that. But I’m still sorting that out, so I’m not going to rush that, but I know I want to get back to school after I graduate. But for now, the band is still a very significant part of the things that I want to do. I also don’t think that being in the band will distract me from some of the things that I’m trying to do.”