Boda-Bodas, Ssebo Lule and, Pan-African Poetry: Inside the African Writers Space Uganda Picnic
The evening was promising. I took a bodaboda from my hotel to the Uganda National Museum. Let me tell you maina, in this land of M7ni, bodabodas own the roads. What do you mean they just move from different directions and just bump into each other. I lost count of the times my stomach did shwaaa! Shwaaa! Eneway, a group of writers from across the continent gathered on the grass for a picnic, courtesy of the Africa Writers Space- Uganda. There was no stage, just beautifully laid out mats, porridge served on bended knees and Ssebo Lule pulling Ebitontome Ebitasesa poetry book, line by line. Hearing an author dismantle their own work in the open air hits differently. Ooh the joys when Ssebo analyzed the poem on foregoing intimacy and rechanelling that energy to improving the nation's economy. Between his breakdowns of Ugandan rhythm and structure, we argued, laughed, took photos, and shared the quiet weight of what it means to write Africa from the inside out.
