Wole Adedoyin interviews Kehinde Adedeji: I Want to Perform My Poem Because I Want People to Feel the "Life" in My Piece

WA: WHEN DID YOU FIRST START WRITING POEMS?
KEHINDE: Thank you for this question. I started writing poems during my late secondary school days.

WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BE A POET?
KEHINDE: I was inspired after a doing a lot of reading to the series of recommended African and Non African poetry that I was meant to study for WAEC & JAMB that year.

WA: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A POEM HAS REACHED ITS ENDING AND IS GOOD ENOUGH?
KEHINDE: I think a poem has reached its ending when it has a sense of conclusion regarding the message it passes. Or the pressing questions are given answers to in a way.

WA: WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO PERFORM YOUR POETRY?
KEHINDE: To transcend from communicating my ideas from the pages to the stage. And when a poem is performed, people feel its "life" rather than being on pages. I want to perform my poem because I want people to feel the "life" in my piece. I want my poetry to breathe to them.

WA: DO YOUR POEMS JUST FORM IN YOUR HEAD OR DO YOU WORK ON THEM OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME?
KEHINDE: Most times, they form in my head, and this happens whenever I've had a sufficient portion of rest or finished reading a book. They don't end that way, it takes a lot of editing and editing and proofreading over time. So, I work on them over a long period of time too.

WA: ON THE POEM SUBMITTED FOR THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKEN WORDS COMPETITION, TELL US ABOUT THE IDEA BEHIND THE POEM?
KEHINDE: The title of the poem is "I want to live in a free continent" and this is born out of passion to see my continent clean, devoid of ills in it.  Hearing heartbreaking news on child abuse, child trafficking, abduction, infringement on women's rights etc do not augur well with me. So, I want to see the end of all of them.

WA: HOW MUCH TIME DID IT TAKE IN THE PROCESS OF THE POEM?
KEHINDE: It didn't take me a long time. I think its writing process took me a week or two.

WA: WHAT DID THE PROCESS OF WRITING THIS POEM TEACH YOU?
KEHINDE: It teaches me to be more bold and articulate in fighting for children's and women's rights. Teaches me to practise what I preach.

WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS?
KEHINDE: The burning desire to my continent and my country disgorged of all evils.

WA: WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LINE FROM THE POEM?
KEHINDE: Here is it "Where the nights are bereft of the sounds of guns and drums of war and spraying of bullets"

WA: ANY POEM THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON YOU, WHICH HELPED YOU IN WRITING THIS ONE?
KEHINDE: No poem. None comes to the mind.

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS? PLANNING A NEW POEM OR COLLECTION OF POEMS?
KEHINDE: I'm not planning any collection at the moment. But I write more poems on a daily basis with the hope of performing them on stage.

WA:  ANY POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT AFTER THE POEM WAS PUBLISHED FOR THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKEN WORDS COMPETITION?
KEHINDE: No, not really.

WA: WHAT IS A LITERARY SUCCESS FOR YOU?
KEHINDE: Reaching the peak of one's prowess, publishing books which are recognized in the literary world, receiving accolades for one's craft, winning prizes, inspiring the younger writers, leaving a legacy.

WA: A MESSAGE FOR ALL THE READERS.
KEHINDE:  They should keep reading.

WA: WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE BIGGEST THREAT TO FREE EXPRESSION TODAY? HAVE THERE BEEN TIMES WHEN YOUR RIGHT TO FREE EXPRESSION HAS BEEN CHALLENGED?
KEHINDE: I feel the biggest threat to free expression is that phobia to express. And I can't remember any time that my right to free expression has been challenged. Not at all.

WA:  HOW DOES YOUR IDENTITY SHAPE YOUR WRITING? IS THERE SUCH A THING AS “THE WRITER’S IDENTITY”?
KEHINDE: Yeah, there's the writer's identity. In my view, I believe each writer has things which are sensitive to him and her and such individual would tailor his/her craft towards them, carving their own identities (what interest them). My identity shapes my writing because I write about things that are peculiar to me, and not other people.

WA: HOW ARE WRITERS USING THEIR CRAFTS TO ADVANCE THE COURSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN YOUR COUNTRY?
KEHINDE: Even though some writers have shifted to writing poems on issues personal to them, there are still others, especially spoken words artists who lend their voices in advocating for human rights through their arts.

WA: HOW WILL YOU RATE THE PERFORMANCE OF IHRAM OVER THE YEARS?
KEHINDE: The submitted works are really mind blowing. The entrants did very well.

WA: WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR BUDDING POETS?
KEHINDE: Don't stop reading and writing. Master your craft and sharpen your voice. All the best.

Kehinde Adedeji, a young Nigerian poet, spoken word artist, content creator, and actor, is affiliated with the Department of Linguistics and African Languages at the University of Ibadan. His writing delves into themes ranging from fire and flowers to tears and laughter, pain and pearls, love and loss, grief and glory, women and rights. Notably, he was shortlisted for the IHRAM Spoken Word Contest in 2023. Adedeji's works have been featured in Africa Writers Magazine, Akpesha Sandesh, an online Indian magazine, and various online journals. In 2023, he took on a leading role in "AJAR," a film by Femi Adesanwo exploring disharmony. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, he talks about his writing career.