Wole Adedoyin talks with Goodwell Kaipa: In Certain African Countries, Government Officials are Known to Mistreat Artists Who Use Their Work to Address Critical Societal Issues

WA: ON YOUR POEM, “MERCILESS MERCENARY” TELL US ABOUT THE IDEA BEHIND THE POEM?
KAIPA: The idea behind the poem was me grieving the loss of many close relatives who had died of AIDS. I have lost many aunts and uncles due to the AIDS pandemic.

WA:  HOW MUCH TIME DID IT TAKE IN THE PROCESS OF THE POEM?
KAIPA:I wrote the poem in 20 minutes. I harboured the idea to write a poem concerning the HIV/AIDS pandemic for a long time and when the inspiration came, I wrote the piece.

WA:  WHAT DID THE PROCESS OF WRITING THIS POEM TEACH YOU?
KAIPA: It taught me that through art we can bring those who died to life. It also left me liberated and freed from my repressed grief.

WA:  WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS?
KAIPA: The death of my close relatives due to the pandemic inspired me to write the poem.

WA:  WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LINE FROM THE POEM?
KAIPA: My favourite line from it is when I said "you who has spared no household". It's really sad that at least every family in the world is a victim of the AIDS pandemic.

WA:  ANY POEM THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON YOU, WHICH HELPED YOU IN WRITING THIS ONE?
KAIPA: No, there was no poem I had in mind while writing the poem.

WA:  TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS? PLANNING A NEW POEM OR COLLECTION OF POEMS?
KAIPA: I am compiling my poems which have been featured in newspapers in my home country, Malawi. I want to put them in a book of poetry.

WA:  ANY POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT AFTER THE POEM WAS PUBLISHED BY IHRAF?
KAIPA: I was paid 50 dollars for the poem and for a young artist like me that means a lot for me. And also the feeling that my thoughts were deemed worthwhile that someone paid me for it leaves me very happy.

WA: WHAT IS A LITERARY SUCCESS FOR YOU?
KAIPA: To me literary success is when my poems get published whether be it in newspapers here in Malawi. I have also made friends through my poems. And that is success to me.

WA:  A MESSAGE FOR ALL THE READERS.
KAIPA: I would like to encourage them to keep reading my work. And I also have some poems I would like to share on IHRAF publishes.

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?
KAIPA: The biggest threat is that here in Africa; some government officials have a tendency of abusing artists who highlight some pertinent issues troubling the African society. Some artists are also put in prison for criticizing the government's shortcomings which is not good.

WA:  HOW DOES YOUR IDENTITY SHAPE YOUR WRITING? IS THERE SUCH A THING AS “THE WRITER’S IDENTITY”?
KAIPA: As a Malawian and African, I write things which I observe in my society. I want to use my art to highlight human rights issues here in our motherland.

WA:  HOW ARE WRITERS USING THEIR CRAFTS TO ADVANCE THE COURSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN YOUR COUNTRY?
KAIPA: Here writers are writing moving pieces on human rights. Reading their works in newspapers shows that they are serious in highlighting issues concerning human rights.

WA:  HOW WILL YOU RATE THE PERFORMANCE OF IHRAF OVER THE YEARS?
KAIPA: On a scale of 10, I will give it a grade of 9.9. Keep giving underprivileged artists a platform to have their stories heard.

Goodwell Kaipa, a Malawian poet, discusses the inspiration behind his poem, "Merciless Mercenary," which was published by IHRAM last year, in an interview with Wole Adedoyin. He also shares insights into his passion for writing.