#PoetMeUp

Hello! My name is Annick Gisele Umuliza, I'm a poetry fanatic. This December I’ll be the host for #PoetMeUp. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. This is the 20th Episode. This episode we bring you Lise Nova Berwadushime. Lise Nova Berwadushime is a Rwandan writer of poems and children’s stories. She draws her inspiration from nature, real-life situations, emotions and kids' innocence. She has a bachelor's degree in Biology with honours in biochemistry which she obtained from the University of Rwanda - College of science and technology. Berwadushime works as a freelance translator and content creator and when she is not working, she enjoys listening to music and/or watching cooking videos. She’ll be reading two pieces titled Impuruza and Agahinda Nkenyereyeho. Enjoy! BACKGROUND TRACKS Track 1 Track 2

Hello! My name is Sandra Nadege, and welcome to the 19th episode of #PoetMeUp. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have Natacha MUZIRAMAKENGA. Natacha, with the stage name Miziguruka, is a multidisciplinary artist. She has worked for 15 years as a poet, performer, actress and director. Natacha recently made her debut as an exhibition curator. In her professional career, she has also been a cultural project manager and creative director for advertising agencies and companies seeking to improve team cohesion and internal and external communication. It’s been a long road since her debut at the age of 19 as an editor for the national airline's in-flight magazine, Inzozi (Ikaze at the time). She contributed both as a writer and a performer to the play “Learning Feminism from Rwanda” which is touring all over Germany and Switzerland with the Flinn Works company between 2020 and 2021. Natacha’s work was published in Wasafari magazine on November 18, 2020 and in 2019 in a collective work “Below the Volcanoes” published by Sepia. Muziramakenga is a Rwandan currently based between Kigali and Abidjan, she is working on her first novel which deals with memory and transmission. She'll be reading three poems, two of which are exclusive from her upcoming album, Amavuka ya Miziguruka, namely Ce Que J’ai Cru and La Guerre des Opinions, plus A Long Facebook Status. BACKGROUND TRACKS Track 1 Track 2

Hello again! I'm Ganza Moise, standing in for Sandra Nagede as the host for this week’s 18th episode of #PoetMeUp. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have Brian Bazimya. Brian Bazimya is a published poet and spoken word artist who dwells on seeing the little beauties of life and wears his heart on his sleeve with his poetry. He's a final year student at Mount Kenya in journalism, he is a PR officer at a corporate company dealing with tourism called NDA! Bazimya loves to write daily and express himself through poetry because he believes it rules his life and gives him joy and peace. He’ll be reading for us two pieces titled “A Painter’s Love” and “Play Date Diaries”. BACKGROUND TRACKS Track 1 Track 2

Hello, and welcome to the 17th episode of #PoetMeUp podcast. I'm Sandra Nadege, a poet, author, and editor, and I’m the guest host for the month of November. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have Mbabazi Diane. MBABAZI Diane, also known under the pen name Vee, is a first-year student at Kepler's Kigali Campus, where she's finishing her foundation program. She's an enthusiastic writer and poetess who came in second place in the story session of the 2020 Empower African Now Writing Competition. Vee writes books and poems that people will find comfort in. She enjoys singing and spending time with my loved ones. She's going to be reading her piece titled My Last day. BACKGROUND TRACKS Track 1 Track 2

Hello dear listeners, welcome to episode 16 of #PoetMeUp. I’m Ganza Moise, your host for the month of October. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have Sandrine Mignonne Iradukunda. Sandrine Mignonne Iradukunda is a communications practitioner, screenwriter, voice-over artist, narrator, editor and events coordinator. She is an Afro-feminist who values the safety of women justice through education and correct information about their rights and ways they can be well and more informed about their bodies. She uses her social media platforms to inform and engage about mental health, women’s rights, and advocate for the less fortunate. Sandrine holds a diploma in information systems and another one in Multimedia with the focus on storytelling, screenwriting, copywriting and video production. She'll be reading a piece titled "How to be a Culturally Appropriate Woman"  BACKGROUND MUSIC:  Track 1  Track2

Hello and welcome to the 15th episode of #PoetMeUp. I’m Ganza Moise, your host for the month of October. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have Mxnzi le Poete.  Mxnzi Le Poete is an outspoken and eloquent, untied impact-making Rwandan spoken-word artist, poet, playwright, rapper, and actor with an interest in social and political issues. Mxnzi's craft and exploits as a seasoned performer have range, carrying him and allowing him to work in a variety of creative venues. He kicked off his autonomous career with a solo theatre performance "Shrouded Barriers" which was performed first in Kigali and then later on at Kenya International Theater Festival, in Nairobi.  Today’s featured poem, Ubuvanganzo Bw’I Musozi, is from his first studio album, Renaissance Tale 1 which was released early this year. BACKGROUND MUSIC Track 1

Hello and welcome to the 14th episode of #PoetMeUp. I’m Ganza Moise, poet, writer and filmmaker, and I'm your host for the month of October. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have Kenny Nyamulinda. King Kenny Nyamulinda is a 20-year-old Rwandan, currently in his third year of College at Alibaba Business School pursuing a degree in E-commerce. Kenny has always enjoyed writing, starting from essays at school up to recently when he started his blog where he shares writings about the mixture of feelings and thoughts he has. Writing has been a positive outlet for him where he can unload his emotions and also enjoy the creative process of starting from nothing to creating a masterpiece. He’s going to read for us his pieces titled “Utabaye Umugabo Uba Imbwa” and “Falling in Love (Literally)” BACKGROUND TRACK Track 1 Track 2

Hello, dear listeners of #poetMeUp, which is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today is episode 13, you're with me Claudine Karangwa Ingabire, and today we have a special poet. Her name is Mukazi Délice. She's a platform officer under corporate banking in Access Bank Rwanda. But her soul belongs to words. To writing and reading. She enjoys travelling, hiking, and nature in general. Délice Mukazi loves taking care of things and people she loves, and spending quality time with them. Poetry is a way of expressing her feelings. It is a language of her soul. Today she's going to read for us a poem titled You're Not My Friend. BACKGROUND TRACK Track 1 Track 2

Hello, dear listeners of #PoetMeUp Podcast! This is episode 12, and my name is Claudine Karangwa Ingabire. #PoetMeUp is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have a poet whose name is Joselyne Nzisabira. She uses the pen name "TheMedPoetess”. She is a medical student, author, and spoken word poet based in Rwanda. She is the author of “Urukundo Nanze”, an IAfrica co-author, and has published some of her works in the IAfrica 2020 Vaw Magazine entitled “The Voice of African Women". Joselyne won the 2020 Gender Equity Issues during Pandemics writing competition prepared by the Center for Gender Equity and therefore holds the  2020 UGHE-VC Equity award. She is also the founder of Write and Inspires Series, which is an organization aiming at impacting writing through experience and opportunity sharing. Joselyne is currently part of the Writers Space Africa, Rwanda chapter. She's going to be reading for us her piece titled "Niwe Nabaye". BACKGROUND TRACKS: Track 1 Track 2

Hello, beautiful listeners of #PoetMeUp Podcast! My name is Claudine Karangwa Ingabire, I'm today's host of #PoetMeUp, which is a weekly series of poetry readings featuring new and well-renowned Rwandan poets. Today we have a poet whose name, her name is Sharon Urusaro Kalimba. She is a Rwandese poet, award-winning filmmaker, producer and director. She focuses on educational storytelling through art, film and short stories. She is an enthusiast and member of the poetry and spoken word community in Rwanda and she's also passionate about stylistic and inclusive creative work.  In today's episode, she's going to read for us a piece called "Empty". The piece is from her forthcoming poetry  collection titled "The Overthinker: And All The Reasons She Seems Too Sensitive" BACKGROUND TRACKS: Track 1 Track 2