The creative industry is rapidly growing, it offers endless opportunities. At the same time, creativity does not wait for that perfect moment. Albert Enstein adds that creativity is intelligence having fun.
The digital world has created more opportunities and platforms for the creatives and those who capitalise on the platforms are reaping big.
For one Frenzy the Poet, his skillful spoken word video on Citizen TV anchors caught the attention of one of the station’s top news anchors, Yvonne Okwara.
“This is really dope! I love it! Thanks,” Yvonne Okwara, who was touched by the poem, responded to the video.
In the video shared on his Twitter handle, Frenzy connotated the names of the anchors to derive his idea. Frenzy set his poem in a news set up, the video commencing with the Citizen TV news signature tune.
His gateway line, the thesis of his poem, informs the viewer that he is reading news - his subject matter. Frenzy’s poem starts with the Monday Report show by Trevor Ombija. He reinforces the rest of his idea with the other anchors' name.
Frenzy wonders if you are watching news from home, a PSV or Koinange Street. Here he uses anchor Jeff Koinange’s name and imitates his show JKLive and his trademark phrase, it’s smooking hot.
He then asks the viewers to watch Sema na Citizen show hosted by Mashirima Kapombe, and enunciates the last name to say that she intoxicates us with the news.
On Saturdays, counsellor Bi Mswafari advises Kenyans on relationships and marriages and Frenzy uses this to ask viewers to heed to her counsel.
Yvonne Okwara, who hosts the News Gang show on Thursday, is roped in to allude that she criticises the government and calls out vices without fear.
Anchors Mwanahamisi Hamadi, Jamila Mohammed, Nimrod Taabu, Lulu Hassan, Rashid Abdallah, Swaleh Mdoe and reporter Chemutai Goin are also lauded in the spoken word.
The original spoken word in Sheng can be loosely translated into English as follows:
It’s the Monday Report with Trevor Ombija.
Whistle if you are tuned in.
Welcome to our news bulletin
Have you tuned in from your house, matatu or from Koinange in Nairobi
For Jeff Koinange is live and start tweeting the #JKLive
If you are in Moshi (smoke) Tanzania, know that its smoking hot
You can Sema na Citizen for Mashirima is intoxicating us with hot news
If you are a married woman (bibi), don’t miss out on Bi Mswafari’s advise
If you want to raise your gangster points
You can revolt (kwara) and ask to watch Nes Gang by Yvonne Okwara and Joe Ageyo
We know that Mwanahamisi doesn’t wrap up (Hamadi) her stories
But you can go in and watch Chemutai Goin narrate Kenya’s rich culture
Which has a lot of traditions (mila), ask Jamila Mohammed
Nimrod Taabu teaches us that you can be punished (taabu)
When you spare the rod and spoil the child
When Lulu Hassan reads news, I feel like I am her son
But Rashid Abdalla (her husband) refutes for we don’t look alike
This is the only victorious TV station
Ask Victoria Rubadiri
When I aks my grandpa (babu),how to pray
He ask me not to admire (kudoea)
But Swaleh Mdoe tells me to ponder that (Tafakari ya Babu)
Frenzy’s spoken word focused on sensory details, putting the audience right in the scene he verbally created and vividly narrated.
He used repetition and wordplay, repeating certain lines and emphasising an image for the audience.
The artist describes himself as a God-fearing Food Scientist and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) poet of the year 2018/2019.
Watch the Sheng version
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