Inside the world of a spoken word artist
Brian Silweyz, a spoken word.
“People dying ndo nyinyi muearn a living…Kijana pombe isifanye unyonge watu juu ya kuwai beer... Hizi roads si barabara , kabla God kumake a way MP tuwai njia…In a monthly period hethi inazuia our girls kuelimika,” reads part of Brian Silweyz spoken word piece.
The piece dubbed Tuwajibike addresses a number of societal issues in a candid way.
“Spoken word for me is meant to amplify social injustices experienced in society and call out the necessary people to act on where they are lagging,” says Silweyz.
He notes that he wrote the piece in a day, adding that it’s meant to question the capability of political leaders in meeting the needs of the citizens who voted them in.
“My pieces never get to mainstream media. Even at that, I still get arrested because of them. This is because poetic justice pieces are likened to adding salt to a fresh wound, which rubs some people the wrong way. This is why my piece never gets to any platform without getting through my lawyer,” he reveals.
He adds that lawyers play a big part in editing his pieces so that he is not sued by people mentioned in them.
“Mine as an artist is to write the creative pieces while my lawyer covers what may have legal implications and helps me correct that,” he continues to say.
Although Silweyz has several pieces addressing social injustice including; Leadersheep, dream kukill poverty and Truth is, Tuwajibike stands out because it won first place in Kenya and the top five in Africa on the #MyTakeChallenge.
The competition which was organized by Nation Media Group, Goodwall and Siasa Place Kenya, ran across Africa with more than 300 entries.
Silweyz walked away with a Sh 18,000 cash prize from the challenge.
“Getting to this point has been a journey. I am grateful for the doors that spoken word art has opened for me,” he adds.