Poetry in Africa is no longer just on the page — it’s on the mic, on the streets, and online. Spoken word movements are flourishing across the continent, giving voice to a new generation of truth-tellers, revolutionaries, and dreamers.
From Tradition to Twitter
African societies have always valued the spoken word — from griots in West Africa to praise singers in Southern Africa. Today, those traditions live on in open mics, poetry slams, and Instagram verses.
Key Cities and Movements:
Lagos – Word Up and Freedom Hall are hubs of raw poetic expression, often fused with Afrobeat.
Nairobi – Kwani? Open Mic and Slam Africa make Nairobi a spoken word capital.
Cape Town – The Lingua Franca collective blends township politics with multilingual poetic delivery.
Accra – Ehalakasa is Ghana’s premier poetry community, fusing Ewe, English, and Pidgin.
Poets to Know:
Titilope Sonuga (Nigeria) – A voice of strength and softness, her work bridges intimacy and resistance.
Muta Baruka (Jamaica/East African influence) – His Pan-African fire continues to inspire youth movements.
Nqobile Mthethwa (South Africa) – Powerfully feminist and culturally rooted.
From gender politics to police brutality, love, and mental health — African spoken word is breaking taboos, inspiring change, and healing communities.
