Mufasa poet, Sheila Mwanyigha and King Kaka

King Kaka launches poetry, spoken word initiative dubbed ‘Maneno’

3 mins read

Successful and most sough after Hip Hop artiste, poet and philanthropist King Kaka the other day kicked off auditions for  Maneno, a poetry and spoken word competition that will give poets their much needed platform that will make them explore more on their career and make a name for themselves.

King Kaka set off Maneno by holding auditions set to find finalists who will ultimately perform at the Maneno event slated for July 12th. The auditions that were held at Kenya National Theatre were set out to look for 20 promising poetry and spoken word artistes.

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According to the rules, only the first 200 were be auditioned, however the tryouts were a monumental success with almost 400 hopefuls showing up.

From Left to Right: Mufasa Poet, Sheila Mwanyigha, King Kaka are the judges of the Maneno Initiative
From Left to Right: Mufasa Poet, Sheila Mwanyigha, King Kaka are the judges of the Maneno Initiative

The participants were judged by King Kaka himself, Mufasa Poet, and the ever beautiful, soft spoken multi-talented Sheila Mwanyigha.

“The vision for Maneno is more than just a platform for these artistes, it is a way for people to create a safe environment where we can get to learn about how the African youth think and view certain issues.

From Left to Right: Mufasa Poet, Sheila Mwanyigha, King Kaka are the judges of the Maneno Initiative
From Left to Right: Mufasa Poet, Sheila Mwanyigha, King Kaka are the judges of the Maneno Initiative

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We as the judges got to hear issues about crime, depression, unemployment, love, friendship, so much more that we can learn. It was humbling to get participants all the way from Kakuma, Lamu, Webuye, Kisii, Garissa and Kitale, I can safely say every region was represented.

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Now we looking forward to the next phase on July 12th, where the top 20 from the auditions will perform at the Maneno event alongside established poets.” King Kaka said speaking on the success of the auditions.

King Kaka’s Maneno is the first initiative of its kind being brought up into fruition with a rapper,  successful, prolific one to be precise.

Check out the photos of some of the poets who auditioned at the Maneno poetry and spoken word competition just a couple days ago.

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