Vivian Lister writes:
WOW!- the Wonder Of Words!
-Wham–Bam- City of Leeds SLAM
City of Leeds School students hit the ground dancing with this their
first ever Litfest slam. Supported by the excellent Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows, these talented
young people dazzled us with an evening pulsating with drive, energy and
full-on pizazz.
Strong political poems confronted world issues - of women’s oppression, of
the futility and pain of war - in language that was both reflective and
heartfelt. There were flamboyant assertions of identity, of the pride of race
and gender and the determination to be, to live and to grow.
The great comedy duo, Pinky and Za ("Don’t call me babe!" "Yeh babe!")
delighted their fellow students with an energetic, fast moving dispute about
language use and dignity - at least we older audience members think that’s what it was about as we were swept
along in the slip-steam of this fast flowing dialogue. There were also plenty of
poignant moments, personal experiences described in accurate, truthful language
and performed simply and conversationally.
Faced with this wealth of exuberant talent, the judges retired to make
their decisions whilst we were entertained by Michelle Scally Clarke, the
event’s brilliant facilitator and Stella Petris, her wonderful collaborator who
gave us their tribute to Nina Simone. There was also spirited playing by the Silver Steel Sparrows.
The judges - Amanda Stevenson, Head of English at Lawnswood School, poet Becky Cherriman and song writer Bob
Green, expressed their delight at the flair, skill and also courage of all the performers. They were also impressed by how well the young people had worked together and
looked after each other.
The judges awarded the prize for best poem
to Farzad Ahmadi for the poem, ‘Shattered Dreams’, praising both its wonderful
imagery and Farzad’s strong performance.
They gave special mention to Maryam Dodo’s poem, ‘Happy Day’, to Pinky
Sibande for the beautiful, ‘Silence in the Room’, to Antonio Bessa’s poems which dealt with serious world
issues with power and clarity and to Natasha Gogwe’s ‘Climbing’ in which the
energy of the rhythm emphasised high aspiration.
The winner of the best personal achievement
award was Neelam Chohan who impressed the judges by the direct , conversational tone of her poetry describing the trials of
her life and also her reflections upon what writing has meant to her.
The judges also praised Luke Edgar for the courage and honesty of his
writing.
The award for best overall performance was given to Za
Nyamande who combined lyrical word play with commanding stage presence and
style. Special mention went to Elijah Phillip for the beautifully performed,
‘Getting Older’.
Bob Green addressed
the slammers: ‘Each of you has written your own truth- and that is poetry!’
City of
Leeds Slammers! You are poets. We salute you!
The
Slammers – Winners all!
All these young people
attended the slam workshops and/or performed at the slam:
Farzad Ahmadi; Ikra Ahmed; Jeffrey Antwi;
Antonio Bessa;Neelam Chohan; Maryam Dodo; Luke Edgar; Natasha Gogwe; Shirquilla
Grant; Za Nyamande; Elijah Phillip; Unique Ruddock; Pinky Sibande
Charismatic performance poet Michelle Scally Clarke is well-known in Headingley: for the past five years she has been the creative genius behind the amazing poetry slams held at Lawnswood and city of Leeds schools as part of the Headingley LitFest. Her own poetry lays bare her turbulent journey from care, to adoption, to motherhood, to performer – and she encouraged the teenagers who attended her preliminary workshops to dig deep and find their own sense of identity. She worked with the students for six weeks before each slam, nurturing their talents and offering them her own inimitable style of encouragement.
