Poetra Ama Asantewa Diaka is a young and combative Ghanaian artist, living between the African country and the U.S. She doesn’t want to be boxed into the definition of “poet” or “writer” – she rather describes herself as a “storyteller “, since the term “encompasses all the ways she can tell a story” – as she explains.
Her work is not only about producing pleasant and melodious compositions – she often combines spoken words accompanied by original soundtracks. Her mission is to use her writing to analyze things from different perspectives, to view things in slow motion, to question things more, to appreciate things more, to observe things closely, to explore and to create an atmosphere to look at things more critically.
This view is also reflected in her work, titled “Hungry”, a spoken word “centred on the relationship between African youth and their respective countries or systems. It was born out of an observation of a lot of the youth migrating to other parts of the world – because of a lack of sustainability and growth at home. ”
“Hungry”
I am hungry for a love my country cannot afford.
I want a love
that will buffer my mistakes even before I commit them
A love that has mapped out the possibilities of my existence
and made room for each one of them
A love that doesn’t need me to clamour to identify as black too
just so I can swim in the opportunity pool
A love that doesn’t need me to be well versed in articulating
how high I am on the needy Olympics scale to be deserving of support
A love that doesn’t even need me to have an archive of pain
to be worthy of inclusion
I want a love
that doesn’t need me to work like there’s two of me
in this body just to be visible
A love that doesn’t require me to be
both pregnant and doula
trying to pull a nirvana out of my ass just for being different
I want a love
that doesn’t require me to be ridiculously multifaceted
in order to have a fraction of an equation at being equipped for survival
A love that doesn’t wait for another suitor to sing praises of my genius
before recognizing my worth
Or worse, only after I’m dead
I am hungry for a love my country cannot afford,
the way white lusts for a backdrop to outshine
(Hungry, by Poetra Ama Asantewa Diaka)
In an Interview with AfroWomenPoetry, Poetra Ama Asantewa disclosed that her work is influenced by her experiences, the experience of others, her community, near and far. She uses her writing to investigate, document, query and find answers. She believes that this heavily impacts her life and the lives of those who interact with her work, even if it is to oppose.
At Leading Ladies Africa, we value and appreciate the creativity of African women who tells their story in a unique way. Keep up the great work Poetra Ama Asantewa!!!
Source: afrowomenpoetry.com
