19-YEAR-OLD Dominique Savio Benimana, also known as Umusizi Benimana, has found a niche in Kinyarwanda poetry and seeks to modernise his art by using videos. His latest poem “Umenya ndi Imbwa”, Maybe I am a Dog, conveys a sarcastic tone, but to him, it's more than that. “Most people are reacting to it, saying it's a funny poem, but it's a serious inspiration about our daily life messes. I was especially criticising dog owners with no humanity and homeowners with no responsibilities,” he said. “I used first person narration to avoid the audience's bad reactions. I put all the events on me. I want to keep bleeding inspiration that can spark good debates among my audience.” Benimana prefers conveying his message through poetry because through it, he expresses his feelings more than he can do with any other literary work. He highlighted that it is also the base of literary works, declaring that traditionally, Rwandan poets were the most respected in the kingdom, among all other artists. Growing up, Benimana read poems by Rugamba Cyprien including “Ibyiruka Rya Maheru” which he enjoyed. He said he discovered his poetic talent in 2019, the day he won Andika Rwanda writing competition for his poem “Nkunda Inama”. “I was one of the first 30 artists in Rwanda, representing Kicukiro District, said Benimana. The first poem I wrote, the first trophy I received.” The poem which was made for a young audience (children) was later published as a book throughout the Soma Umenye project. “That is how I found myself in the ocean of poetry which I am still navigating,” he said. Most of Benimana's poems encompass different themes including public relations, personal struggles, sorrow, colonialism, polygamy and single parents, among others. He mainly addresses his messages to the young generation which he belongs to, for he believes he can contribute to changing their mindset for the better. His other poem titled “Umustar” talks about public figures’ behaviours toward their fans and conveys powerful criticism about the latest scandal of “Ibishegu”. Benimana says he has achieved many things including respect and trust from his family and friends due to his thinking potential. Apart from that, he is also receiving some money from his audience as a gesture of gratitude. The poet also won an award through Association Mwana Ukundwa's competition for his poem Naraye Ndose. Talking about his challenges, he said the majority of people are not interested in poetry because they call it “traditional things, and very ancient”, even though he is struggling to modernise it. He declared that getting capital for audio and video production also remains a challenge, adding that however, poetry and its audience are not bad so far, but the mindset towards poetry is still cheap. Benimana also has a challenge concerning media, declaring that radios should also include poems in their playlists and that its segment can also be included in different entertainment awards. He plans to change youth's mindset regarding poetry, and modernising it by using audio-visual.
