22-YEAR-OLD SAMUEL BIZIMANA also known for his pen name as Sam Rwogera has found solace in doing Kinyarwanda poems that tackle gospel and social challenges. He started doing poetry in 2012 when he was 13, performing casually at different weddings. In 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown, he decided to expose his talent to a larger audience after being encouraged by Micomyiza, his friend, whom he shared a small poem he had written about covid-19. Talking about his inspiration to write poetry, he said that he enjoys it and thinks of it as a convenient channel to deliver any message. “Growing up, I couldn’t see any person around me doing poetry but I would hear some poems on the radio. That encouraged me to do poetry. I wanted to do something unpopular but mostly interesting,” he said. The self-taught poet said he likes to express his feelings about anything, adding that he becomes free once he grabs a pen and write. “I have a book of poems including 15 that are based on the gospel. Poetry has exposed me, made me self-confident and meet important people,’ he said. “I thank Hon. Edouard Bamporiki who helped me to record my poems. I also have written about Itorero National Program, he decided to take me to the studio where I recorded two poems about the commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi.” Talking about his speciality, he said that he focuses on impactful-based poetry including gospel and real life poems. Many people think that Rwandan poets are apostates, he said, but it`s not true; I am a believer and I do write poems based on the Bible and can perform them in church. He explained what triggered him to do gospel poetry. “When I was 12, I was diagnosed with a serious intestine problem. I spent a whole year at Rwanda Military Hospital and my recovery was a great miracle to my family. After that, I thought of something uncommon to do for God. I decided to write a poem praising God for the miracles He has done for me. From then on, most people started to tell me that I had a talent.” Bizimana said that he is enthused by the poems of Cyprien Rugamba from the old generation as well as, Junior Rumaga and as Innocent Bahati who are a younger generation. He revealed that his challenges revolve around financial problems and making people aware of poetry as an underdeveloped art industry. “I wish to see poetry trending around with more active poets like in other art industries. I aim at working hard to make people love Rwandan poetry,” he said. Some of his notable poems include ‘Magorwa’, ‘Umubano Mu Bantu’ and his latest ‘Ka Gakobwa Kanjye.’
