MANZI NTARE NKAKA, 24, also known for his stage name Mxnzi le Poete is set to release a spoken word album in October. As a poet, actor, writer, spoken word artist, and an expressionist who experiments with different configurations of storytelling, Manzi combined all these talents to achieve a noteworthy goal of finalising this uncommon kind of album titled Renaissance. He revealed that he first took half a year to work on his craft and creative process without releasing any art, then after, he set a goal for himself which he describes as challenging enough but achievable. “The goal of creating this album excites me. Renaissance is my debut spoken word album with eight spoken word pieces. Apart from this, being the first project I have ever worked on for quite a long time, there is so much of me in this piece of art,” he said. “It been now a year and a half since I started working on this album. Investing myself in this album wasnt making sense at first, but later, I figured out that it was the best thing I have ever done to myself. I hope my audience will enjoy listening to the pieces on this album and perhaps discover what fuels them.” Manzi’s work encompasses themes that tackles psychological wellness problems, power frameworks, social dynamics, and psychosocial functioning. He has been writing poetry since he was young and declares that becoming a poet wasn’t something he saw coming. He shares that he was just used to writing diaries and suddenly started spicing up his writings with some rhymes, metaphors and rhythm. What inspired him to keep writing poetry was his urge to express his thoughts in all possible ways, but the relief and happiness he gained through the process maintained his love for this literary and art genre. He is a self-taught poet and a poetry teacher. He offers poetry classes and workshops called “Talking Quill” and has so far hosted five editions in three different countries of East Africa. Tackling his uniqueness, Manzi said that he mostly writes free verse poetry that turns so rhythmic when he performs them. His language fusion also plays a big role in maintaining his identity as a spoken word artist. He is also a movie actor and says that it’s not hard to connect acting with poetry because they are both arts that furnish him pure joy. He has produced and performed Shrouded Barriers, a 45-minute theatrical solo play that was launched in 2019 in Kigali and Nairobi with the main goal of integrating variations between human beings. He is the only artist who produced and performed this long solo play. He has also performed in different big festivals like Kenya International Theatre Festival (KITF) among others. The main challenge he still faces as a creator is self-promotion and sales. He said that he is working on a sustainable solution which is developing his site where he’ll be selling his works, including his album, to potential consumers. Some of his notable poems are Memories of a Bummed Kid which is on the album, The Rebirth, Urukundo ruri he? 078, and many more. He aspires to keep creating more art and approach its business side and believes that his album is a game changing project. For more information, you can find him on Instagram: @mxnzi_le_poete or Twitter: @Mxnzi_le_poete
