OlaBell, a duo consisting of ZawadyBella Tumukunde and Hanifa Olangui, has found a niche in crafting and performing poetry and they seek to use the art to become the better versions of themselves. The two young ladies have showcased their talents in different performing art events like Anda festival, Imfura Art events, Kwibuka ceremonies and Ingabo Corner’s Poetry nights and they said they are planning to publish their first poetry collection. WHEN THEY MET in 2018, they were studying at the same school and class and were both addicted to art but a little different. According to Tumukunde, Hanifa was deep into poetry and to be the best poet over the world was her dream since childhood. She shared that she was addicted to fashion and Hanifa loved it, adding that art made them bond and later decide to team up in a duo as OlaBell. “Our poetry journey started in 2019 when we were sitting in class. Hanifa was writing as always and out of the blue, she asked me to read what she was writing and when I did, I was surprised to know that she had a poetic talent,” said Tumukunde. Since she was a member of AERG family and it was April during a week of remembrance of the Genocide Against the Tutsi, Tumukunde asked Hanifa if she could write and perform a poem on the Memorial Day. “Although I wasn’t sure if she could take a pen and a paper and write something like a poem,” Tumukunde continued. “I wanted to perform with her and we eventually made it.” After that day, they wrote their first poem “Street Kids” which is one of their favourites. Tumukunde said that they didn’t decide to do poetry as a duo, explaining that they found themselves as one and wanted to stay that way because they complete each other and that none of them see herself performing solo. “The thing we love about being a duo is that we always have each other and the bond between us is magical. We get to have fun when practicing and performing,” said Hanifa. “We don’t have a favourite theme but writing is our go to thing. It is how we connect. We write about everything.” Some of their popular poems are “Street Kids”, “Meet Me at The River”, “Violet”, and “Tricked” which was published in VOICES OF SPACE, a book by Writers Space Africa-Rwanda, a writing community they belong to. Their challenges, according to Hanifa, include negativity from people who don’t understand and support poetry financially like they do for other forms of art. They plan to write and perform many poems and become the better versions of themselves and humans they will always be proud of. They can be found on Instagram: @Olabell_12 or phone: 0788987626, 0780951834
