Open Mic is a monthly poetry and spoken word event held every first Tuesday of the month at Club Soundd on Kaunda street. We feature a poet / spoken word artist who has shown consistency and growth in performance and audience pull. Past features include Njeri Wangari, Ngwatio Mawiyoo, Phyllis Muthoni, Winyo, Eko dydda, Just a band, Kenyan Poet, Uko Fulani Mau Mau and others. The rest of the evening is open for anyone to perform / read their work. Sign-ups happen between 5pm and 7pm.
- Open Mic August Edition 2012
- Featured Poet: Ian Kamau
- Featured Artist: Dembede Mido (Check Mate)
- Venue: Club Soundd
- Entry: 200 Ksh
Ian Kamau: Ian Kamau is a prolific poet, MC and storyteller out of Toronto, Canada. His name itself is a subject for narration. Born to Trinidadian filmmaker parents with a love for world culture and history they chose to name him Ian; a Gaelic name for John meaning ‘God’s Gift’ and Kamau a Kikuyu name which means the ‘Quiet Warrior’; a distinct name for one who is highly gifted and also very reserved. Growing up artistic has influenced him in what type of wise artist he has become. His ability to communicate through words is something that he was blessed with as a young boy growing up in Toronto and he has grown to become a profound poet with great admiration all over the world. However, Ian prefers to remain on the ground where he gets more satisfaction artistically. The one thing that distinguishes Ian Kamau is that he uses his artistic excellence to for a purpose and that is to influence his community and those of others wherever he goes. His prefers to design his work to arts-based community projects. That side of his life has always run parallel to his artistic life. Making music has taken him around the world; it has opened doors to experiences he never dreamed he would have and has put him in the position to have conversations with a diversity of dynamic, interesting individuals.
He has opened shows for K'Naan, K-OS, Saul Williams, The Roots, Michael Franti, Ben Harper, Ursula Rucker, Talib Kweli and Shad as well as collaborating with the likes of K-OS, Tumi (from Tumi & the Volume), Shad and many more. His connection with Africa is special to him and he loves spending time here performing and connecting with people. His desire is to put his experiences into the world so that he may enter a larger conversation with people in different places. Ian recently released a new album ‘One Day Soon’ where he opens up about his life and times. He is on a mission to get this album to his fans around the world and he is currently in South Africa on tour. Kenya is next.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: info@kwani.org
Website: http://kwani.org
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