Ngwatilo Mawiyoo presenting her poetry at
Literaturwerkstatt Berlin's Poesiefestival 2012

On Monday, June 4, 2012, several SESB classes of the Schillerschule went to a poetry reading within the framework of a poetry festival organized by the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin. We attended a reading and discussion round with the poet Ngwatilo Mawiyoo. She is a young artist from Nairobi who has written some of her poems in the “puesic” style, which combines music and poetry. The reading was her first encounter with a young audience, however this made the reading even more remarkable and impulsive. Ngwatilo read or sang six poems about her homeland and its problems in an attention-grabbing and intoxicating way. During the two-hour reading Ngwatilo presented her poems and talked about her life and inspiration, and she also answered all of our questions concerning these topics. Even though Ngwatilo's poetry style didn’t appeal to everybody, it certainly encouraged everyone in the audience to reflect on the situation in Africa and think about her work.

Although originally only one class from Schiller was to attend the reading, a last-minute cancellation by another school meant there were suddenly more seats available. Thanks to the swift and generous support of the Förderverein, over 70 students were able to enjoy this event. We're looking forward to similar excursions in the future.       Anna S., 10EU1