tPC TV. Interview with KEMISTREE

THE POETRY COURT
An interview with a Nigerian Poet.

 WINNER of the Eko Poetry Slam (2014) and a member of the AJ HOUSE OF POETRY.

KEMI ISLAMIYA BAKARE (KEMISTREE) 

ThePoetryCourt: Let's get to know you.

Kemistree: 
hmm, I am a girl that has grown into a lady yippee!
Okay, now to business. I am "the girl from the slum," A voice that speaks of freedom, I am failure's worst nightmare, I am me, becoming a better me everyday, and I am Kemi, the daughter of Bakare who hails from kwara state. I am popularly known as Kemistree.

Kemistree is a gentle lion, a playful strong lady, "omo iya alamala."
Kemistree is a voice for the unseen and the mute. She is a spokenword artiste, a poet, an educationists, and a fan of wisdom and intelligence.
She is the overall winner of the Goethe institut poetry slam (WORDSLAM 2011), the winner of the Eko poetry slam (2014) and a member of the AJ HOUSE OF POETRY.
She is currently studying political science in Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU).

Kemistree is Kemi Bakare, and kemi Bakare is me.


ThePoetryCourt: From the very first "WHY POETRY"?

Kemistree:
I chose poetry because it’s a genre for intellects; it is a riddle that swallows secrets and at the same time reveals them to minds that can still think critically. It is a genre that points out the odds in society, and its purpose is basically to provide solutions to the problems that plague our society. I chose poetry because it is an instrument for transformation, in the same vein that it happens to be a tool for intellectual entertainment.

ThePoetryCourt: Has your family ever appreciated you as a POET? Or have they ever commented on your POEM?

Kemistree: 
Yes, especially my mum, she has been there for me since the genesis of my poetry journey. When it comes to rehearsal, my sisters are my audience especially, the younger
one (Ganiyat Bakare), most time I would hijack her from her sleep so she could listen to my
new piece.(Hahaha) "sorry little sis."

ThePoetryCourt: Contemporary poets have written different kinds of poems, yet poetry continues to poetry.  But what remains your definition of POETRY?

Kemistree: 
Poetry to me has been a puzzle that expands human mind, it is the language of justice, spoken through the mouth of realists.

ThePoetryCourt: What makes a poem GOOD? What are the attributes or qualities that a GOOD POEM has to possess?

Kemistree: 
 hmm, a poem is good when its essence is not lost and at the same time, when it is "cliché free", when it is sculpted with some poetic devices, when it informs, educates and provides solutions to societal ills. It is a good one when it gives birth to originality.

ThePoetryCourt: What books do you read?

Kemistree:
 I read just any book but, I read psychological and\ philosophical books often.

ThePoetryCourt: How do you recognize a GOOD POET, in terms of their work?

Kemistree:
 no poet is a bad poet, there may be some poems that are closely related to UN-POETRY poems from poets (laughs) but, that does not make a poet a bad poet. But sincerely, good poets don’t drown too much in sentiment, either consciously or unconsciously. They don’t find shelter under the umbrella of too much vocabulary. Their poems informs, and projects an idea spiced with some crucial poetic devices.

Good poets don’t choke their poems with imageries that cannot be deciphered because choking of a poem with too much vocabulary and imageries will make the essence of a poem to be defeated.

ThePoetryCourt: Who are those poets that influence your writing? That's if there is any.

Kemistree:
 From onset, it was AJ Dagga Tolar while Uche Uwadinachi influenced my performance.
Currently it being influenced by the society.
ThePoetryCourt: Can poetry change a corrupt society?

Kemistree:
 yes, poetry is doing that, and it would continue to right the wrongs of the society.

ThePoetryCourt: Help us with three (3) Poetry Platforms that are really supporting poetry in Nigeria.

Kemistree:
 hmmm, there are lots of platforms that support poetry in Nigeria, mentioning three out of all is like using only syringe to perform a surgery.
ThePoetryCourt: Apart from POETRY do you write any other genre?

Kemistree:
 Apart from poetry, I do articles.

ThePoetryCourt: What are your aims while writing?

Kemistree: My aims are to project the sweetness of poetry, remind all of us of the unjust acts of ignoring the voices of those who speak through our pen and voice. My major aim is to see to it that we stop domestic violence and of course the tidal wave of violence that flooded our country, Nigeria and the world.

ThePoetryCourt: What's your advice for other young and aspiring poets?

Kemistree:
 learn new things everyday for it is healthy, read wide, define to yourself the reason why you prefer poetry, write without being too sentimental, don’t get carried away by praises, rehearse very hard if you must, be passionate and remember not to be someone else’s replica for so long because originality matters.

ThePoetryCourt: Thanks for being with us, and hope we can get your attention some other time?

Kemitree: certainly. Thank you for the opportunity.




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