Tag Archives: MICHAEL KWAKU KESSE SOMUAH
Ariadne’s Notes; From October 19 to November 19, 20 18, World Poetry Canada International is looking forward to a special visit from Michael Kwaku Keese Somuah and Ama Kesse Amponsah to participate in a number of literary activities and share his poetry. Will be such fun to see him again and to meet his fiancé. It also would be wonderful for Kwame Agyare Yirenkyi (Sharon’s beloved illustrator for her Big Bessie Books) to come also.
Michael is a young avid writer and International Congresses and festivals have included his poetry presentations in their programs and has travelled widely to Greece, USA, Canada, South Africa, India, Netherlands, Paris-France, Italy, India, Belgium to read and perform his poetry and also engaged himself in Not-for-Profit programmes related to Sustainable Energy in Belgium by the European Commission and IDAY International. Some of his awards include his recent Decoration at an event in India during the IPF poetry festival where his poem, “When the Sun Sets” was considered as one of the best poems for the event, the National Youth Achiever’s Award in Literature where he was honored by the President of Ghana, His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, the Kostis Palamas Poetry Prize winner in Greece, World Empowered Youth Poet and World Cultural Ambassadorial Award at the University of British Colombia in Canada by World Poetry Canada and International among others. He has performed on several platforms including the Mayor of Vancouver’s office during ExplorAsian Heritage month in Canada.
World Poetry Presents MICHAEL KWAKU KESSE SOMUAH from Ghana!
Ariadne’s Notes!
Welcome Ghana!
A wonderful show Tuesday night with hosts Ariadne Sawyer and the incomparable Anita Aguirre Nieveras. Also in the studio was the poet Lui Porc and Anita’s lovely daughter. Featured: The talented humanitarian poet and organizer, World Poet Ambassador to Ghana, Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah. World Poetry theme song composed by the World Poetry Ambassador to Japan Yoshifumi Sakura. CLICK HERE to access the show.
DREAMS OF A VILLAGE BOY
When our feet befriend the ground
We shall touch the earth
and mark our foreheads with the sand of our prints
When our feet have learned to walk
we shall not perch as the Eagle
to meet untimely wounds
and strikes from the heavy rains
We shall fly above the clouds
to run our feathers from the cold strife
of deaths trial
When our might marries the strength of the wind
We shall defeat the Trojans
with the will power of the gods
so as to tame their existence
from the hymns of the living
We shall be called Conquerors
by the mother of history
should our eyes see beyond the distant farmhouse
when all is said and done.
Copyright © 22-02-2015
Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah
Kwame and Michael at the World Poetry Café Radio Show, CFRO 100.5 FM Vancouver , Canada.
Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah lives in Ghana and a Vibrant African Poet. International Poetry congresses and festivals have included his poetry presentations and writings in their programs. He is a multi award-winning poet and has participated in Poetry events, readings and performances in and out of Ghana, including Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, Canada, India, Holland, Paris-France etc. Michael has been voted as one of the top twenty “coolest” individuals of repute under 30 years in Africa by Celebrity fashion magazine Glitz Africa, Issue 20 in 2013.
As the World Empowered Youth Poet- honored in Canada at the University of British Colombia, National Youth Achiever in Literary Arts during the maiden awards by his Excellency the President of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Kostis Palamas poetry prize winner in Greece, and Guest editor of Poetry Space-UK, he is being published widely in books, Literary Journals, Anthologies and newspapers in the UK, Canada, India, Ghana, Kalahari review-Botswana, Malawi, South Africa, Pakistan, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, Nepal, USA and other web hosting literary Magazines. He uses his form of poetry in projecting brotherhood of peace and has appeared in the Austin International Poetry Festival News letter of 2015. Michael is a distinguished member of United Poets Laureate International (upli-USA), World poetry Canada, Ghana Association of Writers’ (GAW), Omilos Eksipireton (Servers’ Society)-Greece, Tuck Magazine-Canada, Indigo Dreams UK, Poetic Republic, Poetry Society-South Africa, Arterial Network, Bluzog-Nepal, among others.
Michael holds an Honorary Diploma Certificate in Poetry (Greece) and have his poems translated into other languages such as polish by Piotr Balkus, Croatian by Vinko Kalinic, Hungarian by Istvan Dabi, Greek by Vassiliki Ergazaki/Omilos Eksipiretiton, French by Jacqueline Maire, Philippine by Anita Nieveras, and have had his poems displayed at the University of British Colombia, Canada, Ideogramma Spring Poetry for Peace-Cyprus, read in Afghanistan and interviewed on several media platforms in Ghana, South Africa, Greece and on Co-op radio in Canada by Ariadne Sawyer and Israel Mota
Michael was the Speed Mentor of Barcamp Ghana 2012, an Entrepreneur and have designed Creative Nation Initiative with passionate colleagues to promote arts whilst enhancing reading and writing in our schools and Communities. CNI believes each child has an inner ability that needs to be unearthed to make the society better. Also, Michael is nominated as the Patron of the Ghana Writers’ Awards to assist the initiators encourage the inclusion of Ghanaian literary works in the curriculum of our educational sectors, promote peace and development in Ghana and Africa through literature, create market for Ghanaian writers and to promote the cultural heritage of Ghana through the art of writing.
The general object underpinning the establishment of the award scheme is to inspire writers to write to educate, inform and entertain.
Michael has once again been honored as the World Empowered Youth Poet from Ghana during the Prestigious World Poetry and art festival April 2013 in Vancouver, Canada where he was welcomed by the Governor General, the Mayor of Vancouver and the Premier of British Colombia. He’s performed his poetry at the Mayor of Vancouver’s office during Explorasian media launch, Literature festival at Douglas College, African Night at the New West Public Library, Cape music Institute with Camillo Lombard in South Africa, World Poetry Congress in Greece, Ideogramma spring poetry rain in Cyprus, an evening of Candle light readings on the occasion of the celebration of the 21st International African Writers’ day for the late Professor Kofi Awoonor at the Wole Soyinka and Naguib Mahfouz courtyards at PAWA house, etc
Michael’s poetry collection, “That sweet name like magic has made me”, has been published by Susan Jane Sims of Poetry space-UK Limited (www.poetryspace.co.uk), edited by Richard Gall and foreword by Deborah Harvey
He is an Assistant Director of Administration, humanitarian and former student of Hermann Gmeiner School-Tema, Presby Boys Secondary School and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Studies from the University of Cape Coast, Institute of Commercial Management-UK, and finds poetry as a tool of promoting peace and conquering the opponent with love.
Michael is currently seeking collaborations with musicians to put most of his poetry into salad songs and is humbly calling on any artiste who shares in this idea to contact him. Poetry festivals, corporate bodies, schools, organizations, publishers are all welcomed to put meaning to poetry by using it as a leverage to promote their products.
Michael has once again received a Cultural Ambassadorial Award for Ghana in Canada in October 2014 and nominated as a Patron for the Ghana Writers’ Awards project in Ghana.
You can reach the Poet at kmsogh@gmail.com and blogs on www.mkksomuah@wordpress.com. You can as well navigate his accomplishments by googling: Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah
World Poetry Proudly Presents Anita Aguirres Nieveras!
Ariadne’s Notes: In a very special World Poetry Café Radio Show that has been achieved, CLICK HERE!
Hosts Ariadne Sawyer and Una Bhruns with technician Israel Mota welcomed Anita Aguirres Nieveras to the show. Also, we hoped to interview Award winner: World Poetry Cultural Ambassador, Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah but due to a time problem, were not able to connect with him but hope to in the future.
We also had an e-poem about Robin Williams from the talented poet Deo Antonio D. Llamas of the Philippines.
Anita Aguirre-Nieveras (Juanita N. Aguirre) is a bilingual poet born in the Philippines. She started writing poems at the age of nine but kept them to herself. She finished Bachelor of Arts degree (major in English, minor in Social Science) and B. S. Secretarial Administration (major in Education), an Academic Full Scholar. With an M. A. in Education (major in School Administration and Supervision) Anita administered her own Prep School and taught English, Humanities, Literature , Social Science and Secretarial skills at the Philippine State college of Aeronautics and the Philippine Air Transport Services School of Aeronautics.
She brought her Mother to Canada in 1986 and visited relatives in the U.S. but went back to her teaching in the Philippines. She came back to Canada in 1994 to take care of her aging Mother and sister on a kidney transplant. She then decided to become a permanent resident of Canada under the Caregiver Program and later took jobs that were not on her line of expertise. Anita got an ESL Certificate from the VCC after doing volunteer work as ESL tutor for a number of years. She joined the World Poetry Café at its inception in 1997 and helped in its registration as a Society. She was published in the World Poetry Anthology and Strange Peregrinations and published her own chapbook, “Potpourri” and book “Two Songbirds Singing” which featured poems on her two young sons who passed away. She was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Poetry in 2004.
Anita is a lover of nature, maintains a garden as part of her art. She is active in Senior’s Organizations, one with an on-going project (The Seniors Brigade of BC Society) where she is a facilitator: The Elder Abuse Awareness Seminar/Workshop – Vancouver in May, Surrey in June, Burnaby in July, New Westminster this month, Port Coquitlam in September and Richmond in October.
Anita is also a member of the Filipino Golden Age Group that entertains in the Nursing Homes with songs, dances and poetry. She has four adult children: Marcial Jr., Rowena, Cesar and Aldrine Sean.
WHY?
(For Angelito Amor)
Angelito Amor was only 22 years old when he met with an accident. He was in 4th year Preparatory Medicine. I was not able to speak to him. He was already dead when they called the family.
Why did you take him away
In the springtime of his youth
When there were lots of living
And loves still unknown?
Why let him grow so beautiful
So talented, so loving,
That my heart fed on his beauty
And his goodness gave me joy
Why did you stop his laughter
In the midst of happiness
And cut short his great ambitions
When success was almost there?
Why did you turn the stars into dust
When he was reaching for them
And silenced those lips forever
Which uttered gems of words so rare?
Why did you let me watch him grow
Follow his every change
And bind myself to him with love
That I almost knew no pain?
Suddenly You took him
In the darkness of the night
I never had the chance to hear him
He was already cold and numb.
Why did he have to go first,
Leaving me alone to grow old
Without him to hold these hands
When they are weak and cold?
Why, Oh God, did I have to lose him,
I was so careful and loving;
Everything for him, myself forgetting –
You knew how much the pain!
There was only silence to my whys,
You are deaf and tinder dry;
But my heart is whispering now –
Words never have I imagined.
You are the owner of the garden,
`I – only the gardener,
Why reproach You if You pick
My favorite flower and Yours
To put in Your altar of love
And remain fresh forever!
By Anita Aguirre Nieveras