Rising Rwandan Poet Akimana Divine writes about the scars of her heart.

Rwandan Poet and youth activist, Akimana Divine writes bold verses that speak to all young people of her nation and beyond. She exposes moral decadence and other vices that corrupt the lives and dignity of her generation. Her poetic hymns are original, genuine and emanate from inner depth pit of herself. The heart-seizing passion, the mind raving rhythm and abundant reason illustrate her love of her people and her respect to the dignity of humanity. She writes this poetry volume with the voice of a teenager, despite her being of an old, thus the collection projects her life experiences, memories and tragedies she encountered during her teenage years. Divine’s SCARS THAT SHAPE US is a testimony that she is a true voice of the youth, the voiceless, the abused, the poor and the vulnerable. This poetry collection is a story that carries voices of young African people and a voice representing those suffering in the dungeons of poverty, locked in chains of deliquesces and imprisoned behind the high walls of decadence. It is prose –poetry collection of an up and coming poet. She carries the promise of Rwanda, Africa and the globe. She is a wonderful daughter of Africa using her poetry voice to speak the truth, child rights, youth freedoms, disease, evils, delinquency and more.

THE GIVEN

The rhythm of the metaphors

The smile on my face when

Rhymes touch my beating heart.

The goosebumps on my skin

That grow everytime a poet

Speaks or when I read a poem.

How my soul smiles every second

I look at may angelou portrait praying that

She sends me her magic to shine as bright.

The bliss in my mind while I stay up all night

Inking and adoring God given gift to the world

Praising and growing this little giant of a talent inside me.

WHO ARE YOU?

Who are you?

Tell me, darling,

Before the world dipped you

In its shit, who were you?

Who were you?

Tell me, dear,

Before pain blinded

Your true self, who were you?

Who do you wanna be?

Tell me, sweetheart,

Before you were told that

Your skin is ugly, who did you wanna be?

Who will you be?

Tell me, love,

Now that you know that

You hold your future that matter, who will you be?

    NOT CRAZY, JUST ANGRY

I am not crazy like they want you

To believe so you can step on my

Neck like a snake or a mad dog.

I am just angry that you don’t

See me my shining beauty  just

Because my skin is darker.

I am pissed off that you think

That I can’t run an office because

I do not pee standing.

I am raged with your lack of

Honest judgement and yet

You still think I am the crazy one.

I am disappointed in you for not

Realising that you hold not power

Without my guidance to this world.

      RISEN SUN

Like dawn, I will rise

After a long dark scary

Night, I will wake up and

Stand tall like a sunny day.

You have drawned me like a sun

On a full moon but I will rise sharper

Than before and when you try again

I will burn you with brightness like morning beauty.

You have tried your worst to cover my beauty

With scars but with grace they have shined

And made me stronger than walls of China

More like the gates of Heaven on judgement day.

Quit trying to dim my light because the harder

You try, the brighter I get and I will rise against

The storms and the moon will not standard my

Heat which will push her to end of the earth and i will shine.

         CRACKED WALLS

I stood upon the words of my father

And dried my tears before I could cry.

Men don’t cry, he said and I listened.

I locked up every pain in a dark room

Inside my heart and I forgot the keys

Until it cracked up and pieces fell out.

The so strong walls couldn’t handle

The nails, broken glasses, needles and

All the stones society laid on me.

I broke down like “a little girl”

Waiting for hell to open and swallow me

Instead, heaven opened up and I leaned on angels.

Akimana Divine authored ” Scars that shape us”(poetry collection) published on Amazon. Akimana is a poet, essayist, novelist, short story writer and a speechwriter from Rwanda. Her article “Reading culture in Rwanda has been published in The Unipers, and her different poems have been published in different magazines like Atunis Poetry, MiomboPublishing, WomanWord Literary Press and more.  Her poem ” Dear failure” was featured in an Anthology ” Beauty of Failure” among others. Divine is a human rights advocate especially for women and children. She is a youth leader AND volunteers for several Youth organizations that focus on African youth empowerment and Literature. She uses her voice to fight violence, Rape and other inhumane actions around the world. Her work is mostly based on mental health, love and activism. 

TIME OF THE POET CURATOR(Mbizo CHIRASHA)

Mbizo CHIRASHA is the Author of a Letter to the President (Zimbabwe) Co-Author of Metaphors of the Rainbow (Malawi). Co-Author of Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi (India, USA). Co-Editor of SecondNameofEarthisPEACE (WorldBeyondWar.org, USA).African Contributor Poet /Essayist at Monk Arts and Soul Magazine (UK). DitchPoetry( Alberta University,Creative Writing ,Canada). Poetry Potion( Canada). FullofCrow(Canada). Scarlet Leaf( Canada). PoetrySoup( USA). PoemHunter(USA).OneGhanaOneVoice(Ghana).RhythmInternationalVoices(Canada).AfricanWriter.com(Nigeria).OviMagazine(Finland) Atunis Galatica( edited Agron Shele, Belgium). BlackWell PoetryPamplhet (Oxford School of Poetry, UK). Litnet ( South Africa) . OfiPress( Mexico City). FemAsiaMagazine (UK). InkSweatandTears (UK). Squackback (USA).The Poet a Day Zine (founded by the late Maestro G Jamie Dedes, Brooklyn, and USA). DemerPress International Poetry Series (curated and edited by Hannie Rouweler, Netherlands). World Poetry Almanac Series( Curated and Edited by Hadaa Sendoo, Mongloia). Poesi. Is Journal (edited by Peter Semolic, Slovenia). Festival de Poesia de Medellin (founded and directed by Fernando Rendon, Colombia).DIOGEN Magazine (Turkey). RuckSackPatchPoetry, Voices of Diversity (Passion for Poetry, curated by Antje Sehn, Italy). Cultural Weekly ( International Space,USA) . Zimbabwean (published Wilf Mbanga, UK) .WordCity monthly (curated and edited by Darcie Friesen Hossack, International). IHRAF Publishes (founded by Thomas Block, NewYork, USA). Diasporan Online (founded and edited by Lola Thomas, Spain) .New Best African Poets (curated and edited by Tendai Rinos Mwanaka, Zimbabwe) and more.Mbizo CHIRASHA includes 2020 Festival Readings/ Writers Symposia includes Festival de Poesia de Medellin, (Colombia). University of Glasgow Creative Writing Programme, (Scotland). World Poetry Festival, (USA). IHRAF LIVE, (New York USA). Rucksack Poetry Patch, Voices of Diversity, (Italy and Mexico). International Human Rights Day, IHRAF Arts Concert and Poetry Live Symposia, (New York, USA) .SpokenWordOnline(Paris,France)