Accra - Kathleen James

The sun penetrates through my skin
Consuming coldness and stress that is packed away in my luggage
Smiling faces welcome me as I meet extended relatives
I visit a beautiful beach
Scattered with violet sea weeds and
Pink sea shells
I trip over rocks with jagged edges while
Riding big waves
I partake in new experiences
Posing by Prampram's palm trees
Chilling at the Kente Shop
Pleasantly surprised by the sight of ackee
Taking a picture under a baobab tree
Sharing spoken words on a moonlit beach
Nourished by
Kelewele
Chicken
Fish
Rice
Chips
Connections to the Caribbean lie in
Coconut water
Breadfruit
Plantain
Black stars
Red, gold and green
Truth, justice and freedom
Culture, pride, history
Tales of the "big six"
Evidence of independence mixed with
Remnants of colonialism
Bombarded by
Moral messages on vehicles
Ads for skin lightening creams
Low fades on little girls
Symbols of affluence –
Beautiful residences
Cars
Front lawns
Poverty is evident
Yet, I see no starving children
In one area, a church and a palace
Surrounded by a shanty town
Smell of sewage
Various economic systems exist –
Some do the 9 to 5 while
Hustlers Hustle
Bringing the grocery store to the roads
Babies strapped on the backs of
Kayayoos who carry heavy loads on their head
As the night falls
The city becomes alive with entertainment
Family and friends fellowship
The traffic decreases as those who toiled for a hard day's work go home to rest
Revealing that life can be both slow and swift
The fast pace and peace co-exist

Author Profile - Kathleen James

Biography:

Kathleen Judith James a.k.a. "Strong" is a spoken word poet from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Kathleen holds an Honours B.A. and a B.Ed. from York University and a Masters degree in History from Queen's University. Her area of interest is African-Canadian History and she wrote her cognate essay on the history of spoken word poetry in Toronto.

She has performed at various events in Owen Sound, Toronto, New York, Quebec and Manitoba. She has been interviewed on, Global Television (Winnipeg), OMNI 2 (Toronto) and Cogeco 13 (Kingston). Her radio interviews include: CBC Radio One, CFRB 1010, CHRY, CUIT and CKLN. In November 2006, she appeared in Toronto's Metro Newspaper.

Some of Kathleen's work is published in Northern Terminus and T-dot Griots. She has released two chapbooks entitled My Reflections and eXposed. Her poem entitled "Restless" is featured on Toronto Poets' Love, Peace and Freedom: Increase the Peace CD. In March 2007, her work was featured in PLUMb Magazine. She is currently working on a full-length book of poetry.

Kathleen recently visited Ghana.

Five Questions with Kathleen James:

1. How long have you been writing poetry?

I have been writing for 5 years.


2. Who are your favourite poets? Which poets have most inspired and informed your work?

I do not have any favourite poets. But my work is generally informed by African drumming, Caribbean storytelling and the spoken word art form.


3. What do you hope to accomplish with your poetry?

I hope to write a poetry book within the next year or so.


4. How important is performance, and the aural elements of poetry, to your work?

There is a highly oral element to my poetry. During my shows, I use call and response techniques with my audiences.


5. What do you think can be done to promote Ghanaian literature, and African literature in general, in Canada?

I think to increase the awareness of Ghanian poetry it would be great to see more publications from Ghanian writers and/or more poetry shows.

Contact Kathleen:

kathleen.james(at)excite.com