Poetry lovers and poets marked World Poetry Day with a special forum at Ubuntu Creative spaces in Nakuru, with engagements centred on this year's World Poetry Day theme 'Standing on the shoulders of giants'.

Speaking about his journey, Gufy Dox talked about the milestone poetry has reached since he made his debut as a poet at the Nakuru Players Theatre.

Spoken word artist Gufy Dox during the World Poetry Day celebrations held by Tribeless youth in Nakuru.

Photo credit: Purity Kinuthia/Mtaa Wangu

Then a high school student, Gufy said popular comedian and actor Professor Hamo saw his talent and gave him a platform at the Nakuru Players Theatre.

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"I see Hamo as the giant on whose shoulders I stood when I started my poetry career. Over the years, I have had friends who have also shaped my poetry world both online and offline," said Gufy Dox.

For Mufasa the Poet the friendships and partnerships formed at the beginning of their careers is what have made them be able to stand the test of time.

Mufasa the Poet during the World Poetry Day celebrations held by Tribeless youth in Nakuru.

Photo credit: Purity Kinuthia/Mtaa Wangu

"We started at a point where poets were both the performers on stage and the audience. But today we celebrate the efforts of those who have gone before us in the art. Today we are ripping off their efforts to get poetry respected as an art form that we can now make money from," he said.

Poets, he says, are also working to ensure that up and coming poets will get to experience less of the struggles they went through, especially when it gets to them being paid and getting a platform.

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Spoken word artiste Willy Oeba, who was also on the panel, spoke about how poets can monetise their content by franchising their content and brand.

"It may be difficult to make a living from performing. Poets need to find different ways to franchise their art to make money from it. This could be through merchandise, lectures, mentorship, among others," said Willy Oeba.

Creatives during a forum marking World Poetry Day at Tribeless Youth in Nakuru.

Photo credit: Purity Kinuthia/Mtaa Wangu

Oeba also encouraged fellow poets on the need to be consistent and disciplined in their art.

"Art attracts both positive and negative criticism. But it's up to the artist to know what to take and what to leave. I have had scenarios where I have been asked to take my work down from streaming platforms, but I have not done that. As an artist you have to stand with integrity," he said.

Discussions about whether artificial intelligence (AI) should be used by poets in the audience sparked a debate.

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Many argued that AI could be used as a tool to generate ideas or for research, but not to generate poetry, fearing that poems generated in this way would lack originality and a human touch.

Other poets present included poet Stella Kivuti, poet Mufasa, poet Nyash, Slim Shaka and poet Mbunge Aliye Parara.

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World Poetry Day: Art, poetry monetisation and AI dominate talks at Creative Forum

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