CARIFESTA XV’s Wapax! Poetry Slam was as competitive as it was creative

'Wapax!', the region's first ever poetry slam took place at the Pelican Village in Barbados. It was hosted by award-winning poet, Akeem Chandler-Prescod, and featured spoken word artistes from 7 Caribbean islands who competed for the grand prize of $1000 Barbadian dollars.

The slam had an intimate atmosphere which encouraged the audience to hoot, holler and laugh to their heart's content. Many were overheard discussing the poems between performances.

The Answer is In the Trees 

The 12 competing poets were given 30 minutes to create a 2 - 3 minute poem on the theme The Answer is In the Trees. A fitting topic given the CARIFESTA XV theme - Caribbean Roots. Global Excellence. 

The competitors showed their creativity as they used the theme to discuss topics varying from deforestation and industrialisation, to heritage and slavery, to the resilience of Caribbean society.

 Host Akeem Chandler-Prescod treated the audience to his own pieces as the judges deliberated.

The Winners 

The battle was tight as Barbadian Timon Howard placed 5th behind Jamaican Tanisha Bent by 0.5 points. Ramone Blackman, also of the home country, earned third and $500.

The crowd favourite was Alexandra Stewart of Trinidad and Tobago, who took away the second place prize of $700, with a piece about Caribbean people’s love of music, a love so deep she stated music is as comforting to us as finding a tree when the sun is beating down. "How you can forget everything, except how to sway your lips, and arms waving in the wind. We built for the heat but music is our relief".

Ultimately, it was St. Lucia's Shyne Savoury that took home the victory. Savoury's rhythmic piece commented on feeling as if you must choose between the 'better off' part of your ancestry or your enslaved ancestors but understanding that you are the fulfillment of their desire for their descendants. "That banana tree of my family is the same height as me, that I am the height of my ancestors aspirations. I am their wildest dreams".

CARIFESTA XV – a showcase for today’s poets and facilitating creative voices.

Written by:

Sanäa Yearwood

Youth Correspondent - CARIFESTA XV