Alhanislam; verse versus verse

I have known Alhanislam for a little over 3 years and we have never met. We don’t speak often and neither do we have extensive What’s App chats. I have never visited her website, cruised her social media handles, or witnessed her perform.  Yes, all this disconnect and yet there is a connect. This connect is neither digital via Apps and techno-gadgets, nor analogue requiring physical presence. It is primaeval, instinctive and sensory. Alhanislam connects to us, her unseen and unknown audience through the sublime potency of her poetry, spoken word and writing. Words are the plugs, cables, sockets and platforms that power her message.

I was given a copy of Alhanislam’s 1^st CD In The Heart Of Silence – a beautiful compilation of her wordcraft – shortly after her 2017 Ake Festival performance. I was stretched by her choice of words, phrasing, subject matter and delectable Northern Nigerian lilt. Each initial listen elicited a response unanswered.

1^st listen – Who is this? 2^nd listen – What does she mean? 3^rd listen – How come I’ve never heard of her? 4^th listen – Where is she taking us? 5^th listen – How do I get more copies?

I listened and listened and listened some more. Her words conveyed an acquired wisdom way beyond the image on the cover.  The 1^st poem announced her defiant arrival and through topics as diverse as Nigeria itself, she spun a thread of conscious utterances of many a subconscious thought. Some had a backing melody, others snippets of ‘Wa-Zo-Bia’ – our three prominent indigenous languages. The ones that didn’t resonate immediately, for perhaps the meaning was hard to swallow, or the references too close to home, did so on subsequent airings.  Alhanislam is a rare voice of hope, anger, truth, retribution and ultimately peace. Like the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek, she boldly goes, verses in tow, where many a great woman have been before. I await her sophomore release with delight and anticipation.

Koku Konu