At the age of nine: discovering poetry as survival
I was only five years old when I became an orphan. By the time I was a teenager, I was fleeing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When I was 14, I arrived at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, carrying the weight of trauma and loss. In a place marked by limited opportunity, I turned to poetry as a lifeline.
“I let my heart mourn just like my pen bleeds on scratches of papers and collected them to form a poem,” I said about my first poem, At the Age of Nine. “I have written so many poems that not only help me heal but also serve as therapy for others.”
Building AYAP: a collective of young creatives
Now, six years later, I am the founder and president of African Youth Artistic Poetry (AYAP), a collective within the camp that offers writing workshops, performances, and mentorship for children and teens. Through AYAP, poetry has become a tool for self-expression and healing.
I also created Our Voice, Our Advocate Festival, which took place only once in 2023 and brought life to us refugees. But due to a lack of funds, it never occurred again. We came up with AYAP Celebration, which takes place twice a year, so as to keep artists in motion, so they can share their stories and develop their talents even in a camp like this.
Beauty in a place built to contain
Dzaleka Refugee Camp, formerly a maximum-security prison, was constructed to accommodate up to 12,000 people. Today, it shelters over 57,000 refugees and asylum seekers from countries including Burundi, Rwanda, and the DRC. Humanitarian aid has declined in recent months, making the camp more crowded and under-resourced than ever. Despite these conditions, young artists like me continue to find ways to create and connect.
Hope has a name: Tumaini and the power of performance
In response, other young poets and I have created our own spaces to be seen. Talent shows, poetry battles, and open mics offer moments of release. The annual Tumaini Festival, dubbed the only arts festival in a refugee camp, transforms the camp into a creative hub. With more than 50,000 attendees, it is one of the few chances for young refugees like me to perform for a bigger audience.
Tumaini means hope. The festival not only brings us hope but also offers more opportunities to meet with the right people... It is where our poets go and showcase their abilities in the spoken word industry.
We name ourselves: a film, a movement
One of those opportunities includes We Name Ourselves, an upcoming documentary that features some of us. The film follows a group of teenage poets from Dzaleka as we prepare for the Tumaini Festival. Filmed last October, the project explores how art can offer hope, resilience, and a sense of identity for young refugees facing systemic barriers.
The film, produced by Home Storytellers, challenges negative perceptions of refugees by highlighting our creativity, humanity, and untapped potential.
I have already made steps toward that future. I have published two books; Our Voice Is Our Advocate and Being Refugee Wasn’t a Choice and continue to lead AYAP workshops. The program welcomes youth from across the camp’s communities. “We provide a safe space for expression,” I say. “Poetry is in their blood now.”