Every year the LLF has a headline. Last year it was Michael Palin of Monty Python fame. This year it was Booker Prize winner Ben Okri. And while Okri has had some mesmerising session since Saturday, it was during the Poetry Slam in Hall 3 that he was truly in his element.
Moderated by Shaista Sirajjudin, the poetry recitation involving Okri, Salman T Qureshi, and Sinan Antoon shifted from the very political to the very personal and back as the raw energy of poetry old and new had the crowds tired from applause.
Sinan kicked things off with his poem translated from Arabic, “Postcard from hell.” The themes of this particular piece were carried forward as “The Poet” and “Dismemberment” both sent chills down the collective spine of the audience as they were transported to the dusty fields of battle in the Middle East.
After a surprisingly strong performance, Okri was not one to shy away, starting with his very political poetry such as “Liberty” and “Revolution.” It was at the request of Shaista and a crowd heckler that he also recited his “New dream of politics” and “Migration.”
The mood was shifted by Qureshi, who began with the five-part “Honour him,” written in memory of his late father. The vivid imagery of the orthodox poet caught the attention of the crowd and the panel.
Okri followed him by reciting some of his most personal work such as “My mother is sleeping.” It was in this that Okri’s free verse with elements of classic poetry truly shone as the crowd was transported from Nigeria to London in the space of a few verses, with Okri getting time to breathe only in between applause.
However, it was Sinan who upstaged his fellow panellists by reciting the harrowing and heart rendering poem titled “Heavy Heart.” It was indeed with heavy hearts and a desire to read more of the locally obscure Sinan that the audience exited the hall, after being privileged to hear some of the best contemporary poets duke it out in an often contentious and electrifying back and forth of poetry.