The Talent Hunt

As a spoken word poet, I've always loved and admired a famous Nigerian spoken word poet named Ibquake. The young lady is not only beautiful, she's also known for a presence that compels her audience. She's something you can call creativity at its peak. Last year, I registered for a talent hunt in my school — a talent hunt that lasted three Saturdays — and my deep admiration for Ibquake's style of poetry came to the rescue.  After scaling through the audition, we were assigned coaches. Oh, bless that beautiful soul! Although I've never seen Ibquake in the flesh, everything about my coach screamed, Ibquake! We commenced intensive rehearsals for the semi-finals. No day passed by without me feeding from my role model's spoken word videos. Her choice of words, the punchlines, her gestures, stage management — there were many things to learn from her. And on the days I didn't watch her videos, my coach was there to demonstrate how I should compose myself. It was as though my coach was Ibquake's twin even though I knew she barely watched Ibquake's videos. The day of the semi-finals soon arrived, and I was seated among the contestants, my wavy hairstyle complementing my free-flowing ankara gown held by a black tummy belt. The moment my tag number was called and I matched up to the stage with my team of actors, my black sandal heels led me in an elegant walk, and I could hear screams and cheers from the large audience. Somehow, I felt on top of the world. Oh, I did not add that I learned from Ibquake's poetry as well as from my coach to include dramatisation. Since it was a talent hunt, I ought to do something creative... something outside the box, hence, the idea of dramatisation. My team positioned themselves as rehearsed, and the two beside me (playing the role of Odogwu of Sissy Eko) put out the burning candlelight in their hands. I commenced immediately, the instrumental playing as I exclaimed in surprise, almost crying at the flickering light. Then I took up another character and faced the audience, beginning with a strong question in a thick voice.  In between, my actors would display the roles that matched the words I was saying. And even though my audience never stopped screaming and clapping, we were determined not to be distracted. Soon, I was left alone on the stage, and when they thought that was all, there was a switch in the instrumental which simultaneously changed my voice to a thick commanding tone. Then I said the final words that got my judges jumping on their feet, and I brought it to a wrap.  The audience could not stop screaming. My eyes caught my coach somewhere and I could see the proud look in her beaming face. When asked by the timekeepers how much time I spent, they said “two minutes, fifty-three seconds.” That even got my audience wowed. Yes, I learned time management, too. After some minutes, the program anchor was able to get the crowd to quiet down to give room to my judges. One of the judges picked up the microphone and began. “Delight,” “Sir,” I replied with a smile, yet my heart was a bit uncertain. You know, these judges, you never can tell. He gave me a long stare before resuming. “These actors, where did you get them from?” “They are my friends, Sir.” “Keep them. They are very good. Don't let them go.” At that moment, my eyes searched for them among the audience. I felt like giving them all the money in my account. “You are super amazing!” He added and I bowed in appreciation. The next judge picked up the microphone. “Delight, this spoken word, where did you get it from?” “I wrote it myself...” I replied to him. “Oh, wow. That's a plus for you.” It went on that way until I left the stage smiling happily within me. Later that evening, a fellow contestant met me and asked. “You speak like Ibquake. Are you in any way related to her?” “No, I'm not.” “Anyways, that was a beautiful performance.” “Thank you. You sang so beautifully too. I was compelled by your powerful voice.” As I returned to the hall, something shifted in me — a new thought. I am Delight and I am unique. Although Ibquake is my role model, I'll learn a lot from her, but I will never dim my light. I will never dim ‘Delight’. Well, at the end of everything, I did not win the talent hunt, but I was sure a lot had shifted in my spoken word journey. ______________________________ **All images are mine.**