Agbeye Oburumu Wins the Stage on Fire Competition for Poetry in Delta State

In the month of November, the Delta State Government organized a talent show in collaboration with the Delta State Broadcasting Service for spoken-word poets to showcase their talents. This is in a bid to harness the potentialities of the youths in the state and to show them to the world as a cynosure worthy of emulation. This talent show was put together by the SSA to the Governor on Talent Development, Amb. Ugagaogene Ogeneyole.

Nine people jostled for the grand prize and title of ambassador of spoken word poetry in Delta State, making the competition keenly contested. During the first three weeks of November, one winner emerged each week as the group of nine was divided into three groups. The winners from each group were to compete in the grand slam for the ultimate champion.

The organizers provided the poets with prompts (themes) to inspire their poems.  They had to write on issues such as corruption, domestic violence, unity in diversity, being the change you desire, and the effect of drug addiction. All the poets had to deliver on this mandate.

The final week had Oway Mano, Peace Iyebe, and Agbeye Oburumu as the finalists who slugged it out. The poets set the studio on fire, conjuring up poetic devices into their performances, all in a bid to outdo each other. As it is with everything that has a beginning, the end is inevitable. The judges unanimously announced Agbeye Oburumu as the winner of the stage-on-fire competition.

In a media chat with our news correspondents, Agbeye Talks describes Poetry as a soul expression. In his words,  “having the opportunity to share my art on this platform means so much to me. It feels surreal to be called the winner, but I am excited altogether, taking into account the fact that I got to meet great literary minds and the culmination of the shared experience thereof”.

When asked about the role of other stakeholders in poetry promotion, he says: “I think it is important that other states take a cue from Delta State and invest in the talents of the teeming youth. Nigeria is blessed with diverse talents, and social media is a testament to this. If the enabling environment was created and properly curated, a new industry would have been successfully established.

Let’s Meet Agbeye Talks

Agbeye Oburumu, also known as Agbeye Talks, is a writer, performance poet,  history aficionado, filmmaker, researcher, and tech savvy, among other things. He coordinates the Delgrowth Youth Care Initiative, an NGO that seeks to improve the lives of youths in the Niger Delta. His works are featured in Just World Zine, Brittle Paper, Feversofthemind, Spillwords, Orange Poetry, and elsewhere. He was the runner-up in the Irish Refugee Council Poetry Grand Slam: Creativity and Change. He won the Bookville Arts Festival 2023 Open Mic. A longlistee in the Writing Ukraine Prize, and of course, the winner of the Stage on Fire Talent Hunt. He is a recognized member of the International Society for Sustainability and Development (ISDS), Japan, and a lifetime member of the Scholars Academic and Scientific Society (SASS), India.