SheShe Slam 2026 Welcomes Huda the Goddess to the Selection Jury

SheShe Slam 2026 Welcomes Huda the Goddess to the Selection Jury

Ehalakasa is proud to welcome Huda the Goddess, Huda Fadlelmawla, as a Selection Jury Member for SheShe Slam 2026, our flagship women centered slam poetry platform commemorating International Women’s Day.

Huda the Goddess is an internationally recognised spoken word poet, educator, and cultural organiser whose work is known for its raw immediacy and fearless truth telling. Widely respected for her improvised style, she uses the stage not as a pedestal, but as a public meeting place, where identity, power, faith, and belonging can be spoken without permission.

Over the past decade, Huda has built a career that blends artistry with impact. She won the Queensland Poetry Slam in 2020 and 2021, and went on to win the Australian Poetry Slam in 2021, milestones that positioned her as one of the defining spoken word voices of her generation in Australia.

Her performance footprint stretches well beyond competition stages. Huda has appeared across major literary and cultural platforms, and her work continues to travel because it speaks with a rare combination of precision and vulnerability. In interviews and public features, she is consistently described as a poet whose work engages equality, women’s rights, and her lived story as a Sudanese refugee, while holding space for audience connection rather than spectacle.

Huda’s creative range also extends into multidisciplinary performance. She has been associated with Betwixt, a work that blends movement and spoken word, reflecting her strength as both poet and dancer, and her interest in forms that allow storytelling to live in both body and language.

What makes Huda especially aligned with SheShe Slam is her commitment to building safe cultural infrastructure for others. She founded Black Ink, a Brisbane based open mic created as an inclusive space for artists of colour, and she leads She Is, a platform and exhibition model focused on empowering women of colour through storytelling and mentorship. These are not side projects. They are evidence of leadership, of someone who understands that culture grows when people are intentionally supported.

In 2025, Huda received the Les Murray Award for Refugee Recognition, reflecting the public impact of her work and the significance of her voice beyond artistic circles.

As a Selection Jury Member for SheShe Slam 2026, Huda brings a rare mix of strengths: craft, fairness, audience intelligence, and a deep respect for lived experience. Her ear for language is matched by her understanding of what a safe platform should protect, especially for women and for voices that have historically been asked to shrink.

Her presence strengthens the integrity of our selection process and affirms what SheShe Slam stands for: excellence with dignity, boldness with care, and storytelling that does not apologise for telling the truth.

Road to the Crown: 16 Poets Secure Their Place in Ghana’s National Poetry Slam Final 2025

Road to the Crown: 16 Poets Secure Their Place in Ghana’s National Poetry Slam Final 2025

Ehalakasa’s National Poetry Slam Prelims ignite the race to represent Ghana on the global stage in 2026.

Accra, Ghana, August 9, 2025 The British Council Hall was alive with rhythm, rhyme, and raw emotion as 26 of Ghana’s finest spoken word artists battled for a coveted place in the National Poetry Slam Final. By night’s end, only 16 emerged victorious, inching closer to the ultimate prize the honour of representing Ghana at the 2026 World Poetry Slam Championship in South Africa.

In a contest where every syllable counted, Poema and Kwabena Prah led the charge with 26 points each, delivering performances that married precision with passion. Following closely were the equally captivating Whinna Yentem, Soyo Vi Zibo, Baby Poet, and Teliba, each securing 24 points and a joint third-place finish.

The list of finalists reflects a diverse blend of voices, from seasoned veterans to rising stars. Each poet brought their own lens to the stage, offering perspectives that cut across identity, politics, love, resilience, and social change.

“It’s more than just poetry. It’s a movement, a platform, and a chance to carry Ghana’s voice to the world,”said an Ehalakasa representative after the event.

The competition now shifts to the National Poetry Slam Final on November 1, 2025, where the stakes will be higher, the verses sharper, and the spotlight brighter. From that night, one poet will wear the national crown — and with it, the responsibility of championing Ghana’s slam poetry on the world stage.

Qualified Poets for the National Final (Top 16):

  1. Poema (26)

  2. Kwabena Prah (26)

  3. Whinna Yentem (24)

  4. Soyo Vi Zibo (24)

  5. Baby Poet (24)

  6. Teliba (24)

  7. Jay (23)

  8. The Town Crier (23)

  9. Beyanus (23)

  10. Nesty Brown (23)

  11. Kobby Wright (22)

  12. Leo (22)

  13. Evans Narh (22)

  14. Sabway Lyfstyle (22)

  15. Napare (22)

  16. Ueezy (22)

With the preliminaries concluded, the countdown begins. Who will rise on November 1st to carry Ghana’s poetic spirit to the world in 2026?

NAPARI: A Northern Voice Rising from Code to Couplet

NAPARI: A Northern Voice Rising from Code to Couplet

In a digital world dominated by codes and commands, Yakubu Humu Salma Napari is crafting a new syntax one of voice, verse, and vision.

At just 18, Napari is more than a tech student at the University of Professional Studies, Accra she’s an emerging poet with roots in Tamale and wings ready for the global stage. A proud graduate of Tamale Girls Senior High School (PAGNAA), she played a lead role in the school’s 2023 Debate and Poetry Club, helping redefine what it means to be a young Muslim woman in the arts.

What sets Napari apart isn’t just her talent it’s her dual fluency in both technology and emotion. As she pursues a BSc in Information Technology, she simultaneously uses poetry to navigate identity, gender, community, and the challenges of a generation in transition.

Her journey from the North to the national stage is more than personal it’s representative. She stands as a symbol of young, intelligent, and culturally grounded female expression, determined to script a future where art and intellect are not separate paths, but twin pillars of progress.

On August 9, 2025, Napari steps onto the Ehalakasa National Poetry Slam Prelims stage, ready to represent more than just herself she carries the voice of a region, a people, and a promise.

The TOWN CRIER: A Scientist of the Soul Using Poetry to Awaken the Nation

The TOWN CRIER: A Scientist of the Soul Using Poetry to Awaken the Nation

In a world divided between science and spirit, Marcus Kafui Markham stands firmly in the middle balancing microscopes by day and metaphors by night.

Known on stage as The TOWN CRIER, Marcus is not just a performer. He is a vessel. A lab scientist by profession and a poet by calling, his voice carries stories, symbols, and spiritual signals drawn from Ghana’s cultural heritage, ancestral wisdom, and the urgent realities of modern life.

Born and raised in Hohoe, Marcus grew up surrounded by oral tradition and storytelling. His love for rhythm and reason led him to launch the Voice of Poetry podcast, and his work has appeared in Writers Space Africa and Nalubaale Review a testament to his growing footprint in pan-African literary circles.

Whether performing at scientific conferences, wedding receptions, or poetry slams, The TOWN CRIER is committed to preserving Ghana’s oral tradition while addressing themes of identity, social justice, love, and hope. For him, poetry is not mere entertainment it’s an act of illumination.

As he prepares to take the stage at the Ehalakasa National Poetry Slam Prelims 2025, expect more than rhyme. Expect revelation.

Sir Chris: The Award-Winning Wordsmith Turning Fiction into Fire and Poetry into Power

Sir Chris: The Award-Winning Wordsmith Turning Fiction into Fire and Poetry into Power

In a literary world that often blurs the lines between reality and imagination, Christian Sasu Wiafe, better known as Sir Chris, stands tall as a master of both. A fictional writer, poet, and spoken word artist, his rise has been nothing short of remarkable.

Born in Ghana, Sir Chris discovered his voice and his vision in 2022, and within just a year, he’d already carved out a name for himself as a force to be reckoned with. His blend of fictional narrative and poetic delivery has captured audiences across Ghana and beyond, earning him multiple awards in 2023 and recognition as one of the most compelling new voices in contemporary African poetry.

But beyond the accolades is an artist devoted to the craft. Sir Chris writes with intensity, clarity, and a signature style that fuses vivid storytelling with rhythmic conviction. He doesn’t just write to impress he writes to immortalize emotion, to elevate language, and to give form to feeling.

As he steps onto the stage at the Ehalakasa National Poetry Slam Prelims 2025, Sir Chris brings more than talent he brings legacy in the making.