Library Of Africa and The African Diaspora

What the judges said

Gye Nyame makes use of all the nuances one can eke out of the apparently simple, very much in the way that proverbs work, covering environmental abuses, a complicit government and the social struggles of a religion-muted people, in less than a minute.

Meet the Poet

Kwame Brenya is a Ghanaian multi-disciplinary artist, whose practices are strongly influenced by AKƆM; Akan philosophy. Kwame’s works project the relations of the person-hood in a political and social space. Combining music, performance, and video, Kwame’s works are contemporary birthed from the desire to sustain the oral traditions and history of his community. Through his persona and rituals, he aims to re-establish a connection with nature and the environment. Akan philosophy provides a strong resource for him to create space for healing in view of oppression, neocolonialism. Kwame Brenya has four studio albums and poems published in AKE Review 2020, Ghana Association of Writers, Legon 2019. Kwame has collaborated with local and international artists. He was a resident artist at Perfocraze International Artist Residency, Kumasi, Ghana. Kwame’s translation works span proverbs to plays and novels. He also plays the SEPEREWA (the African harp).