PACIFIQUE HAGENIMANA, 22, is a student of Rwanda Polytechnic College pursuing a course in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Having a busy schedule for school, however, has not hindered her from concentrating on poetry. She started writing poems at the age of 13. She was inspired to write by her English teacher by then, after narrating one of her stories to him as a birthday surprise. Today, the poet writes rhymes and spoken English poems, whenever she gets inspiration, with the aim of encouraging people. She has written a number of poems such as, “Frozen roses”, “Behold I stand still”, “A young saint”, “Falling stars”, “And I miss you so”, among others. She mostly writes in English because thats how she can easily express her feelings compared to other languages. Although she hasn’t had any training in writing, she follows online writing sessions sometimes. She is looking forward to initiating a platform that encourages writers. For her, writing can be boosted through encouraging students to write short stories, do debates and participate in writing competitions. This can even be better if done from primary level throughout. She says, the internet is of a great help to the wellbeing of poetry as it helps in research, listening to different people reciting poems and reading various poems which assists a poet connect with superior minds, but also allowing writers taking part in online reading groups. Hagenimana carries on that writers can earn from their work by becoming copywriters, selling notes, writing articles for sale and reviewing products, services and music. One of the challenges she is encountering is lack of means of exposure and awareness, and the best way to express so much in a few words. Her future plan is to write a motivational book and publish a compilation of her best poems. She also says that one can be a great poet if they read a lot of poetry, listen to live poetry recitation, embrace tools such as rhyming dictionaries, try telling a story with your poem, expressing big ideas, paint with words, and familiarising yourself with myriad forms of poetry. The writer carries on that sometimes, great writing takes connecting with other poets, encountering different forms of writing that vary from the type of poem you typically write—but those that are artistically inspiring. “Seek out a poetry group where you can hear different types of poetry, discuss the art form, write down new ideas, and learn from the work of other peers,” she says.
