daniel chigunwe
Marytise Vambayi Youth Interactive Writer
A Glen View 7 Primary School pupil, Micla Nokutenda Never, won the first prize at the just ended Vasikana Project Annual Poetry competition.
The tourney dubbed “My Digital Period” was held in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child which was on October 11.
It ran under the theme “Digital Generation Our Generation,” and Micla won a certificate, $100, pads and a book entitled Menstrupedia Comic.
Speaking to Youth Interactive, Milcah narrated how she prepared for the competition.
“I always listened to Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Television and started imitating children who were doing poems about Covid-19. That is when my mum started teaching me how to write poems. Sometimes she would write some for me and I would recite,” she said.
“My first poem is about Covid-19 and now I have 27 poems on different topics which focus on societal issues like child, drug abuse and gender based violence.
“My mum saw the message published by Vasikana Project Organization, about the competition, wrote a poem for me and she recorded me reciting the poem with her cellphone and sent the video to Vasikana Project Organisation.
“Few weeks later we received a message that I had won the first prize. One of the judges explained that the reason I won is that I managed to talk about “My Digital Period”, which was the topic for the competition.”’
She said that her poem tackled on girls issues, especially on menstrual periods from the challenges faced by girl children when they approach their menstrual periods to adolescent.
“I have many questions about my menstrual health and hygiene. Questions like what I am to do when I get my first period. At what age can I expect them, what body changes to expect? Many girls are uninformed and unprepared for menstruation.
“This is what I emphasised and captured in the poem and I am happy that it won the hearts of many.”
However, the founder members of Vasikana Project based in Cincinnati Ohio USA expressed how poetry is looked down upon in Zimbabwe and how they want to keep supporting girls to talk about their periods whenever to create awareness.
“Poetry competition and spoken word is often overlooked in Zimbabwe and we hope to continue to shine a light on amazing girls with this talent as well as continue to encourage girls to talk about periods so we can create period positive communities and environment which is the mission of Vasikana Project and what the Menstrupedia Comic Shona book aims to do,” said Zvisinei Dzepasi Mamutse, founder of the project.
Online Reporter