POETRY x SPRAAKUHLOOS Spoken Word

In this program, national and international spoken word meet on the Poetry International stage. American slam champion Porsha Olayiwola climbs the stage together with Babs Gons, Benzokarim, Geoffrey van de Ven during this co-production of Rotterdam spoken word organization Spraakuhloos and Poetry International, presented by Tomáš de Paauw. Let these race performers find their way to your heart during their penetrating readings, and witness how national borders disappear when poetry plays the leading role.

American slam poet and performer Porsha Olayiwola uses Afrofuturism and surrealism to explore historical and contemporary themes. Those themes often relate to the experiences of the black, female, queer diaspora in the United States. Olayiwola has won numerous slam competitions and is the current city poet of Boston. Poetry has always played a major role in her life; when she applied for a spot on her school's youth board as a teenager, she wrote a poem instead of a cover letter. Known for her powerful performance, Olayiwola will be performing in the Netherlands for the first time this June!