Olalekan Daniel Kehinde is the first-place winner of the FEBRUARY / MARCH 2021 edition of the bi-monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC). Akor Agada Nathaniel and Olowo Qudus Opeyemi emerge runner-ups of the contest which awards ₦15,000, ₦10,000, and ₦5,000 for the first, second and third places respectively.
Kehinde, a serial finalist of the BPPC, emerged as the overall winner for his poem ‘ARE OUR ANCESTORS FOREIGNERS’. The poem delivers scathing religious criticism with admirable poetic finesse. In second place is ‘THE WORLD MUST HAVE GONE MAD’, an equally critical poem by another serial BPPC finalist, Akor Agada Nathaniel. ‘METAMORPHOSIS’, a rich and melancholic appraisal of cultural evolution by Olowo Qudus Opeyemi, completes the top 3 of the edition.
The other poets in the top 10 of this edition are Ayodele Ayooluwatomiwa Rachel, Sabur Adedokun, Ibikunle Aisha, Adeniran Joseph, Akor Agada Nathaniel, and Husani Abdulrahman.
The TOP 20 poems of the edition are published in a chapbook titled ‘ANCESTRAL MUSINGS‘.
WINNERS’ PROFILES
OLALEKAN DANIEL KEHINDE is a poet, essayist and storyteller. He has contributed to several anthologies and has works in The Peace Exhibits Journal, The Shallow Tales Review, African Writer Magazine, and elsewhere. He has won several awards for his writing and authored the top essay of the National Students Write Hack 2020. Olalekan is presently a student of English and Literature (Education) at the University of Benin (UNIBEN). He loves to read and teach the English Language.
AKOR AGADA NATHANIEL is an award-winning poet and Economics student of Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi. His poems have made the top 10 shortlists in various editions of the Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC). He has a great passion for creative writing and is a member of the Writers League, BSU chapter.
Olowo Qudus is a content developer, poet and spoken-word artiste. His works have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous publication including BPPC anthologies, Cón-scìò Magazine and others. He is currently a student of Sociology at the University of Ilorin, Kwara state. When he is not busy he explores humanity, religion and philosophy. He is @IamBlackPoet on Instagram and Twitter.
The BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST is a writing contest aimed at rewarding the under-appreciated talent of young Nigerian poets. It was instituted in February 2015 in honour of Brigitte Poirson, a French poet and lecturer, editor, who has over the years worked assiduously to promote and support African poetry. The BPPC is one of Nigeria’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.
