Spoken Word Wednesday’s is event at the University of Miami’s Rathskeller. It brings together a diverse crowd of people from all over Miami and takes a bite out of the thick definition of language.
While The Rat usually packs in about one hundred to the event, the past two hosting have not seen as many people. That does not stop those that have dedicated time into becoming part of the Spoken Word movement, from regularly attending. Asia Davis approaches the stage and recites a piece that encompasses the strength that her poems can have on people called Mind Raping Your Man. “My instrument is in my vocal cords my weapon, my pen…I’ll mind rape your man, his thoughts will never be yours again,” she recites.
Spoken Word is an art form that allows diverse people, from different places and races to be able to express whatever they feel needs to be heard.
“Spoken Word provides a platform for people of different backgrounds to appreciate one art form of expression,” says Uduak Bassey, a Senior International and Africana studies major, the Spoken Word chair for the Rathkeller Advisory Board.
Bassey is constantly paying attention to MySpace and YouTube searching for a poet to be the feature of the show. The artist she chose for February’s feature was Sekou (tha Misfit).
His ability to use his words in a way that stamps an image into the minds of those who encounter them is Sekou’s favorite part of the art form he is a part of. “Spoken Word is the collective journey taken, when hearing a masterful performer bring their own richness and life to the words,” he says.
The ability to feel what is being spoken is what Sekou says is the power of language. “Language is the power to crystallize and communicate those universal truths we share between us. It is the power of one to have some chance of making sense of one’s self in a way that others might recognize,” he says.
His definition epitomizes what Uduak believes is the overall goal of Spoken Words Wednesday’s at The Rat—to bring people together.
To experience Spoken Word yourself head over to The Rat on Wednesday April 8 at 8pm. Also join the Facebook group—Spoken Words Wednesdays.
To learn more about Sekou (tha Misfit) visit www.TheSekouEffect.com, www.sekouthamisfit.com, or www.myspace.com/sekouthamisfit.