WanaWana aims to make poems accessible with album, “In
Memory Of Forgetting”
Nigerian poet hosts listening party for sophomore
poetry album at Rele Gallery
LAGOS, NIGERIA: On Sunday, August 27, Wana Udobang, popularly known as WanaWana, collaborated with Rele Gallery
for an intimate listening of her sophomore poetry album, “In Memory of
Forgetting”.
During the
listening, WanaWana’s audience stayed in a trancelike quietness for over thirty
minutes, as track after track interlaced to tell a story of personal struggles,
brokenness and triumph. After the listening, Efe Paul Azino, founder of the Lagos Poetry Festival, facilitated a
Q and A. In explaining her motivations for the album, WanaWana stated, “I want
my work to be accessible … I am continually experimenting with new ways of
making my work available to people who would not normally listen to poetry”. As
for her creative approach to the album, Udobang explains, “I want connection .
. . I don’t want just teach or preach, I want people to connect with the work
in a very personal way for themselves”.
WanaWana might just
be on her way to achieving her goal as one critic remarked, “… as a critic and [a
listener], I couldn’t help but see the album for what it was - honest”. Other
critics at the event noted the inventive use of music to guide the listener’s
mood through the collection.
“In Memory of
Forgetting” is a 10-track album made up of aesthetics including, music,
wordplay, intonation and vocal variety. The album features Cat Mayel, renowned poet Titilope,
as well as music by Femi Leye, Echo and Lanre ‘Sabre’ Oladimeji. The collection is an unapologetic
introspective into the sharp, sometimes dark, corners of Udobang’s life, and a
piercing mirror for the listener to see the same in theirs. At its heart, it is
a seminal work by an artist who wants her listener to remember to turn the page
and never go back.
The album is
digitally available worldwide on iTunes, Google Play Music, Amazon and Deezer. Lagos
residents can pick up a CD copy at Terra Kulture and Rele Gallery. It is also available
at the Salamander Café in Abuja.
About Wana Udobang: Wana Udobang, popularly known as WanaWana, is a journalist, poet and filmmaker
whose work probes women’s rights, social justice, personal narratives, culture
and the arts. As a performance poet she has graced the stages of festivals
across Africa. Her first spoken word
album, ‘Dirty Laundry’, was released in 2013. Her poems have been featured at
the British Library’s Word, Symbol and Song exhibition. “In Memory of
Forgetting” is her second spoken word poetry album.