This archive report was first published on 14 October 2019.
BY THE BOOK: Jephtha Malelah ¶
Published on October 14, 2019
Jephtha Malelah is a Kenyan artist, social worker, and author of a poetry collection titled Pieces of My African Soul. He also has poems featured in Best New African Poets 2017 and 2018 anthologies, Fatuma’s Voice, Storymoja Festival, and Street Poetry.
Malelah currently runs a book project with Homa Bay Children’s Home, an initiative that has collected over a thousand books from organisations and well-wishers. He believes that art is the consciousness of society, which makes an artist the guardian. He currently volunteers with Peer Servants as a Global facilitator for its Youth Empowerment Programmes. He blogs at malelahsworld.com
Malelah values Weep Not Child by Ngugi wa Thiong’o for shedding light on the Mau Mau uprising and the clash between Kenyan culture and that of colonialists. He also appreciates Robert Frost: Selected Poems for its authentic and captivating voice that interacts with nature in a paranormal way.
When asked about his reading habits, Malelah revealed that he reads at least 30 books a year. He prefers reading in quiet places, especially when he is in Homa Bay, his hometown. He loves historical fiction and believes that it allows him to explore how civilizations came to be, the debates around the origin of life, birth, and growth of cultures.
Malelah has a collection of 44 books, which he buys or receives as gifts from friends. He treasures Robert Frost: Selected Poems and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, which he lent out to spread awareness about human rights and the reality of injustice against black people.
When asked about his thoughts on the appreciation of poetry in Kenya, Malelah stated that it is not yet where he would love to see it, but he sees growth every day, especially with increased poetry events, prizes, festivals, and viral posts on social media. Kenyans are learning to embrace poetry.
Malelah prefers hard copies of books over e-books because he likes having something he can hold, touch, feel, and put a wooden bookmark in. It makes him want to read. He also believes that page poetry allows him to create a whole world of imagination, on his mind and in silence.
Malelah’s last poetry book that he read was String of Miracles by Minda Magero, a whole anthology about love. He found it eye-opening, raw, and honest. He believes that schools, colleges, universities, and educators can encourage students to enjoy poetry by making it a subject beyond classwork and test papers, making it a school club, an event, a fun activity, and a life skill.
When asked about his dream career, Malelah stated that if he weren’t a poet, he would be a social worker. He believes that developing communities and campaigning for human rights is so fulfilling. He wishes all aspiring poets to keep in mind that a dreamer, an artist, a poet can never be faint-hearted. For they love truly, feel deeply, and think extensively, and those are hard things to do in a world full of blended criticism, differing philosophy, clashing opinions, and relativism. The end is worth it.
