'Giza': Malindi poet spoken word to heal, inspire and preserve Coast stories

Emma1 Poet’s production titled Giza is a musical play-poetry concept that tells the story of an artist while weaving together the experiences of different members of his community.

Staged on July 5 at Maono Space in Malindi, Giza fused eight spoken-word pieces that he wrote, directed, produced and stage-managed. He collaborated with Kare, Risper and Josh, who performed the songs Washa Taa, Mloo, Nikipata Pesa and Safari.

The body of work comes from introspection.

“Giza is about the thoughts that stay with you in your darkest internal experiences. I wanted to show how we can be the light when we are in the dark. It’s about hope,” he explains.

Emma's1 Poet, real name Emmanuel Mwaringa Mae, is a spoken word artist, storyteller and cultural worker based in Malindi whose work depicts personal experiences and preserves East African stories.

Through poetry and performance, he explores themes of identity, mental health, governance, social justice, and cultural heritage, using art as a tool for healing and change.

His first introduction to spoken word was during his childhood, when he watched performances on television while not knowing the art form had a name.

He later discovered poetry in school after an English teacher asked students to write poems. Impressed by his work, the teacher asked where he had copied it from before telling him that he was a poet.  

“I learnt that poetry exists as a career through my English teacher. I wasn’t exposed to it until then. That was when I knew I could pursue it seriously,” he recalls.

Trained as a civil engineer, Emmas1 Poet says that he eventually chose to pursue poetry and spoken word full time. He says it was challenging at first due to the uncertainties of working in the arts industry.

“The creative space is about imagining something and then doing the work until people can finally experience it. Artists must remember to pause when necessary,” he says.

He discloses that sharing his work publicly was difficult at first since most of his poems are from his personal experiences and his community.

He worried that audiences would mistake some of his stories for personal confessions. He says he learned to accept the fact that people would receive the work in their own way, and it made him more comfortable performing.

His first performances took place before small audiences of friends and his mentor Ras Godiso, who invited him to perform at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University in Bondo.

His debut piece, New Generation, spoke about changing values among young people and the contrast between contemporary life and the beliefs of previous generations.

Another early performance titled Red Colour for Life tackled menstrual health at Kenya Medical Training College in Bondo.

“My voice as a poet is artivism. I use my art as a tool to rewire mindsets, promote healing, elevate people, and inspire positive social change,” he says.

In 2018, he founded Na Siko Sawa (translated to I am not okay), an initiative that encourages people to openly acknowledge emotional struggles while promoting conversations around mental health, gender inequality, gender-based violence and climate change.

He embarked on the project when there were few poetry events at the Coast.

“The project grew from my experience of grieving after losing a parent while in college. Writing to let out my emotions made me realise that art can heal. I created this space where people can perform and consume art,” he says.

He also founded Elite Stories and Tales, a space dedicated to preserving East African stories, more so from the coast, which received little attention. Inspired by experiences working in Kisumu, Nairobi and Bondo, he wanted to establish this in his hometown of Malindi.

Guided by the tagline "Stories Woven in African Gold", the platform supports performances, workshops and collaborations that celebrate African identity and cultural heritage.

He believes storytelling is his purpose and inheritance from his father, who was also a storyteller.

“Through Elite Stories and Tales, I hope to create a space where creatives can experiment, heal, learn and freely share their work with audiences,” he says.

Growing up at the coast has influenced his art since he gets inspiration from historical figures such as Mekatilili wa Menza and Wanje wa Madori Kola. He notes that social media has made oral tales more accessible.

“Previously, we went to get stories from our grandfathers. Now, I am the bridge between the stories that we have been told throughout our childhood and the modern generation,” he says.

He points out that the coast's artistic scene provides uniqueness in its language, culture, fashion, and heritage settings such as Hell’s Kitchen, where artists can showcase their works.

One of his accomplishments was performing at the East African Artivism Showcase at the Kenya National Theatre in December 2025. There, he presented a compilation of works exploring governance, systemic oppression, decolonisation of the mind and the impact of political systems.

Moreover, he represented Kenya in Egypt through UNESCO's Afro-Arab Share programme on creative entrepreneurship and cultural heritage.

He also considers creating platforms through Na Siko Sawa and Elite Stories and Tales for emerging poets from the Coast to be one of his proudest accomplishments.

Photos: Courtesy