Flawless Odalo “Order-Low” Crowned East Africa Poetic Hour Battle 2023 Queen
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- May 30, 2023
The East Africa Poetic Hour Battle 2023 lived up to its billing, with all tickets sold out.
Poetry lovers, young and old, from the host Lakeside city of Kisumu and beyond showed up to support their favorite Poets. In attendance were Kisumu County’s First Lady, Mama Dorothy Nyong’o, and Madam Beatrice Odongo, the County Executive Committee Member in charge of Sports, Culture, Gender, and Youth Affairs.
The first round saw the poets deliver some hard-hitting pieces touching on the theme for the round – accountability and governance. Ten contestants were subsequently given the green light to proceed to the next round by the judges.
The second round was themed around the Cohesion, integration, and economic growth of the East African community, where Six contestants were given the nod to proceed to the penultimate round of the contest.
In the third round, contestants were required to deliver a piece of their choice in their mother tongue. A fan favorite, Priest the Poet from Nakuru got a standing ovation as he exited the contest in a highly competitive round which saw Mercedes from Kampala, Wangui wa Kimani from Nairobi, and Order-Low the poet from Kisumu book tickets to the final round of the contest.
The final round was just as breathtaking and engaging as the preceding, as Order-Low and Mercedes could not be separated by acclaim. The panel of Three Judges had adjudicated the first three rounds, whilst the final round would be determined by the audience present at the contest by acclamation.
Order-Low, buoyed by her hometown fanbase, would emerge victorious after a runoff to decide who would take the 2023 East Africa Poetic Hour Battle crown. Besides winning Prize money, she was also awarded a Personal accident cover worth KShs 1 million from AAR and a gift hamper courtesy of TECNO mobile.
The event has grown in leaps and bounds over the years, and next year’s edition promises to be quite the spectacle.
