At SEVHAGE we commemorate three big events on March 21st: World Poetry Day; the day Chinua Achebe became an ancestor and of course, from now and moving on, the birth of our star poet, DAMORE ALLI!

The ‘Short Black Girl’, as she is known to many, is an extraordinary individual who I have had the joy of seeing grow through the years. Damore is too many things: a traveller, a dreamer, a teacher [maybe former lecturer],an accountant by profession, a writer by passion, and a self-described talker and recluse with the attention span of a fly! A proper Eko brought up lady, she developed a deep appreciation for quiet moments, often elusive amidst the city’s lively backdrop. If I remember right [and of course, there is digital evidence to support sef], her hobbies include reading, watching movies, savouring good food, traveling to beautiful destinations, and indulging in the luxury of hotel stays during vacations.

I met her early on in her literary journey and adopted her quickly. That was around the late 2000s, when she moulded her experiences into powerful words that she put in her blog, the defunct Naija Stories, and some other selected places. Eventually, her writing came together in the collection, Birdsong, published by our SEVHAGE in 2020. That book has been a hit everywhere we have had it. I remember that once when we had to take copies of the book to the library as legal deposit, we had some students fighting over them! Since those students were part of our SEVHAGE mentees, we had to sadly part ways with one or two of the copies – which they all agreed to eventually share amongst themselves, reading it in turns. Naturally, we were forced to make expensive replacements to give to the library.

Birdsong is a slim poetry collection of about seventy-two pages that explore love, heartbreak and loss. Wonderfully illustrated by Everybees, who is Damore’s lifetime bae and partner, the poems are simple without being simplistic and have, without fail, offered readers an intimate experience beyond words. I daresay that this collection is one I really enjoyed working on, one I love, for the beauty of the words and the greatness of the author.

On this special day, we honour not just the poet and professional, but the remarkable person who continues to inspire with her authenticity and creativity. Damore, may your birthday be filled with the tranquility you cherish, the adventures you seek, and the inspiration you so generously share with the world. Our dear SEVHAGE author, my dear littlun, may life smile for you…and the times treat you kind always, with your life’s journey being as poetic as the verses you craft. Cheers!

PS: HAPPY WORLD POETRY DAY world!