Writer: Mathirakshana K
Editor: Jaanvi Thorat
Illustrator: Sanjana Mathur
Whenever we read tales of the courts of the yesteryear, there’s always the mention of poets wooing the rulers of their time and being showered with bags of gold coins, yeah?
We are going to be unpacking that exact art of flattery that the poets employed to showcase their art and earn those bags of coins.
The spoken word has co-existed with language for as long as the latter has been in use. In fact, these act as vessels of history, passing their essence down from generation to generation, through distinct and innovative rhyme schemes, the unique placement of words, punctuated emotion, and intonation techniques.
It catalogs into performance poetry, deeply rooted in the classical era that quickly bubbled to popularity in the 20th century. What we hear today as rap, hip-hop, jazz, rock, and folk genres is an amassment of the features the spoken word evinces.
Performance poetry is said to have existed in Africa, one of its originating points from prehistoric times, and developed in the United States eventually. In West African culture, descending from Mali, there have been griots, who assume the role of oral historians through their storytelling which is artistically achieved through the beautiful sounds of music and their structured vocals. It is considered a ‘service’ and is a verbally presented representation of historical narratives, genealogies, and oral traditions.
However, we do realize and acknowledge that by writing, history maintains its mark, its presence, and its relevance. Written documentation of events is how future generations learn about what transpired in the past. At a time, when technology was not as developed as it is now, the sheltering and safekeeping of the rich stories were carefully passed on to and by the griots, who held the storyteller's mantle.
Moreover, during the Middle Ages in Europe, troubadours, who were traveling poet-musicians, expressed the depths of chivalry and courtly love, through their art. They were considered messengers of information as they advanced from village to village with their songs. They were also responsible for the formation of poetic techniques in European verse while simultaneously writing them in their vernacular languages. European poetry is considered a brainchild of troubadours- huge credits to them for shaping it as we know it.
One of the very famous and well-known books, The Iliad and The Odyssey, was an amalgamation of spoken word poems. The introduction of printing acted as a barrier to this art form. It reached wider audiences upon publication and the essence of the spoken word diminished slightly, but still ignited some interest in the poets who performed.
The Modern era of spoken word poetry had a whole spectrum of influences. During the 1990s, there was a resurgence of the spoken word. People were becoming accustomed to how poetry could also be fun, and meaningful, and be presented with slight twists and turns.
Enter Slam Poetry movements with its drumroll.
This competitive arena for 3-minute poetry recitations dealt with political, feminist, and current narratives. Its central motive was to re-introduce poetry into daily life, raising awareness of this almost fading and under-appreciated art. People now have free rein with this, allowing them to not conform to a specific format but follow with their words, where the heart leads. Even in Bangalore, a National Youth Poetry Slam was held a couple of years ago and it was a success, for the emotions had a rippling effect even if the words were not fully understood. Such events take place often and in the multiple languages, India proudly promotes.
With social media and YouTube at our fingertips, we do have a never-ending amount of tapings of spoken word performances online, and there are people actively inspired and encouraged to express themselves in their own words, imagery, and style. Brandon Leake, for instance, went on to bag the title of America’s Got Talent’s first spoken word poet and won the season with his finesse and art in 2020. Rupi Kaur, who we all know and are in awe of, started with Instagram as her foundation, and went on to make various tours with her talent and intricate poetry! Doubtlessly, we are beginning to sail open-mindedly into the dreamy waters of words and letters.
I’d like to conclude by saying that though it strikes a chord with the audience, the audience is yet to grow larger and more diverse. We are yet to treasure this art form over other expressive art forms out there. We are yet to fully embrace the spokenness of this still unheard craft.
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