Mi Poema, Mi Bro, Mi Kra
My Poem, My Breathe, My Soul
Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives
– Audre Lorde
My love for words began with simple gestures—writing “get well soon” cards for family and crafting rhymes for school. From there, I moved to writing plays, film scripts, and short stories. In school, we were taught that poetry had rules, and I believed that a good poem had to rhyme. It wasn’t until I turned 21, when I started journaling more consistently, that I realized the soul of a good poem lies in vulnerability and speaking your truth.
Meeting Zulile Blinker, the founder of Stichting Platform Support Suriname, was a turning point for me. Through her, I was introduced to spoken word, and it felt like a whole new world opened up. I found my voice, focusing less on rules and rhyme, and more on the rhythm of life. Spoken word and poetry became my way of resisting, loving, caring, mourning, and healing—of exploring the vulnerabilities that come with being human. In Suriname, I performed with the Spoken word group Kokolampoe (founded by Zulile Blinker) and I was part of ‘De Schrijversgroep’77’.
When I moved to the Netherlands, I joined the PoetryCircle Community in Amsterdam and took part in a six-month program where we explored the history of spoken word and experimented with various writing styles, including comedy, theater, monologues, and prose. At this point, I also started embracing the ‘Alakondre’ and fluid identity of being Surinamese and Caribbean more confidently— writing in and remixing different languages (Dutch, English, Sranan Tongo, and Ngoko Jawa). Through PoetryCircle, I began performing more frequently—starting with open mics and gradually moving on to curated performances in museums, talk shows, and special events.
It is important to mention, that the words I breathe life to are shaped by so many writers and artists who dare to live authentically and speak out against injustices: Zulile Blinker, Babs Gons, Karin Amatmoekrim, Clark Accord, Astrid Roemer, Dobru, Trefossa, Surianto, James Baldwin, Nina Simone, Audre Lorde, bell hooks, and Maya Angelou.
You can check out some of my performances here and if you want to collaborate or include me in your event, contact me on this page.