Spoken word poetry is a powerful tool for storytelling, activism and self-expression. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two award-winning poets who use the craft to amplify issues they care about.

With over 15 years of a trailblazing storytelling career across journalism, performance poetry, filmmaking and TV, Wana Udobang is one of the poets who revitalized the Nigerian poetry landscape in the last decade.

Deconstructing shame is at the core of Wana Udobang’s work. She invites us to examine closely what we consider disgraceful, why it is so, and what is left when we let go of the notion. This interest takes on a different, more tangible form with Dirty Laundry, a three-day event of installation and performance titled after her first spoken word album.