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The Nigerian German author Olumide Popoola was born 1975 in Neuss. She
has lived in Nigeria, germany, the Netherlands and England and spent
various month in India and South Africa traveling and as a student.
Initially enrolling in a theatre course in Utrecht near Amsterdam she
soon developed her unique poetic voice she uses on stage. In her appearances
she weaves different voices into complex, politically charged spoken-word
performances. Her themes are political conflict and issues of national
identity, but also experiences of space and of healing.
She has performed internationally as a solo artist and in ensemble collaborating
with musicians, visual and performance artists and other poets. Her
deliverance is inspired by different forms of expression such as Hip
Hop, Jazz Poetry and African story telling traditions. Visit www.cityofwomen-a.si
for more information.
In 2004 Olumide Popoola won the May Ayim Prize for Poetry, the first
International Black German Literary Award. Visit www.cybernomads.net
for more information on this award.
With Beldan Sezen she edited the book “Talking Home. Heimat aus
unserer eigenen Feder. Frauen of Color in Deutschland”, blue moon
press, Amsterdam 1999 which became an important part of writings by
women of color in Germany.
Her work has been published in magazines and newspapers since 1988 in
Germany, South Africa and Nigeria and in the anthology accompanying
the May Ayim Award, published by Orlanda in 2004.
Academic analysis about her work has been published as early as 1999
in books such as "Aufbrueche, kulturelle Produktionen von Migrantinnen,
Schwarzen und juedischen Frauen in Deutschland" (Ulrike Helmer
Verlag 1999, Gelbin, Konuk und Piesche (Ed.).
Olumide Popoola’s work has been featured on various radio programs
in Germany, the Netherlands and Slovenia and she has appeared on smaller
TV programs with her work in Germany.
Most recently, in 2006, she went on a performance and reading tour to
the US organized by the conference “Remapping Black Germany, new
perspectives on Afro German history, politics and culture in conjunction
with the Goethe Institute Boston. Visit http://www.goethe.de
for more information on this conference.
A short feature of her is portrayed in the exhibition and accompanying
catalogue ‘Homestory Deutschland. Schwarze Biografien in Geschichte
und Gegenwart’.
She is currently working on a CD in collaboration with renowned musician
Jean-Paul Bourelly
which is due to be released in autum 2007.
Olumide holds a BSc in Ayurvedic medicine and lives in London.
"Ms. Popoola has a professional voice fit for
the stage and broadcasting and thus by far exceeds the usual quality
of readings given by authors. In addition, her great musicality allows
her to deliver her poetry in wonderful interaction with music. Though
subtle in spirit, her work appeals to any lay audience and is at once
driven by strong emotional content and cool intellectual irony. Her work
addresses her complex background and experiences as a bicultural Nigerian
German but is not limited to political reflections on identity. It also
displays a great deal of humor, satire and lyricism, speaking to contemporary
life in general."
Matthias Konzett, Tufts University 2006
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