IHRAM Announces Winners of African Human Rights Poetry Competition

 

IHRAM ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS POETRY COMPETITION

 

The African Secretariat of the International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM) has officially announced the winners of its recently concluded African Human Rights Poetry Competition. This announcement was contained in a statement released by the Coordinator of the Competition, Wole Adedoyin, and made available to the press.

According to the statement, the Longlist, Shortlist, and final winners were carefully selected by a panel of distinguished judges comprising Khalid Imam, Nkwetatang Sampson Nguekie, and Thomas Block, alongside other members of the IHRAM team at the organization’s international headquarters in New York. Their combined expertise ensured that the competition upheld the highest standards of literary and human rights advocacy.

The Coordinator, Wole Adedoyin, disclosed that the competition attracted a remarkable total of 350 entries from 25 countries, representing a broad spectrum of experiences, cultures, and perspectives. This impressive participation underscored the global relevance of human rights issues and the unifying power of poetry in speaking truth to power.

Entries came from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Côte d’Ivoire, Thailand, India, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Liberia, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Canada, Jamaica, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, USA, Egypt, Botswana, Malawi, Madagascar, Tunisia, and Cameroon. This wide geographical spread reflected the competition’s global reach and the universal appeal of its mission.

The African Human Rights Poetry Competition was founded with the primary aim of amplifying the voices of poets committed to the advocacy of justice, equality, and human dignity. The shortlisted poets courageously addressed pressing issues such as political repression, gender-based violence, child exploitation, freedom of expression, and other urgent human rights concerns, using the power of their art to inspire awareness and change.

As a platform, the African Human Rights Poetry Competition offers both emerging and established poets an opportunity to channel their creativity into purposeful activism. The participating works served as powerful instruments of social commentary, confronting oppressive systems and spotlighting injustices often ignored in mainstream narratives.

Through this initiative, IHRAM reaffirmed its commitment to the transformative power of the arts in promoting human rights awareness and advocacy. By giving poets a stage to share their work, the organization continues to build a more equitable, compassionate, and informed society.

At the conclusion of the competition, the first prize went to Aishat Yahkub for her entry “COME, I SWEAR WE'LL LAUGH SO HARD AGAIN AND RUN ALONG ALL THE RIVERS.” The second prize was awarded to Khairat Abdulrazzaq for “BEFORE”, while the third prize went to Awountsa Tsafac Umel for “AFRICA, RISE WITH LIGHT.”

In addition to the top three winners, five honorable mentions were recognized for their exceptional contributions. These include: “BENEATH THE UNIVERSE” by Doreen Mwenda, “THE INNOCENT” by Sheriff Olanrewaju, “I AM HUMAN, TOO” by Chioma Muogbo, “JUSTICE” by Tanimu Abdullahi, and “The Black Man’s Saga” by Chukwuajah Emmanuel.

IHRAM commended all participants for their courage, creativity, and dedication to the cause of human rights. The organization expressed optimism that the competition’s impact will continue to resonate, inspiring both policymakers and ordinary citizens to work collectively towards a world where justice, freedom, and equality are not privileges, but rights for all.