Divined Akhis Brothers: Young Gambians Determined to use Poetry to Speak for the Voiceless and Societal Change

By Bakary Ceesay

Omar Sanneh AKA S.O Poet and Muhammad Al-Amin Kijera  known as  Al-Amin are natives of Barra, Medina Kanuma and Mayamba in the North Bank Region of The Gambia. 

Born and raised under different backgrounds, the duo came to know each other during their Upper Basic level where they share the same class.

For the love of talent, they reunite after their grade nine (9) under an association pioneered by S.O Poet called Young Writers Club Of Lower Nuimi (YWCLN) where Al-Amin was the President.

The association formed with the motive of promoting writing and public speaking in rural Gambia paved the way for so many recent poets in Nuimi in which AL-AMIN is included.

YWCLN was not only an association of poets instead have opened gates for aspiring journalists and public speakers through presentations in various schools.

In this endeavor, the duo together with their association helped to groomed and built confident in skills of writing and public speaking before its collapse in mid-end 2019.

In 2019 after numerously appearing in public under YWCLN reciting poems and and presenting articles as news in schools, they made their first collaboration in January and released their first poetry audio called "Miracles" the 24th of the same month. Miracles, according to them "was a breakthrough into the poetry scene of the Gambia" but couldn't contain it due to financial constrains to give them proper frequent studio work.

From this period, they have been working independently in reaching each goal by writing and releasing scripts and audios like The Month (audio), Reality, In this life, White Baboon among other 10s of poems.

This trend continues till 2020 when the two agreed after several attempts to established a body which will represent them and  on the 4th of April they officially formed and named it as *DIVINED AKHIS*

The two young stars chose to brand themselves as Divined AKHIS which translates as Divined Brothers because they believed their Union is divined.

"We chose the name because we believed our Union is divined and the type of poetry we do is divined. We're the divined brothers sent to change the state of the Gambia poetry industry to another phase," they said.

Additionally, they said will do everything possible to see the poetry industry boost like the music industry yet called upon for support.

"Through the style and pattern of poetry we have and want to sell to the public, we're optimistic that with support surely we will change the poetry scene. Support is not only limited to the Divine AKHIS instead be diversified to others too with this we hope everything shall change," they added.

The poets also added to ring the bell that their poetry style "will be socioreligious centered accompanied with melodious rhythm for it to be inline with the generation."

Divine AKHIS concluded by calling upon all Gambians especially the government to support poetry hence its too a sector that can contribute immensely to the development of the country.

However, they're concern of poets in the Gambia and yet call them to unite and establish a structured industry than each poet standing on its own like an institution.

They finally thank all who has been with them yet calling upon more support in order to fulfill their task in the Gambia poetry scene.