TAKE 5: Ogero Oscar

Ogero is a poet and performer better known as Gufy Dox.

1.What does your stage name mean?

Gufy has no actual meaning. I coined it just before I completed primary school. I simply wanted a curious catchy name, a name that would make people curious about me and want to know me in person. I think I achieved my motive.

2.Would you call yourself a poet or a revolutionary?

Revolutionary is such a big burdened word, yet so poetic in its undertones. While some of my poems and performances advocate for better governance and talk openly about the state of our nation and its current affairs, I wouldn’t call myself a revolutionary since I believe it is a tag that is bestowed upon someone, not self-proclaimed. Being called a poet, though a beautiful title, comes with its own burden and works for me.

3.Are you living off your poetry?

It’s an on and off affair. The constant is never there and the unpredictability makes it even harder to have a stable front. One month you are okay, the next you are barely surviving, but the situation is much better than say, how it was three years ago. You grow in your art form, get to connect and attract new opportunities and life moves on. I am living off my words, though. I come alive on and off stage.

I have a poetry showcase coming up at The Elephant, on May 26. The show is called May I? It dives into one’s will to stir up sentiments, re-live experiences and bring to light moments that are uncomfortable but which, strangely, make us people. I’ll be sharing a stage with Becky, a friend and fellow poet.

4.What was the idea behind your album, Misimu, and how did it do?

I started a social media strategy called #MisimuZangu, coined as a campaign for my poetry album, Misimu. It was heavily reliant on opening up and letting out all the ugly in us as therapy and trying to tell the world, through those unmentionable stories, that we are connected.

This was a journey towards healing and we (my team and I) believed the best way was to open up about our stories and hope another soul would find hope from the stories therein.

We reached approximately 25 million people across the world, and I believe we made direct and indirect impact.

5.What personal stuff do you think has shaped your work?

As I grew more into my art space, I realised people connect more with personal stories, stories that are relatable across every fundamental aspect of life. Misimu was about family, growing up with two mums, God, death, politics and owning every emotional aspect of my life.

It was redemption for me in a way, and I wanted to share that with everyone, the biggest message being that you are not alone, so speak, share and own your stories because there’s healing in that.

6.If you could do any other job in the world, what would it be?

There are only two jobs I have ever fancied - being a full-time performing poet, which I am, and being a film maker. I studied Film Production at the Kenya Institute Of Making Celebrities (Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC). I am still working towards blending poetry with the film side of me.