Poetry bridges different cultures through the universal language of emotions. Poems can unite people of various backgrounds and places through shared experiences. Words can teach and reveal. A poem can give a snapshot of another culture or country.
Technology connects us by bringing others closer. However, it poses challenges too. How many of us receive messages from strangers and immediately mark them as spam? Sometimes in September 2025, a message popped up in my DM. I almost deleted it, but the words teacher, school, poem, and children caught my attention after a quick scan. The message was from Ms. Raquel, a Year 2 teacher at Gurilândia International School in Salvador, Brazil. She revealed that she came across my poetry while looking for Tanzanian poetry to serve as an opening act for the International Festival they were holding. Specifically, she requested that I talk about or recite the poem “I am a Child of Tanzania.”
First, I sent her a link to a Kiswahili reading of the poem. The children sent me a beautiful voice note of thanks. Later, I sent a video of me reading the English version of the poem. Ms. Raquel updated me on every critical stage. Weeks later, a collaborative project was born. Inspired by my reading, the children recited the poem themselves. To see the children recite and pronounce foreign words from another country was absolutely touching. I reconfirmed the vision of my initiative, WoChiPoDa, i.e., children must be encouraged to write and read their own poetry.
Year 2D did a fantastic job and I am so proud of them all. Through my poem, I hope Tanzania is no longer a foreign name to these students and has left them with beautiful memories, even if they have not visited it yet.
Watch the full video here.
Read the poem here.
