Poetry is quite a difficult conceptual art to write and to understand it easily. It is a quality that creates feelings as produced by poems. The most essential part of poetry is the noble and profound application of ideas to life. In short, a poem is viewed in two ways: hedonistic and didactic. Hedonistic poem mainly focuses on pleasure while didactic one lays equal stress on teaching and delighting. The Ethiopian Herald, to dig out the true concept and mystery of poem happened to ran into the person who has profound knowledge of poetry, and who has the capacity to write three or four poems every day. The individual was more than willing to give Herald interview as follows:
Herald: It is a privilege to have you here with us. Kindly, if you could tell the Ethiopian Herald your name.
Ato Alemseged: My name is Alemseged Sisay.
Herald: What is your profession?
Ato Alemseged: Previously, I was working as an ordinary telecom technician. Later, in 1990, I graduated from Ethio Telecom Technology and Information Institute as technician. With this profession I served for 9 years in the former Ethiopia Telecommunication Corporation. I got my first degree in management in 1998 on job education. Thus, I was promoted as Human Resource Officer. I got my second degree in Human Resource and Organizational Development in Education from Addis Ababa University in 2002 the sponsorship by the government. Upon completion of the MA program, the New Generation Network assigned us, the graduates, for work; unfortunately, I was found to be among the 4,000 workers who were not given the opportunity to be employed. Eventually, I joined the Ethiopian Road Construction as a lead Human Resource Development and Senior Training Officer.
Herald: What do you do now?
Ato Alemseged: At present, I work with Hidassie Telecom Senior Performance Compensation and Labor Relation Officer.
Herald: What does your profession have to do with writing poems?
Ato Alemseged: Frankly speaking, there is no relation between writing poems and my career now.
Herald: Compared with other literary works, how do you see poetry?
Ato Alemseged: I highly prize poetry more than any other literary works. To me, poetry conveys my inner feelings in depth, especially, when I use the right expressive dictions. Its rhythmic structure pleasantly talks to my soul even while writing, let alone after completing it. Apparently, I write poems both in Amharic and English; I also write film scripts like ‘Indih Nechina’, Fikir which are accessible on the internet to those who are interested. ‘Yimegnushal’ a romantic comedy which can easily be Google is among my works. I have also written a long fiction known as Reiyotealem Fikir.
Herald: What does poetry mean to you?
Ato Alemseged: Poetry to me is an out let through which I express my ideas that go up and down in my mind. This I do, not to please people but to show them what I am deep inside. All in all, my mind is keen to generate ideas when I am alone and in nostalgia and I versify some new ideas in my mind struggling to come out and share them with others who have similar interest and understanding of literary beauty. For me, allpoetry.com and the Facebook are my favorite media platforms. Related to this, I have received many critical comments which served as venues that enabled me to participate in contests upon which I won 5 gold, 8 bronze and 6 silver medals. Coupled with this, I was awarded over 70 Honorable Mention medals in the last six months. I participated in all these contests in the name of Ethiopian Poet. In the social media contests, I have been awarded the Icon of International Award, signed by highly placed international figures from Egypt, India and Mexico. The certificates were issued by World Academy of Arts, Culture and Literature of whose offices are based in India and Mexico. I have also received Best Writer Platinum Award from Literary Greeting in the Soul, signed by Maria Elena Vicente. Some of my poems are translated by the famous Portuguese translator into Portuguese.
Herald: Where did you get poem writing skill?
Ato Alemseged: For your information, I started writing Amharic poems while I was in grade seven by reading a book known as
‘Metsihaf’, in an effort to imitate the styles the author used to write the poems in the book. This very book laid the foundation even to write English poems. At the beginning, I used Amharic rhyming style as I had no English poem model. But later on I came to know that Amharic and English poem writing styles, more or less, the similar and I continued writing poems according to my preference based on Pushkin and Shakespearian sonnets and the like.
Herald: What were your writing styles?
Ato Alemseged: First, I asked myself what would be the right style for my writing. Then, I chose styles I thought would be proper and adequate and proceeded with them. The topics I chose for my poems were revolving around nature, Haiku (Japanese poem style), tragedy, love, politics, and ballads. Altogether, so I have far written numerous poems.
Herald: How many poems have you written so far?
Ato Alemseged: To answer such question is rather difficult at this point for my poems are more than I can count. There are 104 poems in the book known as ‘Whisper of Wind’, 65 in the book ‘Stay There’. In Amharic, I have 85 poems in the book known as ‘Miskeen Sinign’, 85, in ‘Sew Silik’, and over 500 more poems waiting to be published.
Herald: On which platforms have you presented your poems?
Ato Alemseged: English poems are on the social media, Amharic poems presented at Pyramid Hotel, and at Human Resource Bureau of Kirkos sub-city. I have also presented English poems, at Poetry Jazz Night, at Kaleb Hotel.
Herald: What feedbacks have you received from your audiences?
Ato Alemseged: The feedbacks are mainly on the social media which eventually earned me awards and applauds during live presentations.
Herald: How did the feedbacks positively or negatively impact your poem-writing endeavor?
Ato Alemseged: As a matter of fact, they encouraged me to intensify my writing with the intention of making my poems be more accessible to the public with more stylistically improved poems. At this juncture, I would like to invite those who are interested in poems to either financially support me to publish my poems or publish them in accordance with the agreement for the mutual benefit of the author and the publisher.
Herald: In the process of writing your poems, what kind of good and bad experiences have you faced?
Ato Alemseged: Personally, the good thing about writing is it creates the feelings of delight. Further, it makes me a life-long learner as to how to bring out the feelings deep down in my soul. At the same time, while refering, I interact with the living or the dead literary giants through their master piece works and am well conversant with their life style and wisdom. Actually there is no bad aspect in writing; but when I make my poems accessible to the public, some readers perceive my ideas as erroneous. My politically oriented poems, unless they are in line with their ideological pursuit, they out right reject them and bombard me with their negatively-tuned criticism.
Herald: How widely are your poetry books spread?
Ato Alemseged: In Ethiopia, it is only through social media as I have not had the opportunity to publish them. However, millions of the Ethiopian diaspora abroad can access them online book sale through ‘Amazonandlulu.com’.
Herald: As your books were ready for sale, have things been as you expected them to be?
Ato Alemseged: The online sale in Ethiopia is virtually impossible as the bank system cannot connect Ethiopian Commercial and private banks to Amazonandlulu.com and the online book sale. If the government permits, it could assist many poets. For such problems, the National Bank and Ministry of Culture are responsible.
Herald: In general, what do you say about the reading culture of our society?
Ato Alemseged: Apparently, the reading culture of our people is rather discouraging. You hardly see people with some kind of reading materials in their hands wherever you are. To alleviate this grave problem, I would like to suggest the designation of a monthly and annual reading days on which all those who can read are somehow compelled to participate in it. This way the reading culture can gradually develop even though not satisfactorily. Actually this is already in effect, in a minor degree, at woreda youth centers and public libraries. The other problem is that there is no forum where the youth can relate with the old and new authors; this has great negative impact on the culture.
Herald: If there is something you like to say please feel free to do so.
Ato Alemseged: For your information, Gamo Style English poetry is created in Addis Ababa. Now it is gaining international acceptance the same as Shakespeare’s and Pushkin and others’ sonnets. I am lately introducing it to various characteristics on the Facebook and World Famous Writers by posting the poem. The Portuguese English poet Nela Hine, World Press Organization Director, wrote a poem entitled Christmas Cake in Gamo style and was awarded fist class prize; then Mohan Lal Verma, a poet and English teacher and the American Dr. Dave Gretch and others followed suit.
The Ethiopian Herald March 29/2020BY JOSEPH SOBOKA
