Hassan C. Honore
24 years old
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Biography by Angela Bizera
Photo by Luanda Bauma Primo

Hassan Chilewu is a young man from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He was born on 06 May, 1999 in Malawi. His family came to Malawi in 1996 due to insecurities in their home country. He does volunteer work through Plan International Malawi as a mentor of the Dzaleka Children Parliament and is engaged in a youth group.

He is a poet that writes and recites. He did not learn his poetry. Instead, he was inspired by his brother’s writing. He picked them and compared them to his own that he was developing. Of course, his were not great then but he kept pushing till today and he does not know if he is better yet. He began writing in the year 2013, and in 2014 he performed for the first time at a poetry competition which did not work out well for him.

Writing poetry for him means speaking through writing what he cannot speak. He expresses himself better in poetry, and poetry is love, kindness, goodness. Poetry is an instrument weapon used for change.

People out there read and listen to what they want to but in the actual sense they should be reading and listening to every writing. They should come and check out the outside world and listen to the words that are being bled by young men and women.

MAY IT BE SO

May the bridges we build help us cross and lead us to our true destinations
May the bridges we break keep the distance between us and our enemies!
May the grudges we hold upon others burn our chests, may the grudges we hold remind us of our past

May the wealth we have remind us of our greed, may the wealth we have deny us any need
May the prestige we have take us not to bed with empty stomachs!
May the ones we cherish, cherish us back, may the ones we love, love us back
May the craves for success be kind to us,
May the hungry for money lead us into safety
May the hearts we have be of purity!

May the testimonies we testify upon others be real, may the testimonies we testify upon others
save us from the fire of hell
May the prayers we offer wish us well!
May the goodness in us forever dwell

May the spells we cast harm no one, may the curses we curse disarm no one
May the tales we tell save someone
May the stories we tell inspire, may the stories we tell inquire
May the heart of sharing continue living in us!

May selfishness stay away from us!
May the spirits of dominance be cast out!
May leadership spirit build us and remind us of who we really are
May the marks we bear be Godly!

May the crowns we wear be dearly!
May the thrones we seat on be of no thorns!
May our feet step not on stones!
May the reflections of our mirrors be our true definition!
May our mothers’ love remind us of our existence!

May our fathers’ sacrifice remind us of our resistance!
May our treatment towards the poor choke us to death, may our treatment towards the poor save us to breath
May the torture we cause upon the weak judge us before the king
May the fortunes of our spirits keep us in a golden ring!

May the comfortability of the mattresses we lie on be so kind to us!
May the planes we board help us cross the sea and not to crush!
May love reside in our hearts, may wickedness reside beneath our feet
May the candles we light on others be the same candles we light on ourselves!
May the kingdom fall on us all, may it be so!