Ghanaian poet, Kacey Moore fights rape and abuse of women in South Africa.

Kacey Moore PiX Ghanaian poet, Kacey Moore fights rape and abuse of women in South Africa.Kacey Moore Kacey Moore, a Poet and Songwriter originally from Ghana, is fighting people who rape and abuse women in his second home, South Africa. The Jo’burg based Songwriter and Poet is doing so through his poetry. Having lived in South Africa for so many years, he has fallen in love with the rainbow nation and its people to the extent that he is ready to fight for it.

When asked why he took such an initiative to speak against these social vices, the young poet said, this was not the first time he was doing something like that with his talent. He said he  co-wrote ‘words in my head’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xke54Cw_MUA  a song  performed by Kunle Ayo and RJ Benjamin which speaks of hope and not giving up. The song won a Metro fm Award two years ago. He said he also wrote the theme song for a TV series on DSTV’s Africa Magic, titled “Mirage of Life” which also talks about abuse in the home.

Furthermore, he said, what really triggered his involvement in the fight against rape and abuse was a report he saw on Etv (a free to air television station in South Africa) that said ‘one woman, one daughter is raped every 17 seconds in South Africa’.

This, he said scared him so much, it got him thinking of a way to add his voice to the many other voices doing so already. He tried to write a song on the subject but he realized people sometimes get so much into the beat and instrumentation, they pay no attention to the lyrics so he resorted to his poetry instead, which engages the listener rather actively.

He therefore started a project called the PAWA project (Poems Against Women Abuse) with which he looks forward to involve poets from all parts of the world to write poems on the subject. He started by writing the very first poem for this project. His poem titled D.S.T.V (Don’t Sit There Voiceless) speaks about everything from rape to violence against women, prostitution, murder, the judiciary, government, freedom of speech etc. What makes this poem unique and so interesting is how the young poet plays around with words. After listening to it the very first time, I had a very basic understanding of what he was talking about but listening to it the second time brought new and even deeper interpretations of the same words because he spoke metaphorically and in parables. That is how amazing this young poet is. This is just one of several other poems written by the poet/songwriter on the subject of Women and Child Abuse. Other titles include:www.facebook.com/kaceymooremusic/notes

1-      Why Dad? A poem that speaks directly about incest and rape of children

2-      I shot Aunt Suzzy! A poem that also talks about sexual abuse of little children

3-      HIV (He’s Into Virgins). A poem about HIV and rape of babies

4-      Life! A poem about what life really is

5-      I am a Graffiti wall! A poem about why people do what they do

Kacey Moore has just released a rather beautiful video for the poem titled D.S.T.V. He said he believes that a visual presentation of his message to the people was going to have a much greater impact than just the audio. The setting for the video is very natural with lots of trees and flowers. His daughter, Jojo is captured running around with daddy in the video. A very simple but well done film directed and shot by Prempeh Akontoh (PMAC) of DPB Productions. You can also watch the video here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2u8h091Svo

Another thing the Poet spoke about that I think is commendable was His D.S.T.V Tour. He explained that he will be performing in some selected schools, churches and shopping malls in Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town as part of his quest to curb this social menace of abuse and encourage victims of rape to come out and speak out.

He said he will also be organizing poetry writing competitions among students on the subject of women abuse. Best poems by students will be published in his Book titled P.A.W.A (Poems Against Women Abuse).

I asked him how he plans to fund his tour and he said ‘God will provide the ram for the sacrifice. He also said he is hoping that DSTV (multi choice) will come onboard and be the headline sponsor for his tour project. None-the- less, he is looking forward to other media entities like radio stations and TV stations to put the poem on high rotation to sensitize the general public. Also looking to the World Bank, the United Nations, and other government agencies to lend a helping hand to complement his efforts.

If you ask me, I’d say this is a worthy cause and everybody should support this true African citizen in his quest to save our dear country through poetry. [email protected] to support this project. You can also follow @pawaproject on twitter and like them on www.facebook.com/pawaproject

–          Written by Lessie (independent freelance writer)