… Long story short
I’m an artist fascinated by words: their meaning, but also their nuances, their echo.
I started writing poetry when I was about tenyears old and very quickly developed my approach when I learnt about slam. I then started to perform as a spoken word artist, sometimes combining the nuances of words and those of drums. I love spoken words, sung words, whisperedwords… In short: I love exploring the potential of words.
I also play drums (ka, djembe), so I play along for some of my texts.
Finally, I am keen on wood work so enjoy creating all sorts of art and craft.
Acapella, with music, rhythmical, shouted, whispered…
My words take flight, free as a breeze.
Or are these my wounds breaking free through the silence?
It could be one, it could be both…
… Inspiration
« Life is there with the breeze, the deep vesperal breeze..”
Why’z Panthera is my artistic identity.
Why’z can be understood in two ways:
“Why is”, because I find inspiration in various topics: « Why is the world like it is? », « Why is colonialism still shaping our reality? »,etc.
“Wise”, in the sense that I try to take a step back and I think about the world and about myself. I want to question the order and the meaning ofthings. Questioning means to move forward, (re)think the world, create (ourselves).
Panthera, because panthers inspire wisdom.
First of all, yes, I take back a stigma: in Western societies, Black people are often associated with animal figures putting them in a posture of inferiority, of exotisation, or even of dehumanization. I stand against this tendency that feeds the worst colonial imaginaries. I look at the world surrounding me with positivity while I search for the best way to conceptualize myself intime, identity and social spaces.
Then, why panthers? Because they are discrete, lonely, but, paradoxically,at the heart of life. Most importantly, they analyze before acting, theysneak rather than show themselves, they observe and seek efficiency. They understandthat taking a step back is sometimes the best way to go forward, such as Why’z Panthera.
… Artist journey
« Just write, because living is shouting…”
Poetry is my first art. I published 4 books until today:
Post Pulvis, Réversibilité, 2010 (no longer available)
Particules de pensée, 2012
Pensées et autres maux, 2012
Pensées et autres maux – nouvelle version, 2015.
I also published Aletheia, my first play, performed on stage in 2012 and 2013 in Paris (France).
In addition to writing, I perform during art events (festivals, poetry events, concerts, jam sessions, etc) and contribute to magazines and other publications.
For a few years now, I’ve been developing my approach of arts related to words by combining poetry, slam and music to design a spoken word style that represents the complexity of my thoughts. In that way, I’m still designing my own style, Spoken word Feat Drums, which is the alliance of the nuances of the words and the vibrations of drums.
… Wood arts and craft
« Welcome to my multifaceted universe. »
I have been doing arts and craft since I was a child. Whenever I needed a piece of furniture, I would first check if I could build it before I consider buying it. I also enjoyed building and designing decorative pieces, and I guess this passion never left me!
I enjoy working with wood and, as I do with words, I love finding and highlighting the beauty and uniqueness of every piece. Every essence has its nuances, its shape, its receptivity to some techniques or others.
Working with wood is also very enriching and grounding. This is a primal material that teaches me patience, observation, sensitivity and connexion.
I am very happy to use this website to share with you some of my wood work inspirations.
Why’z Panthera
