Eunice Akoth speaks on stage during the Women In The World Summit on April 24, 2015 in New York City. PHOTO | ANDREW TOTH |
AFP
DALLAS, TEXAS
A Kenyan girl
received a resounding standing ovation in New York for her recital of a
poem that highlights the plight of children in Kibera.
Eunice
Akoth, 10, who is a pupil at the Kibera School for Girls took to the
stage on Friday at the sixth annual Women In The World Summit with her
poem “My Dream”.
The crowd looked on as Akoth walked on to the stage and uttered the familiar line heard during poem recitals at drama festivals.
“Eunice Akoth presents 'My Dream'. Welcome,” she said with a smile before giving a little bow.
The crowd, seemingly appreciative of her humility, applauded as the composed Akoth smiled back.
Things changed, however, as seconds into her recital, tears started streaming down her face as she recounted life in Kibera.
“My
present situation, not withstanding, it’s a mere passing cloud. Every
mighty king was once a crying baby. Every great tree was once a tiny
seed! … And so is my dream.”
GOING TO OVERCOME
To
Akoth, the poem seemed to bring back memories of her life in Kibera
though she maintained that whatever she was going through was not a
permanent situation and she was going to overcome it.
She pumped her fists in the air and walked with ease across the stage.
“It’s
not where I am, but where I am going that matters. My future has
nothing to do with my past or my present. The hard times I have had,
have made me stronger and better. The inner courage in me doesn’t roar.
It just whispers. So I dream my dream”, she concluded.
As she bowed, the crowd at the Lincoln Centre erupted with an ovation that lasted nearly a full minute.
Akoth seemed pleasantly surprised by the reaction from the crowd.
SHINING HOPE
After the performance, she sat down with New York Times Deputy
International Editor Lydia Polgreen where she talked about life in the
slum. Ms Polgreen was the moderator of one of the last sessions of the
day, dubbed “Kenya’s Shining Hope”.
When Ms Polgreen
asked her what inspired her poem, Akoth said it was the experiences she
had in Kibera where many of her age mates were sexually abused and had
their dreams broken.
“I was inspired by my life in
Kibera. Most of the kids in Kibera are raped, some are neglected by
their parents, some are homeless,” she told the moderator, fighting back
tears. “Most of them have dreams, but they don’t know how they can
achieve them, so I had to write a poem that tells them that they can
achieve their dreams.”
Akoth was accompanied by the
founders of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), Kennedy Odede and
Jessica Posner-Odede. The organisation provides free education for girls
and offers programs that seek to eradicate poverty in Kibera.
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