Diving into unknowns: Mishael Henry discusses winning National Poetry Slam

Trying to navigate the deep, boundless realms of the unknown is a pursuit often deemed peculiar and challenging to master. For 19-year-old Mishael Henry, this journey has been uniquely depicted on his canvas as he swerved away from the conventional pathway with remarkable flourishment.
Born in Venezuela, raised in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and recently setting foot on the shores of the Republic of Guyana, the journey of this teen of Guyanese heritage to the throne of Guyana’s National Poetry Slam Championship has been one which he had never believed would have been granted to him.
Despite being known in Trinidad for winning many titles in the poetry world, Henry said, he had never seen himself holding the title of winner of the National Poetry Slam of Guyana; where he arrived strapped with only essentials, but importantly with a pen and his pocket notepad, a youth of humble beginnings whose actions are fuelled by his unwavering faith in God.
Having previously written and performed spoken word in various endeavours in Trinidad, and having a rich background in societal well-being, Henry embarked on his journey with little knowledge of Guyana’s poetry scene.

However, fortune favoured him when he stumbled upon the Guyana National Poetry Slam in February 2024 shortly after his arrival. Receiving a message from his aunt, Henry came into possession of a WhatsApp flyer about the 2024 Mashramani competition, inviting poets to submit three-minute videos on topics such as Guyana, Our Country Our Home; Mental health issues; For the love of humanity; Guyanese patriotism; Youths on social issues; and the Elimination of social ills.
His interest was greatly aroused by the contents of the flyer, and he dived into the competition by taking hold of the topic “elimination of social ills”. Vying for the prize of $200,000, he competed against Guyana’s outstanding voices. Claiming that he had noticed prominent issues within Guyana that were in need of addressing, Henry saw it fit to write a piece entitled “Guyana Race.” The poem addressed the social ills of racism faced in Guyana, and he laced the poem with the metaphor of a person running a race. He created an analogy where Guyanese were running a race to win all the things that they would like to achieve but would constantly kick other races out of the race due to racism.
Combatting this with means to eradicate racism throughout the country by respecting and loving on another, Henry wrote the poem within hours before the deadline of the submission where his notepad was whipped with writing, editing, reviewing and fine tuning all before the submission of his final draft.
He submitted his piece to the officials of the National Poetry Slam, and received an email two days later, advising that he had been shortlisted for the competition. Dazzled with great joy within his heart just two days before the finals, Henry found himself a private space where he practised the performance for his poem. Toggling through various ideas of performance, Henry reached on the scene and sat among 19 other poets on the night of the competition.
He fearlessly awaited his name being called, signalling it was time for him to deliver his performance; and finally he heard: “In position number 5 to perform, we have Mishael Henry to perform with a piece entitled ‘Guyana Race’.”
Those words of the host drew Henry to the center of the stage, where he came crouched in the position of a track athlete — a position strange to many, as he shook up the usual way in which spoken word poetry is performed. He said the crowd, tuned like guitar strings, was played by his words as he delivered the poem, which convicted them as he expressed the ongoing issue in which Guyanese bestow upon each other, where they would pounce on each other using racial slurs.
Lines which said, “Your neighbour of a different colour is still your banna,” resonated with the crowd as he performed the poem. “God has been with me before, He will be with me now”, he stated after coming off the stage to await the judges’ decisions.
Anchored by the view that God would constantly be with him through all his endeavours, he was able to temper the drum roll of fear that attempted to assail his mindset; and upon hearing the names of the fourth, third, and second runners-up being called, he thought to himself that his name wouldn’t rack up within the giants of names that were called. But just as his faith simmered, he heard his name rolling in first place of the competition!
Draped with excitement as the rookie on the local scene channelled great thought-provoking ideas, Henry was grateful as he told reporters on the scene, “This success can only be accredited to God. Once you put your faith in God, you can achieve anything.”
Mishael Henry, who had viewed himself as being far away from ever creating such movements within Guyana, was very thankful to be greeted by the Youth, Culture and Sport Ministry, and for being given opportunity to state his point of view on an issue which he saw happening throughout this country.
The 19-year-old currently sees himself creating rapid work within Guyana using spoken word poetry as a tool to foster change and battle issues throughout all 10 administrative regions within Guyana.
As a passionate advocate for spoken word, Henry currently holds the role of reporter with <<Guyana Times>> and <<Evening News.>> Throughout this multifaceted journey, Henry anchors his mindset in the growth of the arts within Guyana, as he states, “My goal is to contribute meaningfully to the cultural and artistic landscape of spoken word within Guyana, while uplifting and empowering the voices of the next generation.”