Shine Baby Shine : New poet Kris Chris on ‘mekin money’ in Uganda – featured art by Osian Efnisien in Wales

Posted by ceris62 on February 23, 2011 · 1 Comment 

 

23 year old Kris Chris lives in Kampala City, Uganda, where he grew up with an innate creative passion for words and pictures, scribbling his way through childhood with a charred cassava root for a pencil. Osian Efinisien, our first non-African artskushinda artist, designs mini advertising campaigns and posters for usually non-existent clients. Often working in collaboration with a network of fellow artists and contacts, his street art finds it’s way in sticker form to locations in far flung corners of the globe. In 2010 his work was nominated for and appeared in the book of the Artaq International Prix D’Art Urbain.

Mek Money

It’s steamin’ warm inside
Fresh cold outside,
The skies are blue
In the east ‘tis orange
So to say
‘Tis.. a nu goodmorning..
And let’s all..everybody wek up
C’mon up..get yo bodies outta bed
Hey.. let’s roll
And say yo graces..
Time to mek money

’Tis that time of the year when I’m cornered
Time and time a hook comes up
I’m always thinkin’.. it is mind parliament
I’m always debating with my other half self
‘When shall all this end ?’ ’Tis bin far too long
Wanna break out, this shell is too hard
Bin inside maself wanna cut out now
I see people wekin up, rubbin sleep from their eyes
Going to work, they all got things to do
It truly matters, coz they gettin payed at d end
Yet here I am, sittin’ and watchin’, got nothing to do?
Noo.. the system is clogged up noo..
Wait I’m figurin’ it out
So that’s how I’m doing
Time I got out… yeah

It’s steamin’ warm inside
Fresh cold outside,
The skies are blue
In the east ’tis orange
So to say
’Tis.. a nu goodmorning..
And let’s all..everybody wek up
C’mon up..get yo bodies outta bed
Hey.. let’s roll
And say yo graces..
Time to mek money

All this time I bin around
Wanna mek it big is ma dream
I’m good to go if I get that push
I heard d other day some fellow got that
He got a good backin’ but he ain’t done crawling
Just left me wondering if ’tis luck bad or good
I know a hell lot good connections
So which I is to do ? Talk to ’em or watch ’em grow cold ?
School of life is still I attending, lot lessons learnt
Yet toying is my mind still on that old mistek
Time I made some money, real need that paper shine
So which is I to do? Yawn mo’ or tok mo’
Neither is better.. action is better
Hey get off that couch, is that what yo’ fartin on?
Either way get I’mma get sweaty workin’
Hmm sweet paper shine

I’mma do it right
I got quarter.. not a gramme
Do I need it swell
Double it, do that half twice
Ay there we got a shine
Yaa a heaven shine
Paper shine
Shine baby shine
No shame.. ya shine

©KrisChris2011

Kris Chris (with his own paintings in background)

@kushinda.org

Advertisement

Filed under Artists, By Country, Poetry, Uganda, Wales, Writers