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Through her poetry book, 19-year-old MISKY NUR ABDULLAH wants individuals to take a step back and review how they live and treat each other, for a better society.

Harriet James @harriet86jim

Life in the northern Kenya is tough for many women. Their education is not prioritised and when they finally get to school, scarcity of sanitary towels and learning materials pushes them to drop out.

They also face insecurity and terror gangs as well as the threat of early marriages. 

Misky Nur Abdullahi, 19, has lived a better part of her life in the north and has witnessed a number of women close to her go through such experiences.

Born in Mandera and partly raised in Wajir, she is among the few women who had the privilege of attending school despite the disruption in 2013 due to ethnic conflict. 

“Education isn’t prioritised and joining one of my dream schools was a nightmare since secondary school education is too expensive.

We are a pastoral community and poverty defines my community. I have cousins who never got the chance to go through school,” narrates Misky.  

Such experiences compelled her to write Reset, a book that aims at changing the mindset of the people living in the region. 

Transformation for better

“The book comprises 50 poems about social economic and political challenges facing the pastoralist communities in the country. The anthology aims to reset the mindset of my people,” says the young author. 

“The society has been marred with many visible challenges that are often ignored. The life of girls is being taken for granted—fewer people appreciate their existence.

There is need for a change and I want to reset my society for the better through my book,” she adds.

 Misky still holds fond memories of how her passion for books and writing began. In spite of the tough conditions she grew up in, her mother would still go out of her way to ensure she had copies of the newspaper to assist her in mastery of languages.

This became her foundation of learning, making her appreciate the power of English and Kiswahili in communication. 

“I started composing a few lines when I was 10 years old. Not to say I was not mischievous, but I kept up with my writing and I completed my first manuscript by the time I was 14.

Poetry is a passion and a beautiful arrangement of words that transports one to a different world.

I would love to take people with me to a whole new world where we can all think beyond what is possible, a world where they can unlearn and relearn, a world where we can reset,” says the young writer.

 With the assistance of her parents and Northern Kenya Education Trust (NoKET), the second born in a family of six was able to attend Mumbi Girls High School in 2014. 

The change in district transformed her to a better person as she was able to meet other girls from different parts and backgrounds. At 18, Misky had perfected her craft and was producing her third anthology. 

“It’s always a special feeling when one takes out your book in a library and sits to read it. It creates a new bond, a strong and everlasting bond between me and my readers.

I feel that I best communicate and convey my message through poetry as it invokes responsive emotions,” she explains.

Support less fortunate

In a society where the youths are constantly bombarded with immorality, drugs and HIV/Aids, Misky sees an opportunity to use her poetry to influence behavioural transformation. She also seeks to include another group of people who are mostly forgotten; those with disability. 

“People with disability are mostly viewed as a burden to the society. They aren’t given a chance to learn, read and write.

They are enclosed in small rooms as a way of isolating them, but do they know we are all equal to God? Being physically disabled doesn’t mean you are unable to throw a stone or lift a pebble from the ground.

I believe they are able in many fields. If someone is dwarf, it doesn’t apply to their brains too they can be academic giants as well.

So, my whole point is to reset people on how they view the less fortunate in the society,” she notes.

 Misky still has other stories and books that are yet to be published. Apart from balancing between poetry and books, she wants to use her God-given talent to set up an organisation that will support less the fortunate. She also aspires to be a lawyer and fight injustice. 

“I believe God chose me to inspire people since my story can give hope to the hopeless,” she concludes.