Form and Content of Spoken Word Poetry in Digital Spaces: A Case Study of Performances by Thony Voks

Abstract

Contemporary spoken word poetry is an emerging oral genre in Literature which encompasses orality, literacy and technology. In Kenya, this genre is mostly performed by the youth such as Thony Voks who portray an understanding of the urban culture. Spoken word artists in Kenya use languages such as Sheng in their performances which mirror the multilingual state of the urban Kenyan society. These performances are technologically mediated and are in many cases transmitted through digital spaces. This paper, through a case study of performances by Thony Voks, examines the form and content of contemporary spoken word poetry in digital spaces. Through the theory of intertextuality, this paper demonstrates that spoken word poetry is a literary form made up of other literary forms. The theory of hyperreality on the other hand demonstrates that because of virtual co-presence, the selected performances attain the status of hyperreality. This paper also elaborates on hyperreal images and their effects on people.