Wole Adedoyin interviews Aishat Yahkub: Poetry Possesses a Unique Power to Stir Deep Emotions

WA: CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AS A POET?
Aishat: I’m Aishat Yahkub, a creative, poet, and fourth-year medical student from Ilorin, Nigeria. I’m self-taught—although I’ve been writing and living poetry for years, I’ve never received formal instruction in the art. I’m simply grateful to be here, doing this amazing thing with language. It’s overwhelming, exciting, and humbling.

WA: HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS POETRY COMPETITION?
Aishat: Through friends who share literary opportunities with me.

WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMPETITION?
Aishat: The theme aligned with a poem I had been wanting to write for a long time. The competition provided the spark I needed to bring it to life.

WA: WHAT SPECIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE DID YOUR POEM FOCUS ON?
Aishat: The right to life, the right to human expression, and freedom—all with dignity.

WA: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THAT PARTICULAR HUMAN RIGHTS THEME FOR YOUR POEM?
Aishat: It called to me. I’ve always been baffled by the systemic barriers that stifle the basic human desire to live and the survival of the common man.

WA: CAN YOU SHARE THE INSPIRATION OR STORY BEHIND YOUR SUBMITTED POEM?
Aishat: There’s so much poetry documenting and witnessing the human condition in my country and in Africa. I wanted to write one infused with overflowing hope—for me and for everyone else in despair.

WA: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR POETIC STYLE OR APPROACH TO WRITING ON SOCIAL AND HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES?
Aishat: I try to keep it personal and intimate, using the first person to draw readers in and hold them close. I aim to paint simple, primal scenes that resonate deeply and evoke emotion.

WA: WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE WHILE WRITING YOUR ENTRY FOR THIS COMPETITION?
Aishat: I doubted myself at every stage. I wasn’t sure how my hopeful approach would be received.

WA: HOW DO YOU THINK POETRY CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFRICA?
Aishat: Poetry can bring awareness to our struggles, serve as enlightenment, shake us out of complacency, and act as a loud, inciting call to action.

WA: IN WHAT WAYS HAS PARTICIPATING IN THIS COMPETITION CHANGED OR BROADENED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON HUMAN RIGHTS?
Aishat: My perspective is no longer rigid—I now see many different ways to approach human rights advocacy.

WA: WERE THERE ANY OTHER POEMS OR POETS IN THE COMPETITION THAT PARTICULARLY MOVED OR INSPIRED YOU?
Aishat: I haven’t had the chance to read them yet, but the titles have made me eager to do so. Seeing fellow Nigerians on the shortlist was also motivating.

WA: WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR POEM?
Aishat: Hope—most definitely.

WA: HOW HAS THIS COMPETITION HELPED SHAPE YOUR GROWTH AS A POET AND AS A HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE?
Aishat: I had always doubted my voice as a poet advocating for human rights—wondering about sincerity, perception, and impact. Writing my poem for this prize changed that. I became more confident in my abilities, and making the shortlist was incredibly validating.

WA: DO YOU BELIEVE POETRY HAS A UNIQUE ROLE IN CREATING AWARENESS ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES? WHY?
Aishat: Yes, absolutely. Poetry has a special ability to elicit strong emotions. I’ve read poems that describe others’ wounds so vividly that I almost flinched from the pain. Its power to appeal to our senses can spark awareness and action. A poem can go a long way.

WA: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE COMPETING WITH POETS FROM OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES?
Aishat: It’s always an honour. It was deliciously challenging, as expected.

WA: WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR PERSONAL LIFE EXPERIENCES AND THE THEMES YOU EXPLORE IN YOUR POETRY?
Aishat: I may not have a wealth of personal experiences to draw from, but all my poems are true to me and my worldview, even the speculative ones. I see poetry in everything and am always bearing witness.

WA: WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE YOUR POETRY WILL HAVE ON BOTH AFRICAN SOCIETIES AND THE GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT?
Aishat: Nothing grand—just a little more hope, making realities less bleak and despairing. If I can do that, I’ll be satisfied.

WA: HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CONTINUE USING POETRY AS A TOOL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY?
Aishat: This competition has opened the floodgates. I will write more poems, document more, witness more, believe in my voice, and act from where I am.

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO FUTURE ENTRANTS OF THIS COMPETITION?
Aishat: Don’t let the theme limit you—interrogate it, explore it, and write what’s true to you. Write from your heart and where you are.

WA: CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ANY UPCOMING POETRY PROJECTS OR PUBLICATIONS YOU’RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
Aishat: I’m working on several projects, but one I’m especially proud of is a series of related poems capturing my people in movement—with their hopes, joys, and struggles—rooted in the land that homes them. The poem I submitted sparked this idea.

Aishat Yahkub is a creative, poet, and fourth-year medical student from Ilorin, Nigeria, as well as a member of the Swan Collective. She is the first prize winner of the African Human Rights Poetry Competition, a finalist for the 2024 Akachi Chukwuemeka Prize for Literature, and was longlisted for the 2025 Poetry JournalPoetry Prize. A “Best of the Net” nominee, her poems have appeared in Fantasy Magazine, Brittle Paper, Agbowó, Fullhouse, The Shallow Tales, PoetryColumnNND, Poetry Sango–Ota, and other literary outlets.
Her work explores the haunting intersections of the body, belonging, and memory. A whimsy daydreamer, stubborn escapist, and practitioner of stillness, Aishat brings both intimacy and depth to her art. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, she shares her journey, inspirations, and insights on poetry as a tool for human rights advocacy.