Oganga Mangiti, is a poet, born, raised and currently living in Nairobi, Kenya. He is also a creative and architect, with a B.Arch. from the University of Nairobi. He has been writing poetry from as early as 2010, and actively writing since 2018, with his debut poetry anthology, “Love and Pain,” coming out in late 2019. The book contains poems which focus on the emotions of love and those of pain, with the belief that going through each emotion individually, leads to the process of healing and growth through acceptance.
His work has been described as poetry of emotion, as it mainly focuses on the emotions of love, pain and heartbreak. He initially started writing, to express the emotions he felt; marking the important moments in his life, as well as appreciating those close to him; but that has morphed into a constant search, of using words to express different emotions and social issues, from a singular perspective. He draws a lot of his influence from African writers, such as Chinua Achebe, Francis Imbuga, Margaret Ogolla and Ijeoma Umbinyo; and poets such as R.H Sin and the oriental poet, Rumi.
One of his poems, “Dark Passions,” has been featured in Africa Leadership Magazine blog, and he has done interviews with artist based, creative platforms, such as “Wazo Moja,” and “Book Duka,” just to name a few. In addition, he has worked with various NGOs, such as Blossom and Hope, to help bring awareness to the plight of girls in accessing sanitary towels, as well written pieces for various donation drives in Nairobi.
In 2020, he became a Bakanal De Afrique Fellow, which involved the exploration of the impact of transportation on urban cultures and communities, and how they intersect with class and citizenship, over a six-month period, culminating in January of 2021, together with 50 other artists and creatives, drawn from all over the globe. He has also participated in the international poetry competition, Poetry Battle 15, which involved coming up with pieces on themes such as “What it meant to be black?” Jazz music, Religion and Masculinity.
In late 2023, Oganga Mangiti released his second book, “To Heal A Broken Heart.” It is a collection of poems and short stories that offers a way in which we not only explore the feelings of heartbreak, but also learn different ways on how we could heal from that hurt and pain that plagued the heart because we loved deeply.
Currently, Oganga Mangiti, is working on his third book, which will focus on the themes of blooming and coming of age. He is also constantly engaged in growing his art form, as well as experimenting on various forms of expression. Furthermore, he has been engaged in various campaigns, using poetry and prose in various digital and marketing campaigns.
| 2020 Bakanal De Afrique Fellow. | Author of Love & Pain; To Heal A Broken Heart. |
