The evening the 99% won at First Citizens National Poetry Slam

Verses tore through issues of parenting, gang violence, systemic inequalities, West Indies cricket, corruption, and gender-based violence among other subjects. Former champ Kyle Hernandez even addressed parenting and social media bullying through the use of Certified Sampson’s popular social media child, Ezekiel.

But it was 23-year-old Moruga resident Shakira Burton’s take on the societal debate of the 99 versus the one per cent that walked away with the $50,000 prize in the First Citizens National Poetry Slam.

It was the closing event of this year’s Bocas Lit Fest, held at Queen’s Hall, St Ann’s, on April 28. The event began at 6.30 pm and ended at 10 pm.

A largely youthful audience cheered eagerly for their chosen poet. As if in a Calypso Monarch contest minus the music, poets dressed in themed costumes, took the audience through their chosen topics. Pan was a popular metaphor in some of the pieces.

At the end of the competition, head judge Arielle John said each performer left part of their truth on stage.

“We heard from the Ezekiels of the world, we heard calls to action to end gender-based violence, we heard about caring for our children, we heard about gang violence, about holding people into account and challenging the status quo,” John said.

She said the 16 finalists delivered “excellent storytelling,” the judges found the continuity factor was very strong and “people really embodied the characters whose stories they came to tell.”

However, the judges had a bit of a struggle with the voice and articulation section and missed some nuance in how some of the poets carried their story, she said.

At the end, it was Burton, five-time winner Alexandra Stewart and Seth Sylvester who took home the top prizes.

In her candid piece The Voice of 99 Per Cent, Burton also spoke to the problem of corruption.

In a phone interview on April 29, Burton said the piece was inspired by the many voices commenting on her semifinal piece, the Numbers Game.

At the time of the interview she was still coming to terms with being the 2024 First Citizens National Poetry Slam winner.

She said, “The win is a bit surreal. I don’t think I have quite landed off of the high as yet.

"I first want to give honour and glory to God for the talent he has blessed me with in order to produce such an impactful piece. It is not by my talent but the inspiration God would have given to me.”

Burton began writing as a form one student at Moruga’s Cowen Hamilton Secondary School.

“It was there I discovered my love for performing, for writing and creating. The teachers at Cowen Hamilton – Mrs Keion Beard-George, in particular – moulded the potential she saw in me and that is what led me to pursue my BA in theatre arts at the UWI, St Augustine campus.”

The first-class honours graduate began writing her winning-piece after seeing the feedback to her semifinal piece.

This made her realise that people wanted “raw, unedited, straight-no-chaser type of poetry,” she said.

Initially, she had some reservations about performing it as she did not want to be too political. However, bolstered by family support, Burton found the courage to do so.

Her mother, Christine Cooper-Burton, father, Ricardo Burton, brother, Kareem and aunt, Onika Burton helped her to refine the piece, she said.

“As an artiste, you will get a piece and it is a lot of fine-tuning and cutting and trying to figure out what to connect to whom. My brother had the ear to tell me, ‘Yes. No. Yes, this is it,’” she said

She recalled reading the piece to him days before the final and being told that was the piece she should do.

That gave her the confidence she needed.

“I appreciate those that supported me in following through with the 99 per cent because the 99 needs a voice,” she said.

Although she first entered the competition in 2014, she was not a finalist. She is thankful she did not win then, as she was not ready.

“I was not seasoned enough as an artiste to take that step forward.”

While the title might bring lots of opportunities her way, Burton wants to become a teacher. She hopes the win will be a stepping stone into the profession.

Burton believes her voice is to be used as a vessel for the voiceless. Many of the stories she shares are hers, but the majority are those of people who do not have a platform to speak loudly for themselves.

“If the Numbers Game and the Voice of 99 Per Cent inspires those sorts of conversations, then my job is done. I did what was needed to be done. If it is a conversation-starter as to how we can create change in TT, then I did my job.”