African Poetry Book Fund: Kumi Chapbook Release: Mulu Legesse & Kokeb

This exhibition features the work of artists Mulu Legesse (Ethiopia) and Kokeb (Ethiopia/Eriteria/US). Each year, the African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) releases a beautifully designed box set of chapbooks, featuring emerging African poets who have yet to publish a full-length collection, and showcasing the art of an African visual artist. The series aims to mark the early trajectory of poets who will go on to publish significant work.

With a box set design conceptualized as a “moving gallery,” the box sets are quite striking art objects: the box and each of the chapbook covers feature artwork by a single African visual artist. The first box set edition in the series, published by Slapering Hol Press in 2014, featured eight pieces of art by Adejoke Tugbiyele (Nigeria). Nine subsequent box sets, featuring from eight to thirteen emerging African poets at a time, were published by the APBF in collaboration with Akashic Books, and featured artwork by Imo Nse Imeh (Nigeria/US), Victor Ehikhamenor (Nigeria), Ficre Ghebreyesus (Eriteria), Sokari Douglas Camp (Nigeria/UK), Aida Muluneh (Ethiopia/UK), Tariku Shiferaw (US), Admire Kamudzengerere (Zimbabwe), Victor Ekpuk (Nigeria), and Kokeb Zeleke (Ethiopia/Eritrea/US). In the past two years, the APBF was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with two artists to create work in response to the poetry chapbooks. These two artists, Mulu Legesse and Kokeb, painted a series of twelve to fourteen pieces, each piece created in conversation with an emerging poet’s manuscript.

The APBF is thrilled to collaborate with DMST Atelier to celebrate the artwork created by Kokeb for KUMI: New-Generation African Poets (Akashic Books, 2024) and Mulu Legesse for KUMI NA MOJA: New-Generation African Poets (Akashic Books, forthcoming in 2025). DMST Atelier will be featuring artwork by Mulu Legesse and Kokeb from 15 March 2027 till 29 March 2025 in their gallery at 4614 W Washington Blvd in Los Angeles, California.

On Thursday, 27 March 2025, the APBF and DMST Atelier will be hosting a poetry reading in celebration of this creative encounter between poems and visual art. Poets Adedayo Agarau, Rabha Ashry, Mary-Alice Daniel, Saddiq Dzukogi, Romeo Oriogun, Claudia Owusu, Sherry Shenoda, Henk Roussow, and Qhali will be reading from their own work as well as poems from KUMI.