MAWA MPE 🇨🇩Poem & Print
‘MAWA MPE’ Poem by Justin Shukuru Mulindwa and Print by Janina Nana Yaa. Comes in A3 on 160 gsm paper.
‘Mawa MPE’ is a powerful poem by Congolese poet, activist and law student Justin Shukuru Mulindwa, written in both English and French.
The title, drawn from Swahili, carries the weight of the work itself: translation to grief, sorrow, lamentation. This is not a poem that sits in despair. It moves — from wound to witness, from darkness to defiant hope.
Mulindwa writes of a land rich in spirit and resource, hollowed by greed, war, and the indifference of those with power. Politicians who build illusions, genocides that swallow the young and silence that accumulates like stones. Yet, threaded through every stanza is an ember that refuses to go out.
“My pen, a lamp in the night, guides the way. My ink is our blood, our sweat, our hope.”
This is poetry as testimony. As resistance. As love letter to the Congo.
For those of us whose creative work is rooted in ancestral memory and generational healing, Mawa Mpe is a reminder that the act of making — writing, painting, speaking — is itself an act of liberation.
Yes, Congo, your heart still beats.
Justin Mulindwa is cofounder of Bel Avenir a network of young artists that offer much needed supplies and food to women and children in displacement camps in Eastern DRC. Justin is now a refugee, having to flee his hometown for safety in early 2025. He is currently resettled elsewhere needing support for his university fees and basic resources such as food. While the DRC continues to experience an ongoing genocide and pillage of its resources such as cobalt, coltan, copper, gold and diamonds !
This artwork by Janina Nana Yaa is visual response to Justin Shukuru Mulindwa’s poem. This piece channels the grief, fire, and defiant spirit of the Congo through explosive color and layered symbolism.
Incorporating various Akan Adinkra the highlight is NSORO MMA at the top of piece. Translating to ‘Children of the heavens’ or ‘Stars’. A symbol of faith and dependence on the Supreme Being. Serving as a constant reminder that God watches over all people, and that we are all connected through the divine.
A face emerges from the chaos — grounded, watchful, ancestral. The lush greens of the land root the composition below, while starlight flames of red, gold, and blue rage above in reflection of the Congolese flag. Eyes are hidden throughout the work, watching, witnessing.
The text of the poem lives within the art itself — “each child’s cry freezes a star” — blurring the line between word and image, testimony and vision.
95% of funds will be donated to Justin and Bel Av. The remaining 5% is used to cover printing costs. When purchased, proof of transfer to Justin will be emailed directly within 7 days.
Follow Justin Mulindwa & Bel Avenir on Instagram at 👇🏿
For commission artwork email [email protected]
Janina Nana Yaa Asiedu (they/them) is a Queer Ghanaian artist, Ritualist and Ancestral practitioner. Born in Aotearoa NZ and founder of Nyame Dua x House of Afi, they offer visual art, herbal skin-care, spiritual adornments and divination that guide the collective through the waters of Ancestral healing & intimacy.
Janina’s artwork embraces the use of vibrant tones to call the unseen to be seen - honouring African Divinities, Adinkra symbols and mystical forces of Nature. Their heart is most fulfilled when uplifting LGBTQIA+, African, Black and Brown community. Deeply inspired by Indigenous patterns, line work and naturally informed by their upbringing in Tāmaki Makaurau their art reflects their ancestral migration as manu / tauiwi and the ongoing connection to whenua and Tangata Whenua Māori.