About

“By applying a decolonial performative lens we can start to understand global challenges differently.”

“By applying a decolonial performative lens we can start to understand global challenges differently.”

Nikita Yasmin Shah

Founder

Nikita has a curiosity about using art to both analyse and present findings on complex global issues. While Nikita has been writing poetry since her childhood. In 2015, she began to bridge her creativity with her research interests. Nikita wrote her Master’s thesis ‘Threads of Migration: A Decolonial Unravelling of British Kenyan Asian Identity, Belonging and Citizenship’. As part of this body of work, Nikita produced a 20 minute spoken word piece ‘Tales of Migration’ using the overarching image of pleating a sari to narrate the experiences of three generations of women with migration and identity. Since then, she has performed her piece and begun her journey to help others explore their intersectional identities and to understand how to work towards transformational change.

At Hyphen Poetry, Nikita loves connecting with people and teaching them how to not only write and perform spoken word poetry. But also how to use poetry as a tool for self-reflection, to explore themes and to communicate. Her favourite part is facilitating a safe and creative space for people to express themselves and to connect with a community.

Nikita’s is a poet, a dancer, and an international development professional who has provided high-quality research, analysis, client and project management across a portfolio of work. Nikita has a background in migration, modern slavery, decoloniality, human rights, climate change and gender-related issues. Most recently she has co-led a series of ‘Unlearning Sessions’ to promote anti-racist and decolonial practices in the workplace; creating a safe, open and trusting space for colleagues to critically challenge and re-imagine international development. Nikita holds an MA in Global Governance from the University of Waterloo, Balsillie School of International Affairs and a BA (Hons) in Politics from the University of Warwick where she Co-founded The Colonial Hangover Project. With over 15 years of experience as a Bollywood dancer and over 10 years as a dance teacher, Nikita has bridged her practice of art and professional work to develop a performative decolonial lens.

 

Decolonising using poetry.

The problem

In the UK, we are suffering from a serious case of ‘British Amnesia’. History as we know it has been written by the victors. Many of us have been taught a one-sided, glossy-eyed tale of ‘British’ history that shapes our understanding of global inequalities and (in)justice. The field of international development follows a similar suit, whereby narratives around the Global South and Global North continue to project colonial ideas. History and often present-day interventions continue to erase the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) globally.


Our approach

At Hyphen Poetry, we recognise the importance of understanding our own intersectional identities to better understand our positionality in the world around us. Our identities are threads that weave together a global fabric. A tapestry of shared histories. Only when we understand our own positionality can we truly work towards transformational change.  Amplifying the voices of (self-identifying) Women, and BIPOC is at the heart of this change.

Hyphen Poetry uses spoken word poetry to challenge the traditional colonial notion of knowledge production. Spoken word poetry is an accessible tool for resistance against colonial practices. It allows us to explore, probe, (un)learn, understand and express complex topics and issues. In doing so, often multifarious emotions can surface. We encourage individuals to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and to work through these emotions. The political is personal and the personal is political, therefore emotions need to be normalised as a valid part of our lived experience.

Why us?

Hyphen Poetry focuses on making complex and challenging conversations simple and meaningful using poetry. We are uniquely positioned; sitting at the intersection of art-academia, poetry-practitioner and emotion-evidence, we can take you on a journey to unlearn, reconcile and connect your intersectional identities.

 

Latest poetry

Nikita recently published ‘Oh Crumbs!’ in Are We Europe’s Unsilencing: The Colonialism Issue magazine. Have a listen below.