Bamendian Spoken-Word Artist Mottanni Gains Academic Spotlight as His Poetry Inspires Research at the University of Bamenda
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Bamendian Spoken-Word Artist Mottanni Gains Academic Spotlight as His Poetry Inspires Research at the University of Bamenda
The artist’s socially engaged performances connect Toghu identity, cultural memory and questions of justice—with new opportunities for international festivals and cultural exchange.
BAMENDA, CAMEROON — October 2026 — The work of award-winning Cameroonian spoken-word artist Mottanni, born Tanni Desmond Awa, is the focus of a Master of Arts dissertation at the University of Bamenda, bringing new academic attention to a performance practice shaped by cultural identity, social realities and the possibilities of art as a tool for public dialogue.
Titled Slam and Social Construction: A Reading of Mottanni’s Slam Performances, the dissertation was written by Kikoh Herbert Kengok for the Department of English, Literature, and Digital Cultures in the Faculty of Arts. It is supervised by Prof. Kelvin Ngong Toh and Dr. Visi Sumbom Tubuo. The EPK lists the defence as scheduled for 16 October 2026.
For Mottanni, spoken word is both an artistic form and a way of bearing witness. Working from Bamenda in Cameroon’s North West Region, he creates performances that engage with identity, cultural preservation, gender-based violence, resilience, justice and the experiences of communities too often left outside mainstream narratives.
From personal testimony to public conversation
Mottanni’s recorded work reflects this commitment. His debut album, DarkLight (2022), explores hardship alongside hope, love and unity. Bruises (2023) confronts gender-based violence, accountability and healing. Selected by the Cameroonian Cultural Network for a national tour across Yaoundé, Douala, Bandjoun, Ngaoundéré, Bertoua and Bamenda, Bruises reached more than 500 attendees. In 2026, it received the Most Impactful Project of the Year award at the New Breed Africa Celebrity Awards.
His forthcoming third album, Atogho|Toghu, is dedicated to Sickle Cell Warriors. Inspired by the traditional regalia of the Bamenda Highlands, the project brings together cultural memory, identity and resilience, placing the experiences of people living with sickle cell disease at the centre of an artistic tribute.
Art that extends beyond the stage
A trained Artist Human Rights Defender, Mottanni has trained more than 35 emerging poets through the Abakwa Spoken Word Poetry Workshop and Abakwa Toks initiative. His wider creative practice includes event hosting and moderation, cultural organising, and radio drama. In 2026, he also served as a jury member in the Spoken Word Poetry category for Goethe Décoverte.
His work has reached audiences at cultural events and through online poetry platforms in the United States, Germany and South Africa. He continues to develop performance and community projects from Bamenda, bringing local stories into conversation with wider questions of human dignity, heritage and social change.
Available for festivals, performances and cultural exchange
Mottanni is available for international and regional festival programmes, spoken-word showcases, cultural events, panel discussions, artist talks, poetry workshops, hosting and moderation. His work offers programmers a performance practice rooted in Cameroon and open to cross-cultural conversation.
As academic interest in his work grows, Mottanni’s practice demonstrates how performance poetry can carry community stories into artistic, educational and public spaces—without losing the specificity of the place and people from which those stories emerge.
About Mottanni
Mottanni (Tanni Desmond Awa) is an award-winning spoken-word artist, poet, cultural organiser and trained Artist Human Rights Defender based in Bamenda, Cameroon. His albums include DarkLight (2022) and Bruises (2023), with Atogho|Toghu forthcoming. He is a published contributor to the Bearing Witness Poetry Anthology and works across performance, advocacy, mentorship, hosting and radio drama.
Media, festival and booking enquiries
Tanni Desmond Awa (Mottanni)
Email: tannidesmondawa@gmail.com
Phone: +237 699 444 555
Website: https://www.mottanni.com/
Based in: Bamenda, Cameroon