Topic > Poetry in Kijiner's Dear Matafele Peinam? - 1610

His poem “Dear Matafele Peinam” is addressed to his daughter, who as you may have guessed is called Matafele Peinam, and addresses the problems she will face in her lifetime due to climate change. Kijiner performed this piece live at the opening ceremony of the United Nations climate summit in front of over 120 state dignitaries and has since disseminated his work, in video form, to thousands of people through the use of social media. This new way of presenting poetry makes it accessible to the masses and allows the poet to perform the poem as they intended. In this case this allows the viewer to have a greater understanding of the relationship between mother and daughter, which is essential to the poem, and the imagery gives more meaning to the poem. The poem itself uses a number of different techniques such as alliteration, metaphors, similes, imagery, rhyme, rhythm and much more. These various poetic techniques are spread throughout the rather long 16-stanza poem, ensuring that the audience remains engaged and interested. Kijiner uses a combination of increasing pace throughout the poem and the metaphor of the “lagoon that will devour you” to represent the ever-elusive threat of climate change, giving the audience a sense of utmost urgency regarding this