Soar through surreal landscapes, buffeted by Umar Abubakar Sidi’s radical conceptualisation of poetry. Meet the poet, soldier and aviator this Friday as we discuss his latest book of poems, “Like Butterflies Scattered About by Art Rascals.”

Our host for the evening is the voracious reader, reviewer and allround convener, Habiba Malumfashi. Join her in the Ayamba Twitter Space on September 30th at 8:00pm for a witty and insightful book chat in which your questions will be answered. 

Who is Umar Abubakar Sidi

Umar Abubakar Sidi is a helicopter pilot with the Nigerian Navy who attended the prestigious Nigerian Military School, Zaria and the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna. In 2019, Konya Shamsrumi published his first poetry collection, “The Poet of Dust.” 

Sidi’s work has been said to be an exploration of the body, soul and spirit from both a sufi and surrealistic perspective. His poems have appeared in Brittle Paper, Transition Magazine, Jalada, Saraba Magazine and other online platforms. His most recent book is titled Like Butterflies Scattered About by Art Rascals, (Masobe Books, 2022). 

Art Curator, Oruz Kennedy has this to say about his writing, “Your work transcends vain thoughts. People have to see beyond their present state of existence to grasp your reality; the place you find yourself before you write.”

Butterflies up for grabs

If you haven’t scored yourself a copy of “Like Butterflies Scattered About by Art Rascals,” then worry not. We have a copy of the book to give away to one lucky listener. All you need to do is follow @ayambaofficial and @UmarSidi11 on Twitter, retweet our announcement and join the book chat.

The winner will be picked through a random draw, with the announcement made at the end of the show. All the best.You can find Sidi on social media via the following channels; Facebook and Instagram.