Introduction to “Hashtag”
The beautiful free verse poem “Hashtag” is written by a Ugandan lady, Davina Kawuma. Although the poem is built on several images from the modern world and has used modern digital terms such as hashtags, it demonstrates the frustration and free thinking of a girl from a middle class family who could not afford to live a rich life. She, however, taunts others who imitate Western way of living. She can only afford to wear “Raglan sleeves, push-up bras, harem/culottes” but at the same time she is determined not to try to do what she cannot to “get rich” (Kawuma 8-9&11). However, the poem conveys specific meanings through the use of a hashtag that she repeats not only by the same term hashtag but also by combining different words. The theme is that modern lifestyle has not only put the life of middle class people topsy-turvy but also given them a sense of imitating and stretching out resources to look rich though it depends on the nature of a person as the poet is resisting this blind imitation to her natural lifestyle.
Modern Life in “Hashtag”
As far as modern lifestyle is concerned, “Hashtag” amply shows this imitation in African girls or people. To imagine that living with headphones, sitting on “skirted sofas” and enjoying sex parties means that the old culture of keeping the stereos is coming to an end (2). The other gadgets such as footsubishis, television, Nokia 1100 and English names are becoming the order of the day. This means that the African middle class is trying to stretch its resources to meet the demands of the approaching Western culture. However, as she also belongs to the middle class, she does not want to imitate this lifestyle. Therefore, she cries out saying “Hash Tag, YouCantThreatenThePoor” which means that she does not want to get rich if it means to leave one’s culture (13).
Class and “Hashtag”
The second point is that leaving one’s class means leaving one’s several things such as lifestyle, things, and even smaller everyday acts that one does. In “Hashtag” She is of the view that if this is done, she may have to get up late, do several things that she does not want, and eat things that she does not like. It may entail riding a bus, or having an off day, and even sacrificing one’s ideals such as body. What else she needs to do is to upload videos or do Youtubing. In modern terms, she means that she would have to do several things that she does not want to do. In this way, bootlegging also takes place though it is just the purchase of DVDs. But the message is only sent through the symbol of a hashtag that she has used at the end of each stanza where she cries out that “TheSystemIsStupid” which means that it has become a lifestyle that everybody is imitating (30).
“Hashtag”: Stanzas
When both parts or stanzas of “Hashtag” are compared, the first one tells that the Western digital lifestyle is taking hold of the African middle class where the pressure is on little middle class girls to adopt this lifestyle or feel depressed. However, the poet does not adopt this lifestyle. Then the second stanza or part responds to the first. She is of the view that she would have to adopt several things and leave several things. This may entail leaving one’s favorite things, body, time, and even traditions and lifestyle. Even if she does not go for this new lifestyle, she cannot live without it because it has become the norm of the day.
Conclusion of “Hashtag”
In short, “Hashtag” is a cry to send a message to the world that though Africa is very much there, it is changing with the digital onslaught of Western world. In the midst of this, a middle class girl feels threatened as she has to leave several things to adopt several other things. “Shall I slaughter a mannequin?” perhaps points to the sacrifice of her body that she does not want to lose. Therefore, the title of the poem conveys a message in broken images and sentences that this onslaught is being felt but this is not changing a lot.
Works Cited: “Hashtag”
- Kawuma, Davina. “Hashtag.” Ed. Goretti Kyomuhendo. Suubi: African Writers Trust. n. d. Web. Accessed 14 Feb. 2016.
Relevant Questions about “Hashtag” by Davina Kawuma
- How does Davina Kawuma use modern digital terms and imagery, such as hashtags and references to Western lifestyles, to convey the theme of frustration and resistance to imitating a richer lifestyle in “Hashtag”?
- What is the significance of the repeated use of the hashtag symbol throughout the poem, and how does it contribute to the overall message and tone of the poem? What does the hashtag “YouCantThreatenThePoor” symbolize in the context of the poem’s themes?
- In “Hashtag,” how does the poet explore the idea of class and the consequences of leaving one’s class or cultural identity? How does the poem depict the pressures faced by middle-class individuals to adopt a Westernized lifestyle, and what choices does the speaker make in response to these pressures?