King Yaw wins 2025 World Poetry Slam for Ghana

Ghanaian poet King Yaw has won the 2025 World Poetry Slam Championship, held from 30 May to 1 June in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, marking a major victory for Ghana on the global spoken word stage.

King Yaw, who was the first runner-up at Ehalakasa’s National Slam, emerged victorious in a contest that featured poets from 30 countries. His win cements Ghana’s rising prominence in the international slam poetry scene.

Ehalakasa, Ghana’s pioneering spoken word and slam poetry movement, facilitated King Yaw’s participation in the championship. The organisation has been instrumental in nurturing and promoting spoken word poetry in Ghana for over a decade.

Co-founded by Yibor KOJO Yibor, popularly known as Sir Black, Ehalakasa has led Ghana’s involvement in international slam poetry competitions. Notable achievements include Ghana’s debut at the World Poetry Slam in Brussels in 2022, a semi-final appearance in Brazil in 2023, and a fifth-place finish in Togo in 2024. This year’s victory in Mexico represents the country’s highest achievement yet.

Despite these accomplishments, Ehalakasa has largely funded Ghana’s participation in the championships independently. The group is now appealing for support and partnerships ahead of the next edition, which is scheduled to take place in South Africa in October 2026.

The World Poetry Slam Championship, organised by a registered NGO in Brussels, is often described as the ‘World Cup’ of spoken word poetry. It brings together poets, slammers and slam masters from around the world to compete, connect and celebrate the art form.

The event is a global celebration of storytelling, voice and emotion, aimed at recognising the most compelling spoken word artists on the planet.

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