HUMANS FOR SALE:
THE POETRY OF ARIA DEEMIE
In a country shaped by the scars of conflict and fortified by the resilience of its people, new literary voices serve as guiding lights—illuminating pathways to understanding and healing. Liberia, a nation rich in strength and diversity, has nurtured many impactful voices committed to fostering change. Among them, Deemie shines with unique brilliance.
Deemie will be the first Liberian woman to be featured in the African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) New-Generation African Poets Chapbook Box set. The African Poetry Book Fund (APBF) "New-Generation African Poets: A Chapbook Box Set" is an annual, limited-edition collection of chapbooks featuring emerging African poets, edited by Kwame Dawes and Chris Abani. The box set aims to highlight the early work of poets who are likely to become significant voices in African poetry. It also showcases the art of an African visual artist.
Through her poetry and journalistic platforms, she fosters important conversations about the challenges faced by her community, encouraging greater awareness and empathy. Deemie embodies the potential for transformation, offering invaluable insights that help heal the wounds of the past and build a more compassionate future for all Liberians.
Her chapbook, Humans For Sale, is not a gentle collection. It is not a lullaby; it is a scream, a confession, a lament, a hymn—a testimony expressed in the language of bruises, shadows, border crossings, and broken bodies. This work confronts one of Liberia’s most hidden atrocities—human trafficking—with the piercing clarity of poetry. In her hands, storytelling becomes a torch that illuminates the dark corridors where children disappear.
In my boy sage, she writes:
“back home,/harvest season has come and gone/ like Christ, there is no sign of his return.”
As a journalist, she is among the brave ones—those who refuse to look away. She reports with her heart and writes with her entire being. Her background in journalism sharpens her poetry. Each line in Humans For Sale serves as both a lyric and a ledger. There is a sense of accountability woven into her imagery. She does not romanticize pain; instead, she excavates it, holds it up to the light, asks us to name it, and challenges us to take action.
Deemie, born and raised in Liberia, belongs to a generation that has inherited the haunting stories of war and the heavy silence that follows peace. In post-war Liberia, the silence surrounding gender-based violence often speaks louder than the call for justice. Victims are blamed, survivors are shamed, and many stories remain buried. However, in Humans For Sale, Deemie unearths these hidden narratives with her pen as if it were a shovel. She writes about women and girls sold like livestock, dreams shattered across borders, homes that have become cages, and the false notion of freedom in a world that thrives on the exploitation of stolen bodies.
I was twelve when the man said, / “You’ll live like a queen in Guinea.” / But queens do not scrub floors / with their knees bleeding.
These lines teach us how the truth can be compressed into poetry. Each poem is a testimony, a case file dressed in rhythm—a plea not just to feel, but to act. Aria becomes both witness and whistleblower. Her work is a brave act of cultural memory. By writing down these stories, she ensures they are not forgotten.
Her inclusion in the APBF Chapbook Set represents not only a personal achievement but also a national and continental victory. Aria’s presence in the box set is a powerful reclamation. She writes not only for herself but for every Liberian whose voice has been stifled.
Yet, she does not write from a place of pity. Her poetry does not beg for sympathy—it demands justice. It demands visibility. Her language, while tender, carries the weight of urgency. She doesn’t flinch. Her metaphors are sharp. Her rhythm is heavy with resistance.
Beyond the page, Deemie is also a community voice. Her journalism addresses the same themes her poetry explores—gender, power, silence, and survival. Whether in an article or a stanza, she uses language as resistance. In a society where misogyny is normalized and structural violence often goes unchecked, her work is a counter-narrative—a refusal to normalize suffering.
What makes her poetry even more remarkable is its grace. Humans For Sale is full of pain, but it is not without beauty. Deemie writes as someone who has seen horror but still believes in the sanctity of the human spirit. She carves dignity into the lives of her subjects.
In recognizing Deemie, we are not just celebrating a literary talent. We are honoring a voice that speaks where others whisper or go mute. We are acknowledging a Liberian woman who writes from the fault lines of her country with a fearless pen.
To those living in slums, on street corners, and in unnamed villages who feel invisible, Deemie says: I see you. I hear you. I will write you in the sky if necessary. Her work is not the end of the story—it is just the beginning. It is a call to every Liberian to boldly pick up a pen in Monrovia, Buchanan, or Gbarnga, and write their name without fear, igniting the flame of poetry that rises from silence.
Bio: Emmanuel G.G. Yamba writes from Monrovia, Liberia. He’s a graduate of the University of Liberia and SprinNG Advancement Fellowship. His work has been featured and forthcoming in The Shallow Tales Review, The MUSE, SprinNG, Inkspired, Funminiyi Anthologies, Libretto Magazine, Salamander Ink, African Writer, Kalahari Review, Odd Mag., Rigorous, TVO Tribe, Ibadan Arts, An anthology for Abunic and elsewhere. He’s on IG as yamba86163.