To commemorate this year’s edition of World Poetry Day, four foreign-based poets will join seven counterparts from Nigeria on Thursday March 19 to celebrate the power of words and the essence of freedom in line with the theme: “Power & Order: Freedom & Illusion.”
Scheduled to hold at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts (formerly National Theatre) Iganmu, Lagos, the event features poetry reading, spoken word performances before a distinguished audience that would include corporate executives, members of the creative community as well as the general public.
World Poetry Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999 to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to increase opportunities for languages, especially those that are endangered to be heard. Every year, the day serves as a global reminder of poetry’s distinct way of capturing the human experience, challenging injustice and inspiring communities.
Since 2020, the Providus Bank under its CSR initiative called Providus Bank Poetry Cafe has hosted the celebration of the day curated by the Culture Advocates Caucus, CAC, curated and directed by Jahman Anikulapo under the supervision of the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka former UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Officially titled, ProvidusBank World Poetry Day Cafe: An Evening with Wole Soyinka, the past editions have explored themes relating to humanity’s existential concerns among them preservation of the environment, education, youth and female empowerment, migration and socio-cultural pluralism.
Sharing the stage with Soyinka are four guest-poets namely Yolanda Castano (Spain), Valter Hugo Mae (Angola/Portugal), Maryam Palizban (Iranian/German) and Mohsen Emadi (Iranian/Mexican). From Nigeria are Dike Chukwumerije (Abuja), Abdulazeez Sirajo Alli (Niger), Ayomide Fasedu (Lagos), Nwani Emmanuel Chidera (Port Harcourt), Paella Chukwuma-Eke (Abuja), Tobi Abiodun (Lagos) and Hafsat Abdullahi (Abuja).
Credit: ThisDay
