UNESCO founded World Poetry Day to emphasize the importance of
poets and poetry to the world. Poetry serves as a source of inspiration for
many people.
Poetry plays an important role in everyday life because it is one of
the creative arts that the average person can take part in to express
themselves. Poetry dates back to the Holy Bible and to ancient hymns and then
to notable figures such as William Shakespeare and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
and in latter days, poets such as Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda and Louise
Bennet. In more recent times, Tupac Shakur and now Maya Angelou have
enlightened various audiences and have performed poetry in movies. Of note,
poet Elizabeth Alexander performed a poem at President Barack Obama's
inauguration on January 20, 2009.
UNESCO's Commemoration of World Poetry Day
In November 1999, the United Nations Educational Scientific CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) proclaimed March
21 as World Poetry Day. UNESCO saw the importance of poetry to the world and as
one of the major organizations that focuses on culture, World Poetry Day was
officially commemorated to celebrate the work of poets. According to UNESCO,
World Poetry Day "is meant to support poetry, return to the oral tradition
of poetry recitals, promote teaching poetry, restore a dialogue between poetry
and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music, painting and so on, support
small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media so that
the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art but
one".
An excerpt from the Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of
UNESCO on the occasion of World Poetry Day 2010 reads "On this World
Poetry Day 2010, let us recall that poetry is a universal country in which
peoples may meet through words of all colors, rhythms and musicality".
**World Poetry Day in the Caribbean** UNESCO is an organization that touches
every region in the world including the Caribbean. While each member country
may not recognize every UNESCO commemoration, some countries host ceremonies or
other activities in recognition of days such as World Poetry Day. In Guyana, according
to Stabroek News, World Poetry Day was celebrated with a poetry event at the Umana Yana on Tuesday March 23, 2010.
The event was hosted by the Guyana Department of Culture in the
Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. In the British Virgin Islands, the
Callaloo Poets hosted their second annual poetry competition in 2010 for the
territory's school children themed "How Can I Be A Good Role Model"
and also a poetry reading which featured local poets and the students who competed in the
competition. Such activities - an official message, a poetry reading or a poetry
competition are used to promote the reading and writing of poetry to the
community.
A Poet's Voice
Katherine Irish is a poet hailing from the Caribbean
and a member of the aforementioned Callaloo Poets. Katherine started writing
early at age 14. She sees poetry as a way of expressing herself through writing
rather than verbally and as an excellent way to share her thoughts and feelings
with others. According to Katherine, poetry is "an escape from everyday
life (and) a way to let her imagination work". When asked what World
Poetry Day meant to her, she stated that it is a time where poetry, the artform
and the artistes are recognized and have the opportunity to showcase their
work. Katherine commented that poetry is a source of inspiration and a dynamic
artform that can be incorporated with other artforms - dance, song and drama.
She added that poetry should be taken seriously because just like writing a
book and relating a story, a story can be told through a poem.
March 21 marks a
significant date in the celebration of the cultural artform of poetry. Poets
are the songwriters, greeting card writers and the new nursery rhyme writers.
Poetry lets people express themselves and gives them the opportunity to inspire
others positively. UNESCO's decision to celebrate World Poetry Day is an
indication of the international level of support and recognition for this
artform and its significant impacts on the world yesterday, today and also for
the future.
