The British Council announced is set to mark this year's
edition of the World Poetry Day in style. According to a
statement from Theresa Okafor, the Education Counselling
Manager in the Lagos office of the Biritish cultural and
educations agency in Nigeria, the general public is cordially
invited to join in the activities marking the World Poetry
Day 2003 which will hold in The Garden of the British Council
on 11, Alfred Rewane Road, Ikoyi, Lagos on Friday, March
21.
As part of the highlight of the celebration, Dr. Ama Bell
Gam will be delivering the keynote address and facilitating
discussions on "Poetry in a Changing World." There will
also be readings by selected poets.
It will be recalled that the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO set aside, March
21 every year as the World Poetry Day. The day is celebrated
in every literary circle across the globe.
According to statement from the UNESCO, poetry is a vital
element of human communication. "At a time when poetry is
flourishing, this day could provide an occasion for activities
and efforts carried out at different levels to support poetry
and more particularly to promote:
(1) the efforts of small publishers who are struggling
to enter the book market by publishing more and more collections
by young poets;
(2) a return to the oral tradition, or rather to live performance,
since poetry recitals attract more and more people today;
(3) the restoration of dialogue between poetry and the
other arts such as theatre, dance, music, painting and so
on, and with topical themes like the culture of peace, non-violence,
tolerance, etc;
(4) the association, on the occasion of World Poetry Day,
of all the arts and philosophy, which is also akin to poetry,
so as to breathe new meaning into the dictum of Delacroix
who wrote in his Journal: "There is no art without poetry"
and;
(5) the image of poetry in the media so that the art of
poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of
art but one which enables society as a whole to regain and
assert its identity.
