– to mark World Poetry Day

IN observation of World Poetry Day, an evening of poetry in celebration of the works of the late Sir Theodore Wilson Harris was hosted on Thursday evening at the Umana Yana.
The event was hosted by the Ministry of Social Cohesion’s Department of Culture, Youth and Sport, and produced by the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama and the National Drama Company.

Sir Wilson Harris was a Guyanese poet, novelist and essayist whose work was highly influenced by Guyana’s rainforest and savannah landscape.
He died on March 8, 2018 at the age of 96 at his home in Chelmsford, England.
Although World Poetry Day was celebrated internationally on March 21, the evening was filled with international, regional and Guyanese poetry in line with the theme, ‘Heart of the Forest’.

Poetry reciting came from representatives from the Embassy of Mexico, the High Commission of India as well as Chairman of the National Library Board, Petamber Persaud and local dramatist, Mark Luke-Edwards.
In his message, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Aundrey Azoulay, said that poetry is “a creative, transformative power”.

With that in mind, he felt that World Poetry Day is an opportunity to celebrate the wealth of the world’s cultural and linguistic heritage, while drawing attention to disappearing and lesser-used languages.

“Poetry is not limited to the artistic aspect; it is also a tool for formal and informal education,” Azoulay said, adding:
“This is why UNESCO encourages and supports artistic education since it strengthens intellectual, emotional and psychological development.”

He then invited the audience to create, invent and share languages in poetry while celebrating the diversities of all cultures.
Entertaining music throughout the evening came from Ricardo Stanton of the Majek Fingers Drumming School.