World Poetry Day: History, Theme, and Significance
Source: https://en.unesco.org/
World Poetry Day is celebrated annually on 21 March. The day is a celebration of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practised throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
It is a moment and occasion to honour poets, it is a moment to revive the oral tradition, promote reading, writing, and it is a moment to foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music, and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media.
In her message, Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay said,
“Arranged in words, coloured with images, struck with the right meter, poetry has a power that has no match. This is the power to shake us from everyday life and the power to remind us of the beauty that surrounds us and of the resilience of the human spirit.”
History of World Poetry Day
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard. World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media. As poetry continues to bring people together across continents, all are invited to join in.
How to celebrate World Poetry Day
World poetry can be celebrated by varieties of way. We can take steps to revive oral traditions, recite poetries and listen to poets who are pursuing the art. If there are children at home, World Poetry Day is the perfect opportunity for us to increase their awareness of this literary form and show them how fun and exciting poetry can be.
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