Scores of poets from Midlands province joined together at Gweru Town House last Wednesday under the banner High Voltage Poets to commemorate World Poetry Day.
By Sandra Maricho in Gweru
It was the first time in recent years that Midlands poets came together to commemorated the day.
World Poetry Day is a day to appreciate and support poets and poetry around the world. It is held on March 21 and is an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
The organisation recognised the important role of poetry in arts and culture throughout the world and over time.
They also wanted the day to promote the efforts of small publishers with regard to publishing poetry. The day focuses on promoting a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, as well as strengthening the association between poetry and other forms of expression, such as dance, music and painting. The first World Poetry Day was held on March 21, 2000.
Event coordinator Dumisani Ndlovu said the day’s events, which were arranged by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, were significant in the lives of poets.
“As poets, we always want to have our space and so that is why we had to mark our day. There are a lot of challenges we face such as sponsorship, but we had to use our own hard-found resources to make the day a success,” he said.
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Ndlovu said he was impressed by the turnout, adding that seasoned poets like Charlton Nyoni, Brian Mashazhu and outstanding 12-year-old poet Lessorn Ndlovu hogged the limelight.
