By Melissa Merlo (Honduras), Mónica Lucía Suárez, (Colombia)
July 13, 2023
Place: Medellin, Colombia.
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:15 m.
Fernando Rendón (Colombia)
Welcomes the First Congress, celebrating the warm and fraternal moment, giving guidelines from WPM in a continuous growth, from the action of poets in a world full of difficulties, from the songs of primitive, ancient peoples, which gave root to world poetry as we know it today. Poets from America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania are present today in this Congress.
Poetry is the manifestation of our spiritual history. The meanness of the world has crossed nations, centuries of spilled blood. Poetry recovers for the world human dignity, multiplicity, plurality. The spirit of nature will return, as poets we are not the saviours of the world, but we will do our task. To recover the lost language, the fire of the collective soul. To bring about a worldwide poetic revolution, through poetry festivals, translations and book editions, poetry schools and communication processes. 13 years ago, in July 2011 in this hall WPM was founded and today has a presence in 130 countries. At this time there are more than 60 actions taking place in honour of the Congress. We are in the same world, on the same day, destined for life and liberty. We can act with lucidity and strength.
It is necessary to commit oneself, to establish an alliance of poetic and spiritual energies. It is not a political movement. The national leaderships act together with the continental coordinations, with a global approach, tasks and objectives, horizontal relations and vertical purpose. A strategic plan has been presented and will be discussed and approved in this Congress. It is necessary to strengthen the actions of WPM in each continent.
Freddy Ñáñez (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela)
He highlights the fact that we are meeting in person by dint of perseverance, love for poetry and the word. He recognizes the great work of the WPM directives to maintain this cohesion and the possibility of moving on to a new stage, recognizing and congratulating each and every one of the delegates of the virtual congresses where a plan and a memory of the territories were built, with the capacity for work and commitment. There is a long way to go in the countries. Poetry moves as life moves, in the immediacy of a world without a soul. When the world has collapsed in spirit, it staggers. Poetry becomes the great possibility of restarting everything, and returning to myth. It incorporates idiomatic and cultural diversity, making a different world.
The strength of building community, the importance of WPM in the world, not only in contemporary literature, but as an alternative that contains the inclusion of political and ideological worldviews, to maintain cohesion and unity within so much diversity. Within diverse positions, it seeks nuances. That is the strength of WPM.
What is demanded of poets and artists today is their commitment to life, the possibility of being useful and rendering a strong and important service to our peoples and humanity. To advance in a common plan, with the specificities of the WPM and guidelines that enhance this cohesion and give it strength for the future, from the concrete of the impact of poetry in the communities. The School of Poetry in Venezuela has impacted 2500 young people from secondary schools involved with literary creation and reading.
The target audience should be the youth. We have a concrete agenda of actions and cooperation between the different experiences that have built this WPM. It feels proud, pleased and fortunate, that privilege is transformed into responsibility. Continue debating and building. If we keep dreaming, we will have more poetry and a better humanity.
CONTINENTALS REPORTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Rati Saxena, WPM Asia
It is a historic event where different countries communicate face to face and share their differences. WPM Asia, the largest continent of all has a diversity of languages, cultures and philosophies, which ultimately become one: connected through the heart, despite a history of love and hate relationships. A work of bonding has begun, through the grassroots committee, twinning and organizing internationally and although languages can be a drawback, in this case they have been a vehicle of brotherhood. The power of Asian poetry is great. Actions: two Festivals, two workshops.
More work will be done with Malaysia, Pakistan and India. Social networking to spread WPM Asia. Readings and mobile poetry. Translations of ancient poets. Poetry with children. Poetry events and readings in countries, publishing poetry books online, read from the WEB. Ministers have not understood what poetry is and that is complicated, however, events are organized for children and an anthology. There is more communication now. There will be a stronger resurgence of poetry for WPM.
Ayo Ayoola-Amale, WPM África:
A woman in Africa is the mother of humanity, she gives the report of each territory: events apart from the Congress led by the different coordinators of Africa, poetry congresses. Hard work, seeking to bring together their entire continent.
Cameroon: expand the movement in five of the 10 regions of the country, create an annual festival of poets, radio programs and slam, monthly recitals. Further empower Cameroonians. Youth, poetry workshops, performances and slam in schools. Improve social networking. Organize a national poetry dialogue to build citizen awareness. Readings in different places.
Nigeria: poetic events in the last five months, awareness on WPM. Director networks for all states and is a way to attract audiences, readings. Position Nigeria as a key player in poetry for social change. Changing communities in positive ways from poetry as a tool, social justice and human rights.
Equatorial Guinea: in the coming months will be the collection of poems, strategic plan to bring poetry to different regions.
Mali: create a coordinating team to build a very strong movement and consensus for traditional African indigenous poetry.
Lesotho: 12 world events, performances, collaboration with 6 public schools.
Ghana: poetry in schools. Build from the heart of the youth, clubs and universities. Schools and homes using poetry as a therapy.
Francis Combes, WPM Europe
Poetry unites us from nature, which is torn between love and war, our strength is such that we consciously assume our destiny. Poetry is an approach to nature, a word with rhythm, the pulsation of life and heart. It is the heritage of the ancient and the language of the human and the imagination, the child redefines its history. We take the elements to give a human sense of freedom, they are feelings of the world. In our Congress was attended by 40 countries, there was a discussion and disagreements, but they are very united and passionate about nature and love of life, it is not political, this movement with poets from around the world listen to each other, respect for individuality to expand with poetry.
Promote and share in youth the possibility of another world, from cooperation. Actions: to strengthen links between the poets of Europe and the world. To develop activities of translation of poems. Disseminate poems and anthologies.
To develop poetry with the language of peace. The word is a weapon. To listen to the voice of poets who defend peace. The only solution is respect for peoples and their freedom. In the face of the war in Ukraine, it was proposed that more than 200 poets participate in a symbolic chain in favor of peace. Friendship of the world’s poets.
To develop the promotion of poetry among young people, poetry school. To help free a poet prisoner (Palestine) To defend the freedom of all. In October there will be a meeting of WPM Europe in a city of Portugal.
Collective leadership in which each continent is represented, presence in all countries, having declared partnerships with people who adhere to the movement.
Oscar Saavedra, WPM America
The present and future journey of collectivity, collective singing, free speech. WPM nurtured by the diversity of voices, we are all different in our particularities, inhabitants of the Earth. It is not easy to shoot words when your heart can be hurt, WPM has been a lighthouse in the fog that becomes light, from the inclusive, our policy is poetry, militancy poetancia, one is what you do, not just what you say. Solid network, collaboration. The countries of America converge.
Actions: transcend language barriers, unity of dialogues, communication fluency, group chats, coordinators of each country exchange ideas and trace paths to bring poetry to the communities, shared mission in search of a collective pact, we have no flags, a single territory called America, called the world. Diversity as language, language as sound and vibration, all countries embrace each other. The world embraces in poetry.
The dissemination of poetry are our cornerstones: events, social networks, actions. Interest and curiosity in those who have not approached. Oralitura. Non-violence, cultural diversity, inclusive actions in a transversal space without hierarchies, flimsy footprint. Emerging poets find a place, free and sovereign word. Poetry schools, universities. Multiple paths for future generations, social networks and pages (Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia and Honduras). Creation of poetry libraries in rural areas. Poetic encounters of diverse poetic traditions, Venezuela (National School of Poetry) unprecedented worldwide. Sensitivity. Cuba as well. Channel for WPM.
In Colombia more than 130 poets have joined, from a creative energy in tasks of poetic pedagogy (workshops, talks, educational projects that multiply).
Our actions are a collective, communitarian song, threads that weave, voices. WPM America seeks for the word to be a bridge, not to the private property of the word, but to the word that walks towards its people. It is a living force in constant evolution, poetic diffusion, interest of generations, united in the free word, poetic community. Poetic embrace of WPM America: one voice.
Vaughan Rapatahana, WPM Oceania
Actions have been taken over time for a group of poets to take part, 12 representatives plus coordinators, networking, website. Poetry publishers, tangible achievement, involved with South Asia for a publication, statement of principles, emphasis on promoting and collaborating through poetry.
Australia: defunded literature by governments, poetry publishing has been affected. Poets have developed actions of new forms of poetry. There are self-directed poetry groups and print and online publications.
New Guinea (Papua): there are many publications involved in community, poetry, others need more resources and sponsorship to make this possible.
Recently published anthologies. They promote cultural diversity. They are looking to contribute and grow towards this. New Zealand: (largest group of writers association) is projected to continue to grow. Numerous poetic actions.
TRIBUTE TO JACK HIRSCHMAN
Fernando Rendón gives a biographical sketch of the honoree, founder of WPM.
Agneta Falk describes a context about the poet and reads a poem for him.
Francis Combes and read poems to Jack.
Ayo Ayoola reads a poem.
A present is given by the representative of Egypt to Agneta and WPM.
