President of the State of Palestine honored the Colombian poet in appreciation of his poetic and cultural efforts and creativity, and contribution to supporting the Palestinian cause
Bogotá Correspondent
The President of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, awarded the Colombian poet Fernando Rendón the Medal of Culture, Science and Arts – Level of Brilliance, in appreciation of his poetic and cultural efforts and creativity, his contributions to supporting the Palestinian cause, and his role in global solidarity campaigns to stop the aggression against our people.
The Palestinian Ambassador to Colombia, Raouf Al-Maliki, on behalf of the President, presented the Colombian poet with the medal, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Writers and Writers Union, Murad Al-Sudani, and the Advisor to the President of the National Council for Latin American Affairs, Ambassador Abdel Nasser Atta.
Al-Maliki stressed the importance of this honor for the world’s free writers and those in solidarity with our people and those demanding an end to the war of genocide against the Gaza Strip and all of Palestine, pointing out that writers are living consciences that Palestine needs at this moment, to expose the false narrative of the occupation, and to contribute to pressure with the cultural elites in The world to stop the aggression and siege against our people who are facing an unprecedented war.
He continued: The poet Rendón is one of the high cultural names that we appreciate because of his firm positions with Palestine and his constant demands for its support, specifically in the brutal and criminal war on Gaza.
In addition, Al-Sudani said that the poet Rendón devoted time and effort to embodying Palestine’s presence in the Colombian cultural scene through the Medellin International Poetry Festival, which he has been supervising decades.
Read: A Poet is born a Politician: Interview with Fernando Rendón
He pointed out that this honor is a tribute to all poets and writers in Colombia, and free people in the world who stand with Palestine and the justice of its cause.
For his part, the poet Rendón thanked President Mahmoud Abbas for this honor, specifically in these moments when our people are exposed to a genocidal war.
He added that the Sabra and Shatila massacres are being repeated today in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem, where the occupation continues its massacres and brutality, which requires all cultural elites in the world to rise up and raise their voices to stop the war of abolition, lift the siege on Gaza and all of Palestine, and provide assistance and restore what the occupation destroyed.
Rendón stressed that Palestine is his fundamental cause that he carries everywhere and will continue to show it in all cultural forums in Latin America and the world.
Read: Poetry is the strength of the soul – Venezuelan President
It is noteworthy that the poet Fernando Rendón is the General Coordinator of the World Poetry Movement (WPM), the founder and director of the Latin American Poetry magazine, which has published 70 issues since 1982, and the founder and director of the Medellin International Poetry Festival, which has been held since 1991.
He is considered a supporter of the Palestinian cause, and was one of the signatories of a statement condemning and boycotting Israel in Latin America in 2014 during the war on Gaza.
Rendón has published four collections of poetry, and his fifth poetry collection will be published soon, entitled “A Radiant Question.”
__________________
