Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro receives representatives of World Poetry Movement
By Ashraf Aboul-Yazid
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received the icons of the World Poetry Movement (WPM), headed by the General Coordinator of the Movement, the Colombian poet Fernando Réndon.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro praised his country for hosting the 17th World Poetry Festival and the 1st World Congress of World Poetry Movement (WPM), with the participation of 70 international poets and 200 national poets.
The festival, which concluded on July 23, was held between the capital, Caracas, and 12 other Venezuelan states, to which poets and poetesses toured for spectators to participate in concerts, poetry readings, discussion tables and literary workshops.
“Poetry is the strength of the soul that is expressed through creativity coupled with the beauty of words,” Maduro said on state television in his regular program (With Maduro), welcoming all international poets who visit his country.
The Minister of Culture, Ernesto Villegas, who accompanied Maduro in his program, expressed that “the Venezuelan people, with their heroic resistance, have obtained the right of poetry and culture to make its way to the public agenda.”
Villegas added, “We can gather here because there was a conscious Venezuelan people who defeated fascism and today they can host an activity like this. Male and female poets are welcome, because where there is poetry, fascism is not allowed.”
The Venezuelan Minister of Culture had inaugurated the World Poetry Movement Conference in Caracas, accompanied by the poet Freddy Ñañez, Vice President Vicepresidente sectarian of Communication, Culture & Truism, and Fernando Rendón, General Coordinator of WPM.
World Poetry Movement (WPM) – which held its first World Congress in Medellin (Colombia) and Caracas (Venezuela) – issued a five-year strategic plan (2023-2028), aimed at consolidating poetry and culture as creative elements for peoples, a message of peace and a call to protect the planet.
It is worth noting that President Nicolás Maduro highlighted the participation of more than 2,500 youths from Venezuelan high schools and educational institutions in the meetings, who were trained at the “Juan Calzadilla” National School of Poetry.
The delegation welcomed by the Venezuelan president, comprised of the iconic Palestinian poet Hanan Awwad who represented by the Arab poets participating in the World Poetry Movement Conference (the Egyptian Ashraf Aboul -Yazid, the Algerian Ashour Fenni, the Moroccan Khaled al-Raysouni, the Sudanese Tarik El Tayyib, and the Jordanian-Palestinian Ali al-Ameri), while the Chadian poet Nimrod Bena represented African poets, French poet Francis Combes represented European poets, Indian poet Rati Saxena represented Asian poets, along with the honored Venezuelan poet Pedro Ruiz attended this session.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro applauded the opening night of his guests, who took turns reciting poetry. After she surrounded his neck with the Palestinian keffiyeh, Hanan Awwad presented a bouquet of her books to the Venezuelan president, which included three titles. She also read one of her poems, which she dedicated to the late President Yasser Arafat. Her presence at the Venezuelan International Poetry Festival received a warm welcome and a great cheer for Palestine.
___________
Ashraf Aboul-Yazid is an eminent poet, novelist, travelogue writer of Egypt who has authored over three dozen books. His poetry has been translated into over a dozen languages. He is Editor-in-Chief of Silk Road Literature Series.
