Cairo Correspondent:

The coordinating committee of the World Poetry Movement (WPM – Asia) announced that the First Asian Congress of the World Poetry Movement (WPM) will be held online this month. 

The 1st WPM Asian Congress will be held on February 25-26, 2023, starting at 05.00 GMT to explore and celebrate poetry in Asia, to picture Asian poetry in the context of world poetry, to unite the poetry forces in the continent, and by intercultural dialogue and defining poetic actions, to contribute to the “Migration from Death to Life” and stands with those who face unjust.

The continental coordinators and national coordinators participating at the first Asian Congress of the WPM are Sue Zhu (China), Rati Saxena (India), Keshab Sigdel (Nepal), Vadim Terekhin (Russia), Nigar Hasan-Zadeh (Azerbaijan), Quamruzzaman Swapan (Bangladesh), Jidi Majia (China), Neşe Yaşın (Chipre), Kamran Mir Hazar (Hazaristan), Nahid Kabiri (Iran), Abdul Hadi Sadoun (Iraq), Keijiro Suga (Japan), Ali Al Ameri (Jordan), Ulugbek Esdauketov (Kazakhstan), Altynai Temirova (Kirgizstan), Antoine Boulad (Lebanon), Shivani Sivagurunathan (Malaysia), Imdad Aakash (Pakistan), Hanan Awwad (Palestine), Marra Lanot (Philippines), Saleh Zamanan (Saudi Arabia), Shirani Rajapakse (Sri Lanka), Lina Tibi (Syria), Kosimov Abdukakhor Sattorovich (Tajikistan), Adel Khosam (United Arab Emirates), Khosyat Rustam (Uzbekistan), Mohammed Al-Lawzi (Yemen), and Mai Van Phan (Vietnam).

  Some international poets and observers will also attend the two-day Asian Congress. The continental and national coordinators will present country reports, including poetic actions, plans, programs, and suggestions to promote poetry, poetic actions, and the presence of the WPM in the continent. The Asian Congress of the WPM will take place virtually and will be streamed live by the networks of the World Poetry Festival of Venezuela and the International Poetry Festival of Medellin. 

The WPM is the global coordinator of poets and related organizations, including more than 3,000 poets from 150 nations, international poetry festivals, educational projects, and poetry publishing houses with the coordination of WPM.

The first African Congress

This Asian WPM Congress follows the movement’s first Virtual Congress Meeting of African poets from 21 to 22 January 2023 under the banner of the World Poetry Movement (WPM). The Congress was attended by Poets from several African counties, representatives of Governments of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Republic of Colombia and graced by attendance of Poets from other Continents; Asia, Europe, Latin America et al. Under the leadership of the WPM Coordinator and founder Comrade Fernando Rendon, the Congress was officiated.

1. In realizing the importance of poetry in our cultures and indigenous languages, the role and function it plays in the social cohesion and in healing the ills of societal challenges and moral decay,

2. In noting the need for us to work collectively to enrich the work of the WPM in the mother continent for the development of poetry in particular and literature in general, in order to conscientize the people of Africa about a myriad of strategic perspectives on freedom, peace, justice and unity of purpose, we therefore resolve to undertake the following action plans:

(a) to promote that poetry be made compulsory in all African primary schools and secondary education as part of the syllabus. (b) to use poetry as an instrument that can best protect, preserve and promote indigenous languages in Africa. (c) to use poetry platforms to highlight our resolve against neo-colonization and imperialism that continues to exploit the masses politically and economically. (d) to champion the cause of decolonization in all spheres of life in Africa. (e) to hold the Congress on annual basis (f) to elect an executive committee that is representative of the 5 regions of Africa annually.

The first resolution is continental specific and is geared towards increasing the visibility of poetry virtually, and face to face in our various countries in Africa by holding an annual WPM African Poetry Festival and Congress. The publishing of an annual WPM Africa anthology with an adult and a school version that augments students’ understanding and appreciation of poetry, as well as providing opportunities for the creative writing of poetry to cater for the needs of the young. 

The second resolution highlights the importance of making poetry accessible to everyone by institutionalizing poetry through policies that make poetry and literature a part of curricula in early education and secondary schools.                                         The third resolution is dedicated to the need to call out the systematic repression of poets and writers and the lack of freedom of expression  in Africa and across the globe.

Continental resolutions were to create a WPM Africa YouTube channel- upload poetic material- poems, events, publications etc, commence an annual Africa poetry chain and have it digitally collaged and published on the YouTube channel proposed, publish an African Poem Anthology annually -A school’s version and adult version concurrently and hold an annual WPM African Poetry Festival and Congress (virtually & face-to-face).

Country specific actions targeted poetry workshops and sessions, inclusive of schools, to be uploaded on social media platforms, poetry competitions-internal and collaborative with other African countries, also to be uploaded on to the social media platforms and continuous recruitment of poet and poetry lovers per country.

Freedom of Expression 

The need to call out the systematic repression of poets and writers and the lack of freedom of expression in Africa and across the globe, the Assembly of Delegates of WPM Africa calls on all states in Africa to: recognize the fundamental human rights and the freedom of expression of poets and writers and desist from the violation of free expression, and take all necessary steps to safeguard against this; maintain transparency in government actions regarding activist poets and writers and refrain from infringing on the freedom of expression.