Poetry Bridging Peace and Inclusion

The word 'poetry' is from the Greek term poiesis, which means 'making'. Regardless of our race, gender, socio-economic backgrounds, there are multiple points of connectivity in our lives. The fact is we are more alike than we are different. Poetry provides a platform, a bridge of social inclusivity and connection for humanity. Poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace. Poetry’s impact is often discounted regarding bringing people together. However, poetry is a rather powerful means of linguistic expression that has the ability to unite people from diverse backgrounds. World Poetry Day is observed annually on March 21. The day is set aside to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry. Additionally, World Poetry Day fosters the convergence between poetry and other art forms, such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raises the visibility of poetry in the media. This year’s theme is “Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion”. In a world characterized by peace and inclusion, World Poetry Day allows for verses to be seen as universal bridges to connect people across cultures, fostering empathy and understanding. The inclusion of youth is critical concerning this important day. World Poetry Day facilitates creativity and emotional intelligence by encouraging poetry writing, reading, and public performance, particularly among youth. Declared by the United Nations Educational, Scientific Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999, World Poetry Day promotes reading, writing, publishing and teaching poetry while honouring its ability to inspire creativity, preserve endangered languages and foster dialogue among cultures. Poetry is one of the deepest forms of human expression. It exists in every culture and language, from the ancient oral traditions of the Griots in West Africa to the modern spoken word movements in urban centers. By celebrating on a unified date, the world acknowledges that despite our linguistic differences, the human need to express emotion and truth through verse is universal. Poetry provides a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard and create opportunities for individuals to earn, yes poetry can be monetized and poets should earn from their work. Poetry is unique in that there is no need to pursue scholastic endeavors to be recognized as a poet. In fact, some of the greatest poets of our time were self taught and inspired. World Poetry Day is a global invitation for people to celebrate the uniqueness and richness of poetic expression. Communities of poets, educational institutions and lovers of poetry can organize poetry readings and cultural events to highlight the diversity of global poetry. Interrogating Poetry. The teaching of poetry can be both problematic and enriching. A colleague shared that she selects the poems in lower school (grades 7-9) which give equal opportunity for all students to participate. She added that there is no space that is all male or all female given our pluralistic society. She concluded that the teacher’s attitude towards the teaching of poetry is more important than the boys’ response. She concluded that the boys in her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Literature class are very opinionated and enjoy a robust discussion. Poetry might seem intimidating to study at first, but it is like any other kind of writing that we analyze that uses language and other techniques. Boys often question the relevance of poetry and many teachers are unable to provide a suitable answer. The teacher must be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his or her students. Undoubtedly, there is a gendered aspect to the how poetry is received. Poetry is often stereotypically viewed as a "feminine" art form, which can create a bias where it is seen as "anti-masculine". Boys are more tactile learners and as such, should be allowed the freedom to dramatize poetry to make it more culturally relevant and tailored to their developmental stages. We should never discount the role of artificial intelligence in the construction and interrogation of poetry. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a surprisingly capable creator of poetry, with studies showing that non-experts often cannot distinguish AI-generated poems from human-written ones. The teaching of poetry should be fun. Poetry can be viewed as the art form of language. The language of poetry uses the same words and grammar but rearranges the words to heighten meaning, emotions and rhythm where poetic devices are used. Metaphors and similes for comparison, imagery for sensory details, and sound techniques like alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia. A Bridge for Peace and Inclusion. On this World Poetry Day let us envisage poetry as that vehicle to bridge the divide among cultures and nations. Let us reimage poetry as that catalyst to inspire a new generation of poets, especially among our males many of who view poetry as anti-masculine. May World Poetry Day serve as the foundation to peace, inclusivity and hope among the peoples of the world especially where wars and humanitarian crises flourish. May the world be inspired anew this World Poetry Day and may the leaders of powerful nations step back and give peace a chance. In closing I share the first stanza of my poem entitled: Parallel Journey. “We grow, chasing the urgency of tomorrow, while they slow, quietly folding the years behind them.” Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #WorldPoetryDay