By Decide Nhendo
As the world celebrates World Poetry Day on March 21, Masvingo’s Charles Austin Theatre is hosting this year’s edition on March 23 from 12 pm to 4 pm.
The commemorations which were organized by Masvingo Theatre and Arts Club (Charles Austin Theatre) in conjunction with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and Studio One Thousand will run under this year’s global theme ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’
Speaking to TellZim News, Charles Austin Theatre director Mhlauli Mlalazi said poets needed to be celebrated as they have a big responsibility of shaping communities through their works of art helping fight societal problems.
“Poets in our communities must be celebrated because they play a big role when it comes to fighting certain societal ills like drug abuse, gender-based violence, child marriages, among other problems.
“They easily send important messages to fight these problems through poetry when they create works of art, selling their feelings and emotions to people which can be used by different stakeholders to tackle challenges hindering development in communities,” said Mlalazi.
Mlalazi also said he was happy with the local arrangement where they pay tribute to local artists and said though the day is March 21, they settled for March 23 which is a weekend to allow all who can come since some will be at work during weekdays so Saturday will be the best day.
He urged all members of the community to come to celebrate together the work being done by the poetry sector of the arts industry in educating and entertaining the community, at the same time for them to understand what poets do and how they operate.
One local-based poet Tecla Mwoyo said the day was set aside to promote the expression of life and cultural diversity among people.
She said they were bidding to revive the traditions and also teach the budding poets how to express themselves and said poetry was used to explain situations, and motivate even liberators.
“This day is vital to my journey as a poet because it raises awareness of poetry and its significance, hence people tend to appreciate my works too. This is the time that is meant to promote teachings, expressions, and delivery, explaining to others what poetry is exactly and how it’s being used to appreciate the beauty of the world with diverse cultures. The platform raises visibility through various platforms like media,” said Mwoyo.
She said World Poetry Day helps increase literacy insights from different dimensions in an interesting manner.
Poetry is described as a form of expression or writing which lets readers get out feelings and thoughts on a subject and reading it encourages people to connect and find meaning in their experiences.
March 21 was adopted as World Poetry Day by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1999 during the 30th General Conference in Paris and the day aims to support the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
This year’s theme ‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’ is focused on appreciation of all poets or writers of the past whose work enlarged poetry’s footprint across cultures.
