The Culture Advocates Caucus, in collaboration with Providus Bank, recently celebrated World Poetry Day, a day established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, to celebrate poetry’s profound impact as a universal language, promotion creativity, cultural exchange, and meaningful connection across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
This event was held at the Terra Arena, Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The event, backed by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, featured a unique Nigerian-Cuban collaboration, with poets and musical performances exploring themes of migration and identity.
This year’s edition, themed ‘Sand Dune and Ocean Bed: The Template of Dispersal,’ coincided with the 30th Anniversary of UNESCO’s Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty, and Heritage program, and the start of the United Nations’ Second Decade of African Descendants (2025–2034).
Soyinka noted that migration takes several forms, including voluntary and violent migration. He emphasized the global recognition of the harm done to the African continent through slavery.
“The global recognition of the great harm that was done to the African continent, it was a hardcore resource centre of slavery, of that criminal tendency of humanity to enslave other peoples,” Soyinka said.
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Providus Bank MD/CEO Walter Akpani encouraged the celebration of dispersal, challenging the negative connotations often associated with it. “Today, voices converge to remind us that poetry is not just an art; it is a force of nature. As we celebrate poetry in our discourse, let us also celebrate the power of dispersal—the way ideas travel, and the way change, though sometimes unsettling, is the bedrock of renewal.”
Akpani added: “Let this be a call to everyone. As the dunes shift and the tides rise and fall, let us remember that dispersal is not disappearance. It is an expansion. It is the spreading of influence. It is the promise that every word, every effort, and every dream has the power to reach distant shores.”
The event was graced by Nigerian poets ÀrmGemini, Evelyn Osagie, Kaffe of Life, Tijaywebster, and Chinelo Nwora, alongside Cuban poets Sinecio Verdecia Díaz, Alex Pausides, Edelmis Anoceto Vega, Israel Domínguez, and Emiliano Sardiñas.
Other special performances included the Cuban ensemble Camerata Cortés, whose music fused classical precision with the lively rhythms of Cuban tradition. Nigerian singer-songwriter Kafayat Quadri captivated the audience with her soothing vocals, accompanied by her acoustic guitar.
The celebration highlighted poetry’s role in global cultural discourse, bridging cultures and celebrating diversity. It also highlighted the importance of promoting cross-cultural understanding and exchange, particularly in the context of migration and identity.
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