Tag Archives: World Poetry International Festival

World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival – A Great Success!

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Some of the peace festival family.

(Photo credit by: Ceri Naz taken by the volunteer Freddy)

World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival  2012 A Great Success!

World Poetry is excited to report a wonderful and inspiring festival with poetry exhibits, talented International and National poets, speakers and dancers. The World Poetry Youth Team with interim leader, Kimberly Tsan hosted an interactive  panel which was praised by all.  275 gift poems were given out at the exhibitions and as gifts to the public. At the New Westminster Public Library on May 23rd, 46-53 people welcomed the poets with a lovely cake, book launches and readings.

The main event was at the Richmond Cultural Centre, May 25-26 with the three themes of Inspire, Achieve and Celebrate!

A World Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard Doiron and the Empowerment Series Awards to the International poets visiting from Japan, India and other countries. Over 152 people attended during the two day festivities.

In addition, there were two Poetic Necklace Exhibits, one from May 4-28 at the University Of British Columbia Library, Vancouver, BC and one at the Richmond Cultural Centre, Richmond, Canada, May 25-26th.

World Poetry would like to thank the World Poetry Directors who co-hosted with World Poetry Reading Series Society President, Ariadne  Sawyer, the wonderful World Poetry volunteers and the help of committed partners and sponsors. A special thanks to the City of Richmond for their help and to UBC for the Poetic Necklace display. Also, great thanks to Roberta Price who did the First Nations welcome and so many who joined together to make the festival the best ever! Heidi Mueller, our empowered webmaster also received an award.

So many poets and supporters from around the world wrote notes of good wishes, support and love. There was such an outpouring of kindness and love that a number of attendees said that they had never experienced such a feeling of bonding and support.

World Poetry in-kind Sponsors and Partners: Exclusive Media Sponsor: CTV.TAN-The Afro News. Partners: Signature partner: Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society, The Vancouver Tagore Society, Jasmine Dance Group, Canada Council for the Arts, The Writer’s Union, Rice Paper Magazine, The Asian Canadian Writer’s Workshop, The Airport Quality Inn Hotel, Aboriginal Writer’s Collective West Coast. Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, University of British Columbia (UBC Library) World Poetry gratefully acknowledges the support from the City of Richmond.

World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival is Proud to Present the 2012 Award Winners!

World Poetry Father of Visual Poetry, 2012, Doc PenPen.
World Poetry Empowered Award, 2012, Roberta Price.
World Poetry Empowered Webmaster 2012, Heidi Mueller.
World Poetry Empowered Poet 2012. Betty Scott.
World Poetry Empowered Poet 2012. Yoshifumi Sakura.
World Poetry Empowered poet 2021, Zayra Yves.
World Poetry Empowered Peace Poet 2012, Dr. Stephan Gill
World Poetry Empowered Youth Poet 2012, Sajia Alaha Ahrar.
World Poetry Empowered Poet 2012, Attila F. Balázs.
World Poetry Youth Poet, 2012, Samarendra Patra.
World Poetry Best Poetry (Dari, Farsi) Khowaja Abadullah Ahrar.
Special empowered awards and medallions:
World Poetry Empowered poet and artist. Jaypee Belarmino.
Empowered musician Rene Hugo Sanchez
World Poetry Arts Ambassador, Koyali Burman.
World Poetry Emowered Speaker Ashok Bhargava.
World Poetry Empowered Artist Amelia Barney.
World Poetry Empowered Volunteer Sharon Rowe.
World Poetry Empowered Volunteer Coordinator Jemma Downes.
World Poetry Empowered Volunteer Coordinator Selene Bertelsen.
World Poetry Empowed Voice of Afghan Husna S. Ahrar.
World Poetry Empowered Afghan Filmmaker Neamat Haidari.

 Awards to partners and sponsors:  CTV Exclusive TV Sponsor, TAN The Afro News, Alan Hill and the City of Richmond, Jasmine Dance Club, The Vancouver Tagore Society.  Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society and the UBC Library, Simon Barber Centre.

World Poetry Lifetime award winners:Passing of the torch, 2011-2012

World Poetry Proudly Presents Walter Keyombe Muzembi From Kenya, Africa!

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Featured Poet

Ariadne’s note: Coming soon, a summary and photos of our World Poetry Canada International Festival. It was an amazing success!

World Poetry welcomes our featured poet Walter Keyombe Muzembi. He has been waiting a long time to be on site.

Biography:

WALTER KEYOMBE MUZEMBI, is an international poet. His poems have appeared in anthologies and several prominent international journals such as: The World Poetry Anthology 2011, Larissa Greece, in Canada, the United States, India, Germany, Amsterdam, and the United Kingdom. Also, he is a peace and human rights activist who hosted the successful 1st World Peace Poetry Festival Kenya, which was held in 2009 at the World Hope Center here in Nairobi to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace. He is an Essex County Peace Poetry Honoree from the Essex Community College in Massachusetts, USA. He anticipates furthering his education and creative writing skills. Besides, he is a motivational and inspirational speaker. He can be reached at walterkeyombe@yahoo.com or call him on 0710442872.

THE WOLVES
By WALTER KEYOMBE MUZEMBI (C)

They speak of peace
But they hate being told of justice
They speak of their axes
But they hate being told of our boxes
They speak of mansions
But they hate being told of corruption
They self proclaim on the benches
How they are wolves along the trenches
Drying a patriotic citizen
DRAINED weary in the den of illusion

World Poetry Proudly Presents Wida Tausif from Afghanistan and New Zealand!

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Featured Afghan Youth Poet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afghan New Zealander,  Wida Tausif, born in Afghanistan in 1992, comes from a very well educated family; her mother a teacher and her father a ‘government director’ and as has been the case for many Afghans, Wida and her family fled to Pakistan and stayed in Peshawar for the next 9 years. Her father and brother were the only breadwinners in the family at that time and life was uncertain. They decided to register with the United Nations High Commission to find a safer environment for the family to live. Encountering many hurdles along the way, they were eventually granted residency to New Zealand, which Wida felt was ‘the furthest part of the world’….

In 2011 Wida moved to Melbourne due to the earthquake that struck in Christchurch. She now enjoys living in Melbourne, a much safer environment where she has an equal chance for a first-class future.

Wida successfully completed high school in 2010 and is quiet content. With a very real talent for writing about her homeland and her many emotional experiences, she puts into words the often traumatic and difficult transition from Afghanistan to Peshawar, Peshawar to New Zealand and eventually to Australia.

Quoting the young woman herself, Wida’s main goals in life are to ‘bring light in my people’s heart and keeping our Afghan culture alive’ by writing and becoming an official representative of her beautiful country. Wida is one of the many young and upcoming talented Afghans who are not only in touch with their roots but also on a quest to encourage others, despite living far away from her beloved country. Wida does this through her beautifully deep crafted poetry. Other communities outside of our Afghan community are captivated by her poetry.

Bernadette Hall, a well known NZ poet, said of Wida’s poem “my Sweet Afghanistan” ‘…reminds me of some of the work of South American liberationists poets, like Neruda and Vallejo’.  Wida should definitely pursue her writing. This same poem was nominated in Canterbury during National Poetry Day (competition) 2010.

The vibrant and passionate young woman that Wilda is, is reflected in her writing, with much to offer readers who would like an insight into the beauty and heartbreak that is Afghanistan.

Wida’s talent and quest to bring honor to her treasured country Afghanistan is very admirable.

My Sweet Afghanistan

As I walk in the streets of this foreign city
I remember my sweet Kabul,
The beautiful gardens
And the fountains.
Oh my sweet Afghans,
I’m the Afghan who has awoken,
my nation’s anger has empowered me,
my ruined and burnt villages have filled me,
with hatred against the enemy,

I’ve found my path and will never return,
I’ve opened and closed doors of ignorance,
I’ve said farewell to my beautiful country,
I’ve seen barefoot and homeless children,
I’ve seen those children trying to find freedom in the last breaths,
In the waves of blood and in victory.

If only there was peace,
you would have heard,
the joy of children laughing around you.

Oh my sweet Afghans,
With all my strength I’m with you,
Walking towards emancipation,
I’ve stepped up to the path of my nation,

To break all these sufferings,
All these chains of slavery,
I hope one day I could transform my country from oppression,
Injustice
To freedom and justice,
That’s my only dream…

By Wida Tausif (C)