This is a call for poets to participate in a global event on 24 September, and to initiate events in their own cities. In particular, we would like to see greater participation by African poets and more African locations in the 100,000 Poets for Change project. We would also like to see more African poetry festivals, poetry organisations, groups and poets become part of the World Poetry Movement.
World Poetry Movement
The World Poetry Movement was founded in the context of the World Gathering of Directors from 37 International Poetry Festivals, held in Medellin, Colombia, between April and July 8th, 2011.
There they discussed the connection between poetry and peace, the reconstruction of the human spirit, the reconciliation and recovery of nature, the unity and cultural diversity of peoples, material poverty and poetic justice, and possible actions to take in favor of the globalization of poetry.
A month later, the World Poetry Movement has been joined by 77 international poetry festivals and 317 poets from 83 countries from all continents.
One of the goals is to include most of the strongest international poetry festivals, poets, schools of poetry and printed and virtual publications, to increase our mutual cooperation and thus energize the individual and collective voice of poetry in our time.
Recently the World Poetry Movement has been joined by the "100,000 Poets for Change" project, a bold initiative by poets Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrión, in California, who have proposed the implementation of a worldwide poetic action, next September 24th, 2011 in 350 cities worldwide. See www.100TPC.org
The World Poetry Movement supports and will always support the thoughts, actions and measures that can contribute to world peace, the defense of all life on earth, the sustainable development of a new world, the restoration of beauty, dignity and truth, in the process of a persistent strengthening of poetry's presence in contemporary society worldwide.
Poetry is knowledge, reflection and enlightenment, liberation, contemplation and action, lightning, creative imagination and brotherhood, spiritual unity of individuals and peoples, past, present and future of humanity.
World Poetry Movement calls on all its members, poets and international poetry festivals, to plan, develop and spread poetic actions and simultaneous poetry readings, across the planet, September 24th, 2011, to consolidate our organizational process, making a formidable display of poetic power possible in the world, in hundreds of cities and villages on Earth.
We ask you to please inform us at worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com about actions you may initiate regarding this proposal :
Those not already part of the World Poetry Movement are invited to join. Please email worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com
WORLD POETRY MOVEMENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Peter Rorvik (South Africa), Bas Kwakman (Netherlands), Jack Hirschman (United States of America), Rati Saxena (India),
Alex Pausides (Cuba), Amir Or (Israel), Iryna Vikyrchak (Ukraine), Fernando Rendón (Colombia).
In May 2010, Nhimbe Trust, in partnership with the Bulawayo Arts Forum (BAF) hosted a two-day national seminar in Bulawayo to review the status and implementation of the National Cultural Policy of Zimbabwe.
After the seminar, Nhimbe saw the need for continued collective dialogue on how to address the challenges stakeholders in the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe face, and began work with cultural scholars in conceptualizing the process of engaging the Creative Civil Society in Zimbabwe and in undertaking a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the sector in order to recommend strategies that could be taken to address challenges identified. Nhimbe secured financial support from MIMETA, the British Council; and technical support from the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OCPA) and Arterial Network towards undertaking this process.
The process culminated in the production of the “Zimbabwe Creative Civil Society’s Strategy in the Formulation of a Plan of Action for Arts and Culture. “ The Conference also mandated Nhimbe to provide further leadership in the production and implementation of a time-bound and comprehensive 5 year Creative Society Plan of Action for Arts and Culture in Zimbabwe.
For more information see full report: http://mimeta.squarespace.com/downloads/democratization/
‘Sit down and shut up’
13 July 2011 17h30-20h00
Apartheid and other repressive government have feared art, artists and the right of all people to enjoy free artistic expression.
The KwaZulu- Natal Society of Arts Gallery, together with local artist Bernice Stott, is hosting a Censorship of the Arts Public Seminar.
‘Sit down and shut up’ is an awareness raising event which will gather together eminent affected artists and art commentators as speakers in a seminar and discussion. It is aiming to reach the South African art community and the government to work together against Censorship.
The seminar will have five guest speakers, two of which are artists whose work has been censored. Zanele Muholi, has worked as a community relations officer for the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, a black lesbian organisation. The other artist is internationally renowned sculptor, Andries Botha.
The KZNSA Gallery’s seminar is partnered by the following organisations: Africalia, The Human Elephant Foundation, Durban University of Technology, Bartel Arts Trust, Art for Humanity, eThekwini Municipality and The Centre for Creative Arts.
‘Sit down and shut up’ will take place at the Durban University of Technology, City Campus at the Arthur Smith Hall.
For more information you can contact the curator, Bernice Stott on 031 209 8436 or 083 343 8994.
Poetry Africa and the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) are facilitating the participation of a contingent of African poets and musicians for South America’s legendary Poetry Festival in Medellín, Columbia. Please see following press release issued by the International Poetry Festival of Medellín.
Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott
With 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature Derek Walcott attending alongside a significant delegation of African poets and singers, there will open, in 10 days’ time, the XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellín, convened and organized by the Prometeo poetry magazine, with the participation of over 90 poets from 50 countries of all the continents.
It will pay homage to the Spirit of Origin and to African poetry, as it was in the black continent where the human legend arose, and where the winged hearts of its griots breathed poetry into the heart of the species. During its twenty-first issue, the International Poetry Festival of Medellín will celebrate its homage to the spirit of Africa
Within the context of the XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellin there will take place the World Meeting of International Poetry Festival Directors, with the support of the Nuestra América Network of International Poetry Festivals and of the International Federation of Poetry Festivals.
The Festival will take place from July 2nd to 9th, 2011, in a country burdened with a painful history of over five decades of conflict, as recently acknowledged by its president Juan Manuel Santos. Poetry is the ambrosia feeding the spirits of our youth in a time of desolation, and it is the flame that rises to light the way to the future in a new country of reconciliation and understanding, of dignity, beauty and justice.
The XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellin will include 164 free events for the public in general, and is sponsored by the Medellin City Hall, the Medellín Council, the Ministry of Culture, Hivos, the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID), state-owned companies of Medellín, Poetry Africa, Confiar Caja Cooperativa, the Swiss Embassy, the Caipirinha Foundation, EAFIT, TeleMedellín and Coofinep.
The African delegation, with collaboration of Peter Rorvik (Poetry Africa, Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal), shall consist of the popular singers Madosini Latozi Mpahleni, Chiwoniso Maraire and Tania Tomé (Mozambique), and the poets Werewere Liking (Cameroon), Haji Gora Haji (Zanzibar), Shailja Patel (Kenya), Antonio Gonçalves (Angola), Lebogang Mashile, Pitika Ntuli, Iain Ewok Robinson (South Africa) and Rachid Boudjedra (Algeria).
The attendance of musician Pedro Espi-Sanchis (South Africa-Spain) has also been confirmed.
Ten Asian poets will be in Medellín in 2011: Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi (Myanmar), Amir Or (Israel), Jidi Majia (Popular Republic of China), Ban'ya Natsuishi (Japan), Zahreef Ahmed (Kashmir), Rira Abbasi (Iran), Hadaa Sendoo (Mongolia), Zakaria Mohammed (Palestine), Ataol Behramoglu
(Turkey) and Kamran Mir Hazar (Afghanistan).
Poets from twelve European countries will read their poems in this new edition of the Festival, headed by the Dutchman Cees Nooteboom, Julian Heun (Germany), Fernando Valverde, Elena Medel, Anna Aguilar-Amat, Tomàs Arias, J. M. Calleja, Pedro Enríquez, Kirmen Uribe (Spain), Agneta Falk (Sweden), Nikola Madzirov (Macedonia), Lello Voce, Carlo Bordini, Giovanna Mulas (Italy), Christian Ide Hintze (Austria), Sigurbjörg Thrastardóttir (Iceland), Niillas Holmberg (Finland, Sami nation), Endre Ruset (Norway), Raphael Urweider (Switzerland) and Iryna Vikyrchak (Ukraine).
Guests will be also joined by Australian Philip Hammial, American Jack Hirschmann, and Latin Americans Thiago de Mello (Brazil), Marco Antonio Campos, Aarón Rueda, Mariana Hernández, Sixto Cabrera, Roberto Arismendi (Mexico), Gabriel Impaglione (Argentina), Alex Pausides, Aitana Alberti, Waldo Leyva, Magia López (Cuba), Julio Mitjans Cabrera, winner of the La Gaceta - Prometeo Prize (Cuba), Rodolfo Häsler (Cuba-Spain), Marvin García (Guatemala), Louis-Philippe Dalembert (Haiti), José Mármol (Dominican Republic), Kwame Dawes (Ghana-Jamaica), Lucy Cristina Chau (Panama), Carmen Ollé (Peru), Faumelisa Manquepillán (Mapuche nation, Chile), José María Memet (Chile), Rodolfo Dada (Costa Rica) and Otoniel Guevara (El Salvador).
Over a thousand poets from 156 nations have already taken part in the Festival, and poets from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Zanzibar will attend for the first time
The World Meeting of International Poetry Festival Directors will address issues such as Peace and reconstruction of the human spirit, Interconnection and recovery of nature, Unity of the human spirit and cultural diversity of peoples, Material indigence and spiritual riches and Actions for the globalization of poetry, and attendance has been confirmed by representatives of 35 international poetry festivals:
Krytia (India), Teheran (Iran), Tokyo (Japan), Smyrna (Turkey), Qinghai (Popular Republic of China), Tel Aviv (Israel), Durban (South Africa), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Struga (Macedonia), Paris (France), Granada (Spain), Berlin and Bremen (Germany), Rome (Italy), Kiev (Ukraine), Oslo (Norway), Palabra en el Mundo (Argentina/Italy), San Francisco (United States), Trois-Rivières (Canada), Tabasco and Veracruz (Mexico), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Havana (Cuba), Santiago de Chile (Chile), City of Panama (Panama), Medellín, Bogotá, Pereira and Pasto (Colombia), Quetzaltenango (Guatemala), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Valparaíso (Chile), San José (Costa Rica) and San Salvador (El Salvador).
It is expected that this Meeting will give rise to the bases for the creation of a World Network of Poetry Projects and Festivals.
There shall also take place the XV Poetry School of Medellin, which will hold 29 activities between courses, workshops and conferences, with free registration, which last year enabled the enrolment of hundreds of youths. A cycle of seven feature-length African films will also be shown, and a celebration held for the premiere of the documentary Resistance Cultures, directed by the Korean Iara Lee.
See: http://www.festivaldepoesiademedellin.org/pub.php/en/Intro/index.htmfor more details.
ZAM is an Amsterdam based magazine on arts & culture, politics & economy in Africa. It is rooted in the struggle against apartheid and colonialism. ZAM has built a network of over 500 African journalists, photographers, designers and artists worldwide. ZAM is launching an international, English language edition later this year. But you can ‘meet’ ZAM already and familiarise yourself with its content, look & feel.
Proposals for stories and photographic features can be send to the editorial team at editor@zam-magazine.nl. Visit http://ezine.zam-magazine.nl
Deadline for submissions: 15 July 2011.
The One Minutes Africa competition is a co-production of Townhouse Gallery and The One Minutes Foundation and is meant to specifically showcase the work of video makers in Africa.
The One Minutes (TOM) is a brand name for moving images that last exactly one minute. It fits well in the world of looking quickly, understanding immediately and it is a response to the influence of commercials, video clips and the increased affordability of camera’s, computers and access to Internet. The limited time frame forces the maker to think critically about what he/she would like to show us. The flexibility of the formula and the diversity of dissemination from the street to galleries, television and festivals make it an attractive and accessible contemporary art form for a broad audience.
This is a call for artists to submit their one minute videos for this competition.
There are 6 Categories to choose from:
1. Spoken word & sound: The art of language and sound, ranging from oral history to the sounds of the street.
2. In my backyard: What is it like where you live? What happens there? Give us a sense of the place and the goings-on that surround you.
3. Where history begins: With real people in real places, history begins. Express your ideas of time and experience, from ‘small’, personal histories to large-scale events.
4. Micro-commercials: Small companies run by passionate owners
5. Portraits: Even in a single minute, the essence of a person or object can be revealingly portrayed.
6. Privacy: What does privacy mean to you?
Videos in each category will be nominated for an award. Prize winners will be invited to the awards ceremony hosted by the Town House Gallery in Cairo, Egypt, this coming September.
The entry form and copyrights agreement plus all technical details can be found at www.theoneminutes.org. See also The One Minutes Africa Facebook page. Any questions? Email Devon Youngblood: devon@thetownhousegallery.com
I work carefully and imperceptibly below the surface when it comes to freedom of artistic expression. Deep down I stand by those who want to break it but remind them of realities above the surface. At the same time, the water becomes shallower. This is my duty as a producer.
(Faisal Kiwewa, Bayimba, Uganda.)
Poster A3 for uploading
Poster A3 for uploading
The short version
Mimetas vision is to give GIVE PEOPLE THEIR RIGHT TO FREE CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS, created on free terms and presented by independent institutions.
Our mission is to support and protect those who want to enhance a culture by aesthetic or intellectual means.
By both our vision and mission Mimeta highlight the impact arts have on developing open societies, including the culture itself and the political spfere.
On the strategic level Mimeta is acheiving results by supporting organisations and individuals who work on behalf of the arts, to improve the sectors´ position on rights issues, in political and legal matters, on professionalism and skills, the distribution of the arts and - in the end - the sustainability of the sector.
We call them the service providers to the arts.
For more information on our priorities and strategic initiatives
Nadia Cherif was given the task of evaluating Mimeta's program for cultural sector development (2020-22. It was finalized in november 2023, and gave good input for next stage. Read here
