WRITERS International Network (WIN) celebrated World Poetry Day with multicultural and multilingual poets. What a fabulous evening it turned out to be! The world was present at Moberly Art and Culture Centre in Vancouver. Different cultures made their influences felt– First Nations, Chinese, Indian, Korean, Estonian, Czechoslovakian, European, Filipino, Persian, diverse local Canadian, to name just a few.

To show closeness of poetry with other art forms Sampaguita Folk Dancers performed traditional folk dances of the Philippines and a musical group named “Lilija and the Secret Messengers” performed poetry set to music. It was organized by Ashok K. Bhargava, President of Writers International Network.

A decision to proclaim March 21as the World Poetry Day was adopted during UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999. World Poetry Day recognizes the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.

One of the main objectives of the day is to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities. The observance of World Poetry Day is to encourage a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, to promote the teaching of poetry, to restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting.

It is an invitation to reflect on the power of language and the full development of each person’s creative abilities. It also supports linguistic diversity through poetic expression and offers endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.