GREAT BAY/MARIGOT:--- St. Martin poets are taking up the challenge of a global protest reading, “For A World Without Walls”—at Le Lime Snack, Wednesday, February 13, at 7:30 pm, said Lasana M. Sekou, projects director at House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).
“The public is invited to come and hear our poets at this free reading. About 12 poets from both parts of the island are already confirmed to read,” said Shujah Reiph, coordinator of St. Martin’s contribution to the international poetry project. The recital is also a feature of the popular Black History Month Celebration program of Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF).
The manager of Le Lime Snack, located near the Cul-de-sac roundabout (between French Quarter and Grand Case), generously offered to host the cultural event at her restaurant, said Reiph, president of CLF.
The St. Martin poets and spoken word artists scheduled to perform poetry on the essentially freedom and justice theme, include Tamara Groeneveldt, Fabian Badejo, Faizah Tabasamu (Rochelle Ward), Sigma Defence, Sarina Alexander, Melissa Fleming, Marianne Tefft, Sjorensly Valies, and Roberto Arrindell, said Reiph.
Internationally, the readings against physical and psychological walls that separate and oppress peoples and nations, are confirmed for over 400 cities, in some 150 countries and territories, from all continents, throughout February, said Fernando Rendon, General Coordinator of the World Poetry Movement (WPM). wpm2011.org.
“Considering that dividing walls are emerging to segregate people: concrete walls, barbed wire walls, or more invisible walls built by money and inequality,” the WPM members “took the decision to call for a planetary poetic action to be carried out in February 2019,” said Rendon, himself a poet and director of the International Poetry Festival of Medellin, Colombia.
Rendon contacted Sekou to inquire whether St. Martin poets would participate with fellow poets from around the world in the poetry action. Over the last two weeks Sekou has been contacting poets on the island by email and social media, said Reiph.
With the initial responses HNP and CLF started organizing the reading, “which is happily free and open to the general public,” said Reiph, who is also coordinator of the annual St. Martin Book Fair.
St. Martin poets, aspiring poets, and spoken word artists can participate in the international poetry protest action by contacting Shujah Reiph, at (590 690) 30-7366.
The worldwide recitals for “A World Without Walls” can be seen at the Facebook page of the World Poetry Movement. The WPM Coordinating Committee members hail from India, Ghana, USA, Panama, Colombia, Cuba, Greece, Turkey, Kuwait, Nepal, China, Kenya, Morocco, France, Sweden, and Chile.
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