Ondjiva - Writer Isdore Otombo praised Friday, in the southern Cunene Province, the value of poetry in preserving the cultural diversity of peoples.
In a statement to ANGOP, in the ambit of World Poetry Day, marked on the 21st of this month, he said that as it is a profound manifestation,
when reciting a poem, the artist is exercising this manifestation and this exercise must be encouraged and cultivated.
According to the writer, the value of poetry lies in the ability to transmit emotions, experiences and reflections in a unique way, using rhythms, images and symbolic language to create a deep emotional impact on the reader or listener.
He argued that poetry challenges linguistic conventions by encouraging the poet's creativity, freedom of expression, humor, hate, pain, nature, identity, cultures and promotes in people empathy, human connection and understanding of the world around them.
Unfortunately in Cunene, he added, poetry is little valued with a lack of poets and limited spaces for poetry exhibition, so that creators have opportunities to recite in public places.
The writer outlined some methods in order to overcome the current inertia (absence of constant literary activities) of this genre characterized by lyric, epic and drama, thus recognizing the poor state of poetry in the region, stressing that the task should not be exclusive to the Culture office alone, but to promoters of
civil society events.
In his opinion, the notable names of national poems should be constantly publicized, as a way of promoting poetry and attracting new readers and authors. In this context, he nostalgically cited poets such as António Agostinho Neto (first president of Angola), António Jacinto and Viriato da Cruz, who permanently enshrined the ideals of freedom of the Angolan nation.
Meanwhile, the head of the Social Action department in Cunene, Adérito Armando, made it known that the office has annually promoted theater and poetry events, at municipal and provincial levels, with the aim of elevating arts and culture makers.
He said that poetry is one of the performing arts whose importance is the artist's expression of what he feels in his soul, as well as its function of inclusion, strengthening culture, in order to humanize society.
However, between 20 and 25 poets are controlled by the young literature brigade, including reciters and writers in the municipalities of Ombadja, Namacunde, Cuanhama and Cuvelai.
World Poetry Day is celebrated on March 21st and was established by UNESCO in 1999, in order to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry around the world. It serves to recognize poetic movements and literary tradition, encourage reading and promote linguistic diversity.
FI/LHE/SC/TED/jmc
