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Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity. Practiced throughout history – in every culture and on every continent – poetry speaks to our common humanity and our shared values, transforming the simplest of poems into a powerful catalyst for dialogue and peace.
«Message from Irina Bokova»
Poetry is a window onto the breath-taking diversity of humanity
Irina Bokova, Director General
Message on World Poetry Day 2017
UNESCO first adopted 21 March as World Poetry Day during its 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999, with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.
World Poetry Day is the occasion to honour poets, revive oral traditions of poetry recitals, promote the reading, writing and teaching of poetry, foster
the convergence between poetry and other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and raise the visibility of poetry in the media. As poetry continues to bring people together across continents, all are invited to join in.
POETRY IN ACTON
- 27º Medellin International Poetry Festival--Medellin, Colombia (July 8th to 15th, 2017)
- The New York City POETRY FESTIVAL-New York, USA (July 29th & 30th, 2017)
- Ledbury Poetry Festival--Ledbury, UK (30 June to 9 July, 2017)
- Austin International Poetry Festival--Austin, US (April 6-9, 2017)
- 2017 PALM BEACH POETRY FESTIVAL Florida,US (January 16-21, 2017)
- 2017 National Poetry Day—UK ( 28 September 2017)
- Poetry Day Ireland—Ireland (27 April 2017)
- National poetry and literature festivals
POETS CELEBRATED BY UNESCO IN 2017
- Nikoloz Baratashvili
200th anniversary of the birth of Nikoloz Baratashvili, poet (1817-1845) (with the support of Azerbaijan) (2017)
- Molla Panah Vagif
300th anniversary of the birth of Molla Panah Vagif, poet (1717-1797) (with the support of Kazakhstan and Turkey) (2017)
- Sayyid ‘Imād-ad-Dīn
600th anniversary of the death of Nasimi (Sayyid ‘Imād-ad-Dīn), poet (1369-1417) (with the support of Kazakhstan, Iran (Islamic Republic of) and Turkey) (2017)
Poetry as intangible cultural heritage
- Aitysh/Aitys, art of improvisation from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan inscribed in 2015 (10.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
- Chapei Dang Veng from Cambodia inscribed in 2016 (11.COM) on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
- Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoples from Uganda inscribed in 2015 (10.COM) on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
- Epic art of Gorogly from Turkmenistan inscribed in 2015 (10.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity