World Poetry Canada Hosts Fourth International Peace Festival

By: Ceri Naz

The World Poetry Reading Series Society is hosting and celebrating the Fourth World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival in Vancouver, BC, Canada on October 6th- 26th, 2014.

World Poetry is a unique international network that provides a space for poets, writers, and artists from different cultures to share work in their own perspective and mother tongue. Founded 15 years ago, World Poetry strives to spread respect, honour, support, peace, and love for all through the arts and education. The youngest contributor is 12 years old and the oldest is 100 years old. The participants have diverse cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds, and all come together to create peace and hope to strengthen cultural bonds and build a more harmonious future.

For fruitful 15 years, World Poetry also had a weekly radio show, the World Poetry Café Radio Show on CFRO 100.5 FM which is co-hosted and produced by Ariadne Sawyer. Many people call it: “Their favorite intercultural and multilingual show’’. Thousands of poets have been featured on the show and it is heard in 68 countries.

Ms. Sawyer is the founder and the woman behind the global peace legacy, the World Poetry Canada and International. She is best described by the poets around the world as ‘The next would be Nobel Peace Prize Awardee’. She was honoured and awarded as PENTASI B WORLD FRIENDSHIP POETRY ‘‘Woman of World Peace Award 2013” at the Marble Hall, National Museum of the Philippines on November 15, 2013.

For the last four years, World Poetry also had a website at world poetry.ca, where poets, musicians, writers, artists and performers are featured from around the world. World Poetry has a mandate to honour, support and respect those whose voices might not be heard.

The festival will feature poetry displays, readings, books launches, film screenings, and awards for those who have contributed to peace and human rights. It will include community partners and participants from different countries, such as Japan, India, Afghanistan, Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria, the USA and Canada.

For more information, please visit these links

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fourth-world-poetry-peace-festival and http://worldpoetry.ca/?p=8100.

Venues and Activities:

• October 6th-26th: World Poetry Display at the University of British Columbia, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, 1961 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1. Four hundred (400 )gift poems, six display tables, 24 hour video feed, white board for logos;

• October 11th, 1:00-3:00pm : Special Opening World Poetry Vancouver and display, 75 gift poems. Youth Section, Britannia Community Library, (VPL) 1661 Napier Street Vancouver, B.C. V5L 4X4

• October 19th, 1:30-4:30 pm: GRAND OPENING at Simon Fraser University, Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Room 7000, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6B 5K3;

• October 19th, 7:00-9:00 pm: Dinner and social time- Awards, reading and launches;

• October 22nd, 6:30-8:30 pm: New Westminster Public Library. 716 6th Street, New Westminster. BC. World Poetry Night Out celebrates 5 years! World Poetry Peace Poetathon Grand Celebration;

• October 25th, 10:30 am - 9:00 pm: UBC Learning Exchange, World Poetry Film Festival, Featuring Peace and Human Rights documentaries by young filmmakers from Canada, Afghanistan and India plus possible Worldwide Launch of the WP Literary Journal, Awards, Poetry Display, 100 gift poems, Doc PenPen B. Takipsilim’s PENTASI B Poetry Book, and Peace Posters by Sattar Saberi.

World Poetry Canada extends its sincere gratitude to the great community partners for believing its mission and vision, namely: University of British Columbia, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, TAN The Afro News, UBC Learning Exchange, New Westminster Public Library, Cinevolution, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, The Britannia Public Library, VPL, Vancouver Asian Heritage Month, The World Poetry Café Radio Show, CFRO, Vancouver Tagore Society, Simon Fraser University, Royal City Literary Society and more!

Everyone who sent a peace poem will either go on display or in a special book.

The World Poetry Peace Festival 2014 Crowdfunding Project site states that “The festival is coming together, created by many hours of volunteer work for peace. We launched a Crowd Funding site to pay for some of the costs, rather than have it come out of pocket. For more information: Go to https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fourth-world-poetry-peace-festival/x/8284778 and join the team to create empowerment and peace!

This is your festival too and the waves of peace coming from it will circle the world! You can also contribute by becoming a peace connector volunteer and helping out in the festival. Contact: ariadnes@uniserve.com or astarte_sita@yahoo.com.’’

WORLD POETRY CANADA AND INTERNATIONAL PEACE FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS 2014!

There were 300 nominations come in, some even six months early. The founder and the board wished that they could honour all participants and peace connectors.

Each nominee was nominated by at least two or more people. A check was made as to background, good heart, abilities and the quest for peace. The Empowerment awards are based on these qualities.

This year, the age range is from 12-100!

World Poetry Lifetime Achievement Award: Carol Knepper, Canada

World Poetry Unsung Hero Award: Mobin Saberi, Canada

World Poetry Cultural Ambassador: Michael Kwaku Kesse Somuah, Ghana

World Poetry Music Ambassador: Yoshifumi Sakura, Japan

World Poetry Cultural Ambassador: Mutiu Olawuyi, Gambia

World Poetry Theatre Ambassador: Oswald Okaitei, Ghana

World Poetry Youth Peace Ambassador: Timileyin Olajuwon, Nigeria

World Poetry Empowered Poets:

Janet Kvammen, Canada

Elaine Woo, Canada

Honey Novick, Canada

Una Bruhns, Canada

Lini Grol, Canada

Anviksha Srivastava, India & USA

Corazon Wong Canda, Japan

Carolyn Mary Kleefeld, USA

Helen Bar- Lev, Israel

Mamta Agarwal, India

Peter Thabit Jones, Wales

Stanley Barkan, USA

Adisa AJA Andwele, USA.

Samay Hamed, Afghanistan

Lidia Chiarelli, Italy

Murray Kion, Netherlands

Empowered Musician: Enrico Renz, Canada

World Poetry Empowered Graphic Artist: Sainabou Baldeh, The Gambia

Empowered Filmmakers:

Kagan Goh, Canada

Mary Fowles, Canada

Rahmat Haidari, Afghanistan

Ghafar Faizyar, Afghanistan

Akshat Ajay Sharma, India

Sharif Saedi, Afghanistan

Three filmmakers from the new partner, Vancouver Asian Film Festival will be joining as soon as they are selected.

Be a peace builder, be a peacemaker, and be a peace connector!