Obaseki gave the commendation on the occasion of the World Poetry Day, marked on March 21 each year, to support linguistic diversity through poetic expression and to offer endangered languages the opportunity to be heard within their communities.
The celebration according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) “encourages a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, to promote the teaching of poetry, restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theater, dance, music and painting, and to support small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media, so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art, but one which enables society as a whole to regain and assert its identity.”
“The beauty of the universe, its colours, diverse people and cultures and our common humanity, have over the years been communicated by poets and writers through various literary genres such as poems, plays, songs, music as well as dances, genuflections, salutation, signs and symbols,” the governor said.
He urged students “to develop their communication skills by devoting quality time to reading, writing, learning other languages, singing and appreciating literary works.”
Obaseki challenged technology-oriented young people to create applications for storing and preserving our history, culture, customs and creative works for future enjoyment.
“We are fast losing our cultural values and oral traditions. We need to preserve evergreen songs, poems, songs and other literary works that will be of great moral and entertainment value to the future generations,” he added.
UNESCO said that in celebrating World Poetry Day, “it recognises the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind.”
The decision to proclaim 21 March as World Poetry Day was adopted during UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999.
