Women get a week; so do the disabled; and so do children...but we today discovered that poetry gets a whole month. The Belize Poets Society is claiming April and today leading lights of the poetry parade Jasheed X and Rita Mae Hyde told us why.
Jasheed X, Poet
"It seems one of our biggest challenge in Belize is literacy and we are using poetry as a medium, as an expression to promote literacy, awareness, consciousness and we find that a day, a week, is not enough right."
Rita Mae Hyde, Poet
"The reason why we needed a whole entire month is because we have a list of activities all lined up. The theme being celebrated for this month is, 'Emancipation XP.' Jasheed will further explain that theme but basically in a nutshell we know that this year we are marking the 2000th anniversary of the abolition of the triangular slave trade. So with that we are celebrating this year under that theme, trying to take emancipation to another level."
Jasheed X,
"Belizeans the message is to unite at all levels. Unity is the key and promote literacy, read. The more you read, the more you know and the more you know, the smarter you grow and the smarter you grow the stronger your voice when speaking your mind or making a choice. Read Belizeans, they can't stop you from that doing that."
The highlights of the month will be the Lik It Poetry Festival.
