Day six: 20th International Poetry Festival Medellin, Columbia

By: aromaproductions on 3:29 PM

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Two days ago I did a reading with fellow Caribbean poets at Universidad de Antioquia. They include Poets Cecil Blazer Williams ( St. Vincent and the Grenadines), Obediah Michael Smith (Bahamas). Domingo Alfonso (Cuba) Howard A Fergus (Monserrat) Grace Nicols (Guyana), and myself representing Antigua.

Yesterday I walked from our hotel with the German poet Uwe Kolbe, The New Zealand Poet, James Norcliffe, who is also here for his daughter's wedding. She is marrying a Colombian and Indra Amirthanayagam, the Sri Lankan poet, to listen to the readings given by African poets at Jardin Botanica. Teatro al aire Libre (The Botanical Garden Open Air Theater). It was a lovely walk through the plaza Simon Bolivar where there is a huge statue of him on a horse, pass the oldest Cathredal built out of bricks, through a hospital, and to the gardens. I took some pictures of the colorful buses , two beautiful cathedrals/churches and the Simon Bolivar plaza along the way.

On stage at the Open Theater were poets Patrica Jabbeh Wesley (Liberia, a former student of mine), Luis Carlos Patraquim (Mazambique) Armin Haddad (Egypt), Paul Dakeyo (Cameron) and Niyi Osundare (Nigeria). The Open theater is a garden with park benches scattered here and there, so most of the audience stood and some sat on the damp grassy ground. At the end of the session, as all sessions, there are autograph seekers. So poets do spend a little time signing books.

In the evening I went to read at Taberna Casablanca along with Columbian poet Rafael Patino Goez, Palistinian poet, Nathalie Handal, and Cuban poet, Oscar Cruz who is one of the youngest poets at age 25. Taberna Casablanca is a bar located in Municipio de El Retiro which is located about one hour outside Medellin. It is a town in the mountains with very narrow streets which were once mountain paths. It was a busy little town and quite cold (15 C) because of its location. We had to dress in warm clothes. The bar was filled and much fuller after as a band was performing later that evening. The reading went very well. I had a young fan who loved my poem "Revolution and Reggae" which is about a Liberian coup. We were offered fingers foods. Some drank wine. I had rum and coke or I should say coke and rum. When we got back to Medellin it was around 10:00 p.m. and dinner was waiting.

Today is Sunday and I have a free day. I can do some sightseeing or visit the readings of other poets. There are lots of readings taking place in and outside the city.