World Poetry Day has been celebrated every March 21 for 26 years. This date was established by UNESCO with the main objective of sustaining the diversity of languages through poetic expression and to give those who are threatened the possibility of expressing themselves in their communities.
Poetry is one of the oldest arts of humanity, existing before Christ and according to several bibliographies related to the subject, at the time was aimed at the illiterate population, so it was designed to be sung, thus emerging lyric poetry.
Later, with the spread of writing came the stories that had begun as literature of oral tradition. Among them, the Iliad or the Odyssey, considered the most famous and classic epic poems of the West.
UNESCO at the time of its approval argued that the date would be an initiative as a global action in favor of the genre. Giving new recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements.
It also responded to the aesthetic needs of the contemporary world, promoting the diversity of languages, since through poetry, endangered languages have greater possibilities of expressing themselves within their respective communities.
This world organization valued poetry as a social movement in favor of the recognition of ancestral values, oral tradition and the acceptance of the word as an element that socializes and structures people. A movement that can help new generations to rediscover essential values and reflect on themselves.
Promoting the teaching of poetry; encouraging the oral tradition of poetry recitals; supporting small publishing houses; creating an attractive image of poetry in the media so that it is not considered an outdated form of art, but a means of expression that allows communities to transmit their innermost values and reaffirm their identity; as well as reestablishing the dialogue between poetry and other artistic expressions such as theater, dance, music and painting is another of the objectives of the world poetry movement.
This is a special occasion to honor poets, to revive oral traditions of recitals, to promote reading, writing and teaching.
