By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Poetry enthusiasts in Doha will gather later this month at a unique occasion organised for the first time here, as part of a global event. They will join poets, musicians, and artists around the world in a demonstration and celebration to promote peace and sustainability.
The event is part of an international initiative ‘100 Thousand Poets for Change’ (100TPC), which holds an annual poetry event that takes place simultaneously around the world. 100TPC-Qatar will be held on September 27 under the theme ‘Change’ and is organised by a group of youngsters with a passion for poetry with an aim to create an outlet for poets, spoken word artists and other performers to gain international and national exposure. Auditions for the performers who have applied for the event will be held tomorrow.
100TPC is an international grassroots educational organisation focusing on the arts, especially poetry, music, and the literary arts with an intention to promote peace and sustainability. It was founded in 2011 by Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion, and focuses on a world-wide event each September.
Ultimately, 700 events in 550 cities in 95 countries took placeplace on September 24 in conjunction with 100TPC, and the event was described as the largest poetry event in history.
English and Arabic poets and people with a passion for poetry will join the event in Qatar for the first time this year.
The event coordinator Amin Isaac, realising the absence of a poetry society here despite the local talents and motivated through attending a couple of spoken word poetry events in Sudan, has initiated the 100TPC-Qatar.
The only requirement is that the event content focuses on the theme of change, a theme that may encompass many topics that are left to the discretion of individual organiser or poet.
“The success of this initiative will constitute a notable accomplishment and a significant milestone towards reflecting the positive aspects of Qatar and its talented people,” Arwa Elsanosi, spokesperson for 100TPC –Qatar told this newspaper.
“Through this event, we hope to promote and cultivate a love for creative writing and the literary arts among youth in Qatar, as well as dropping the spotlight on the local spoken and literary art scene in Doha, which is often ignored,” she said.
100TPC–Qatar is an open event for everyone who is in poetry, spoken word, and arts in general; however the venue is to be announced later.
The Peninsula
