By Fiona Pimentel

It was the first Poetry Festival ever held in Cayman. Books and Books hosted the event on Wednesday 29th April. Nineteen poets performed works of humorous, romantic, tragic, religious, rap and dub poetry.

What immediately struck spectators about the festival was the multicultural aspect. Poets came from all over the world and some spoke in Spanish or Hindi with English translations. Having grown from the monthly meetings of Floetry and Nosostros at Books & Books, diversity was an integral part of the festival.

The other surprise was the sheer numbers of spectators. The Festival organiser, Michel Powery Yin expressed his amazement, “This event far exceeded my expectations. I knew it would be big, but I didn’t imagine it would be so immense.” He continued, “The commitment of poets and public was wonderful to see.”

The festival’s aims are to form a literary community of poets and poetry lovers and to celebrate, spread, and promote this genre.

The public’s response was very positive, many of them expressing their congratulations by email or phone, and asking the organisers to host these events more often.

The future of the festival looks very bright. There are hopes for Cayman to gain a reputation for being a place where poetry is alive and well, and to become a centre for international cultural exchanges.

Looking forward, Mr. Powery speaks with a sense of mission,“We will always carry the message of love, friendship, understanding, and the need to build relationships between so many very different nationalities living in this small country.”

The festival owes much of its existence to the help of Books & Books, which hosts many poetry events on the island. CNCF and the Public Libraries Service also lent their support for the festival from its conception. The Ministry of Culture has pledged its support for future events.

Organisations wishing to support the festival or individuals wishing to join Floetry or Nosotros should contact [email protected] for more information.

IMAGES; Fiona Pimentel