Deadline: 17-Feb-23
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) invites you to present your poetic work at the 40th edition of the Poetry Market, which will take place from 7 to 11 June at the Place Saint Sulpice, Paris, France, with the Caribbean, for the first time, as guest of honour.
The UNESCO Transcultura Programme has organised the initiative “Caribbean inspiration in Europe: poetry across the Atlantic” and has associated with the Centre for Information Research, Creation and Artistic, Literary, Scientific and Technical Studies (CIRCÉ) to open an opportunity to young Caribbean poets between 18 and 35 years of age to exhibit their poetic art in this important literary market in Europe, representing one of the following 17 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Objectives
- Poetry is not traditionally recognised as part of the Cultural and Creative Industries. When it is commonly thought of, it is imagined only as an intimate realm of a poet’s expression and feelings, but not as a more general branch of human creativity, with the capacity to generate economic dividends, as well as to produce spiritual satisfaction and convey messages of social good.
- The Caribbean region, with its multiplicity of customs, traditions, languages and historical links, is an example of multiculturalism, with its cultural transfers, crossings and reciprocal influences from preColumbian times to the present day. All this is present in its cultural expressions, tangible and intangible heritage, including poetry.
- Authors such as Robin Dobu from Suriname, Martin Carter from Guyana, Manuel del Cabral and Pedro Mir from the Dominican Republic, Elis Juliana in Curaçao, Félix M. Leroy in Haiti, Juan Antonio Corretjer in Puerto Rico or Nicolás Guillén in Cuba, demonstrate the power and metaphorical richness of Antillean poetry, as well as its close link with the communities and with the struggle to achieve better living conditions for the practitioners of this genre.
- Taking into account the, the main objectives of the UNESCO Transcultura Programme are to:
- Increase the opportunities for the insertion of Caribbean literary talent in the European literary market, specifically in the field of poetry.
- Facilitate the interaction of young Caribbean poets with key stakeholders in the European literary market (publishing houses, advertising companies, bookshops, authors’ associations, etc.)
- Broaden the outreach of the selected artists’ poetic work through the publication of a selection of their work in the Marché Journal.
Benefits
- Through this call and joint action for cultural exchange and cooperation, Transcultura will:
- Cover the costs (round-trip economy class flights, arrival and departure transfers , visa fees -if necessary-, accommodation in a 3-star hotel -or similar-, 3 meals per day and daily transport -if necessary-) for the international mobility to Paris, France, from 6 to 12 June 2023, of up to a maximum of 10 poets, representing three different linguistic areas (English, French and Spanish).
- Please note that UNESCO does not provide medical insurance services to other travellers. Travellers are responsible for self-insuring themselves for any medical services and costs they may incur during their mission trip. Please note that no pocket money will be provided, as UNESCO Transcultura will cover all the aforementioned expenses.
- Support the production of 30,000 copies of the Marché Journal, the main publication of the event, which will dedicate its pages to promote the literary work of the selected poets. Specialised translation of the poems into French will be guaranteed. The journal will be widely circulated as of May in bookshops and literary events throughout France.
- Facilitate the interaction of the poets with a specialised and general public, through a stand and the organisation of public readings, professional meetings and systematic exchanges with European publishers and authors, thus ensuring a broad international exposure of the selected artists.
- This initiative will facilitate a high visibility of the selected artists in the European literary market, through a multiple programme of activities linking literature to other artistic disciplines and actions (concerts with music composed from poems, round tables, readings, tributes, marketing of works, awards, etc.).
Eligibility Criteria
- Young poets between 18 and 35 years of age who are citizens and legal residents of any of the 17 Caribbean countries included in the geographical scope of the Transcultura Programme: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
For more information, visit UNESCO.