Global Poetry

Global Poetry was founded as a project in the year 2000^[1] to bring together poets from common people around the world with a view to exhibiting poetry that can inspire grassroots change at individual level, and to also bring together poetry that would become a force for social change. The project was initiated by Sumeet Grover, a poet from the Indian Sub-continent. Grover wrote about the project to then Director General of UNESCO and received an appreciative response.

Development

Global Poetry as a project therefore intended to develop this strong network of individuals to promote creativity and voices of resistance in a globalised world where in spite of highly accelerated benefits from globalisation, national, regional or ethnic identities still conflict with each other; being ignorant of a shared identity.

Soon after its founding, Global Poetry went on to become a part of the Transcend: Art and Peace Network,^[2] the artistic branch of Johan Galtung's TRANSCEND, founded by Olivier Urbain and George Kent.

Mission

The mission of Global Poetry is:

• To actively encourage and enable the use of poetry to facilitate peacebuilding at personal, social and international levels,
• To use poetry as a means for initiating dialogue between people of different civilisations, countries or territories, and
• To promote the notion of a human identity, and human dignity towards global citizenship.

References