Nicaragua celebrated the world of poetry during the “VII Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granada”

More than 130 poets from 51 countries, including Nicaragua, participated in the “VII Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granada” which was celebrated from February 13th till 19th in honour of Claribel Alegría, the “poet of love and social compromise”. Claribel Alegría was recently decorated by the government of Chile with the “Orden al Mérito Docente y Cultural Gabriela Mistral”.

During the whole festival the citizens of Granada, the participants and the visitors enjoyed lectures of poetry in the centre of Granada, in different quarters and in the small villages around the city. Additionally this event offered presentations of traditional dances, a handcraft trade fair in the central park in Granada, different stands offering a variety of books, literary workshops and concerts of famous Nicaraguan singers, for example Phillip Montalbán, Norma Elena Gadea, Katia Cardenal, Carlos Mejìa Godoy and the band “La cuneta son machin”. To celebrate the poetic carnival the poets met in the church La Merced in the centre of Granada and marched from there to the lake Cocibolca, reading poetry at every corner on their way.

On Saturday, the 19th of February, the ending ceremony of the “VII Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granada” took place on the plaza of independence in front of the foundation Casa de los Tres Mundos: The poet Nicasio Urbina read the declaration of the festival in Granada including different resolutions and ideas for the future and the president of the festival, Francisco de Asìs Fernández, announced that the VIII Festival in 2012 will be realized in honour of the great poet Carlos Martinez Rivas.