XIII Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granada

In the week of February 12-18, 2017, poets and writers from all over the world came to Granada to fill the city with life and their verses. The “Festival Internacional de Poesía de Granda” is the largest literature event in Central America. This year, it was held for the thirteenth time and as homage to Manolo Cuadra (Nicaragua) and Roque Dalton (San Salvator) and, furthermore, in memory of the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío.

During the festival participating artists as well as the audience who came from near and far, were able to participate in a series of activities: concerts, presentations, dialogues, readings and other performances in or outside the Casa de los Tres Mundos. Also there was a book fair, a craft market, and the “Micrófono Abierto”, a stage on which novices at poetry (or, of course, the not – yet – known experts!) presented their self-created poems.

One of the highlights of the event was definitely the “Carnaval poético de la identidad cultural”, where a magnificent parade of artists, dancers, carnival groups, bands and visitors walked through the city to the rhythm of the music. Under the motto “Long live the poetry”, selected writers presented at eleven different corners their poems. In the end, the group symbolically buried the hate and violence in the lake of Nicaragua, the introductory words of Gloaria Gabuardis: “Que viva el amor! ¡Qué viva la paz!” were spread in the air for a long time.

If people talk about the colonial city Granada, the attribute “rich in colors” always falls. In those days, it was particularly colorful – colorful in culture, literature and joy of life.

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Text and Photos: Barbara Schechtner