African Literature is 'Oldest Literature in World,' Nigerian Poet Says on World Poetry Day
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World Poetry Day, celebrated on March 21, was established by UNESCO in 1999 to support linguistic diversity through poetry and amplify endangered languages. It aims to promote poetry reading, writing, publishing, and teaching worldwide, while also revitalizing poetry movements at all levels.
Africa is willing to share its intellectual wealth with the world and hopes that the world will begin to take what Africans create seriously, Tade Ipadeola, Nigerian poet, essayist, translator, and lawyer, told Sputnik Africa.
Despite facing challenges such as a lack of skilled translators, he highlighted the determination of Africans to create, the poet added, noting that in an ever-changing world, modern translation technologies are enabling the dissemination of African ideas into major languages.
"Africa has more than its natural resources [...] We have actually intellect and a mind, and we have solutions to human problems that have been with us from the beginning of creation. We want to share those with the world," Ipadeola said.
He believes that history shows us the importance of seeing humanity as a whole. He used the example of Pushkin, a famous Russian poet with African roots, to illustrate his point. Ipadeola said that the ideas that shape the world are not the property of any one group; the progress of the world comes from the contributions of everyone.
