The article below has been translated from Papiamento to English and edited for clarity by Peter Jordens. Read the original at 24ora.

As reported by 24ora, Aruba will host local, regional and international contemporary poets for a cultural and literary exchange from May 9 to 18, 2023. The focus of the meeting will be on minority languages and the innovative/experimental use of language, especially in poetry.

The artistic director of this event is the Aruban-Argentinian poet-writer Arturo Desimone who has published various poetry collections and other works, among others in the UK and Argentina. He has also published articles in journals based in the USA, Mexico and Spain.

On May 9 and 10, the National Archaeological Museum of Aruba will host several activities. The first night, there will be a tribute to the late Nydia Ecury.* Special guest artist will be her daughter, Caresse Isings, who is a sculptor and performance poet. Poets from Chile and Puerto Rico will recite work by Nydia Ecury in Spanish for the first time. In addition, Jamila Medina Ríos will present the publication called Caracolas y Truenos del Caribe Holandés. Medina Ríos is a poet and scholar from Cuba who specializes in Cuban exile literature. She collaborated on the first translation into Spanish of Nydia Ecury’s Bos di Sanger (1976). Arturo Desimone will recite from his own poetry while Jair Britten (Aruba) will present music inspired by Indigenous culture.

On May 10 there will be a performance by Samanta Westera Juppa (Aruba) combining Latin American popular music with dance. The poets Jesús Montoya (Venezuela), Juana Adcock (Scotland/Mexico), John Martínez Gonzales (Peru) and Ralph Winedt (Curaçao) will present.

On May 11, there will be a conversation and recital at the National Library of Aruba in Oranjestad by poets from Peru, Chile, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. They will discuss how poetry publishing houses in Puerto Rico manage to publish despite limited resources and the current crisis.

The University of Aruba will also host two events. On May 15, there will be international and multilingual poetry declamation with Wilson Alves-Bezerra from Brazil. This will be followed by a discussion on the liberating power of translation and multilingualism. The following day, May 16, there will be a workshop about the art of translation. The two events at the University will also be livestreamed; one can register by way of the links at https://www.ua.aw/events/poetry-recitals-of-the-international-poetry-encounter-aruba-panel-discussion-on-translation-poetry-publishing.

Lovers of poetry and literature are cordially invited to experience and participate in these artistic and educational meetings. Admission to all events is free.

For the original reports (in Papiamento), see https://24ora.com/museo-arquelogico-nacional-aruba-ta-presenta-prome-encuentro-internacional-di-poetanan-na-aruba

[Image above by Caresse Isings (artists from Oranjestad, Aruba): * Nydia Ecury (Aruba, 1926 – Curaçao, 2012) was an Aruban teacher, poet, writer, translator and actress.]

For more information on N. Ecury, see our post https://repeatingislands.com/2012/03/03/in-memoriam-nydia-ecury.

For more on artist C. Isings, see https://www.instagram.com/caresse.isings/ and https://www.facebook.com/caresseisingsartist/