1st Korea - Nigeria Poetry Feast

Ladies and Gentlemen!

 

I shall start by commending the organizers of this event; that is, our Korean Cultural Centre and their collaborators, The Write Squad and Arojah Concepts for putting up such an important event.

 

It’s been a wonderful evening, and I am sure that just like me here, you all have enjoyed yourself greatly. What we are doing here tonight is a testimony to the important role culture has to play in strengthening bilateral relationships.

 

Today, we shall be appreciating the brilliance and creative ingenuity of 10 poets whose poetry we have found very refreshing and illuminating in line with the theme of the event – The Culture of Friendship. They will receive certificates of participation, a little token and Korean branded souvenirs.

 

Today is more meaningful because today is World Poetry Day.

 

Literature as one form of culture is essential and very important in understanding one another. Therefore, the United Nations Organization has to intensify cultural programmes in literature and other forms to bring closer the nations that are members in it.

 

Poetry also contributes to creative diversity.

Through its associations, its metaphors and its own grammar, poetic language is thus conceivably another facet of the dialogue among cultures.

 

With the 1^st Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast, we have taken the concept of friendship and bilateral relationship to a new level.

 

Korea and Nigeria are two countries with a rich oral tradition as has been displayed here today. I am sure that this is one experience that is capable of improving the ties between our two nations.

 

Taking this opportunity I would like to mention a short history of Korean Poetry.

 

Traditional Korean poetry is often sung in performances. Until the 10th century, much of Korean poetry was written in Hanja in classical Chinese. Korean learned people were writing poetry in the classical Chinese style as early as the 4th century BC, with roots in Chinese quatrains. Some Korean poetry followed the style of T'ang lyric poetry such as the shi poetry form. Of course we have our own poems sung with Korean language transferred through generations among ordinary people since they cannot write Chinese.

 

Notable Korean poetry began to flourish under Confucian scholarship in the Goryeo period (starting in 935). Collections were rarely printed.

Sijo, Korea's favorite poetic genre is often traced to Confucian monks of the 11th century, but its roots are in those earlier forms from the 4th century. Its greatest flowering occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries under the Joseon Dynasty after King Sejong invented Hangul, Korean alphabet, the most scientific one in the world.

Korean modern poems have largely developed after 1945, the year of Korean independency. We had many great poets in all sorts of genre as other countries. Today, Ko Un is one of Korea’s modern Poets and has become Korea’s literary ambassador, having been nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature in 2011. You will hear one of his today.

 

I hope you are interested in Korean Poetry. However real flavor of Korean poetry can be enjoyed when we master Korean Language and of course real Nigerian flavor when we learn Nigerian language.

 

In order to deepen and expand our bilateral relationship, we will hold regularly this poetry feast and we will make anthology.

We think that a poetry collection featuring poets from both countries will contribute a great deal.

 

In view of these, I once again congratulate you for being part of the first ever Korea – Nigeria Poetry Feast and I hope this will contribute to the development of literature and culture in Nigeria.

Having finished my official speech, because this is a poetry night, I made a small poem summarizing what I said before just before I come here.

Please bear with me.

 

 

“Bilateral relationship we strengthened tonight.

Poets after poets from both countries illuminated us tonight.

We celebrated World Poetry Day.

With the first Korea-Nigeria Poetry Feast Day we held.

Both countries have rich oral tradition.

We started to sip a bit of juice tonight.

Regular feast will give us a whole fruit.”

 

Thank you.