Sana'a - Saba:
Yemen participated in the International Poetry Festival in Support of Gaza, organized by the World Poets Movement under the leadership of its president, the renowned global poet Eduardo Rondón, on June 28-29 in Colombia.
The event saw the participation of 170 poets representing 110 countries worldwide.
Yemen’s involvement in the festival’s opening ceremony featured a recorded speech by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Dr. Ali Al-Yafai, which was translated into English and Spanish.
In his address, Al-Yafai praised the efforts of the organizing committee and the participating poets, emphasizing that this is the true role of intellectuals in upholding humanitarian stances.
He stated that the Yemeni people have stood firmly with the Palestinian people since the very beginning, both politically and through massive popular demonstrations held weekly. He highlighted that Yemeni intellectuals have also made their voices heard through poems, anthems, and artistic works supporting Palestine.
The Minister expressed his honor in participating in the global poetry festival, stressing that what is happening in Gaza is an unprecedented genocide in history.
"While we may hear in myths or historians’ imaginations about past atrocities against groups of people in possibly fictional eras, today we witness daily the burning of an entire people," he said, condemning the unjustifiable and shameful global silence surrounding these crimes.
Al-Yafai added, "Though Yemen shares in the blockade and suffering with the Palestinian people, we strive to offer even a small part of our solidarity and support to this oppressed nation." He noted that Yemenis raise their voices loudly in weekly protests across all cities, with Yemeni intellectuals playing a prominent role in these gatherings.
The Minister pointed out that Yemen’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has organized—and continues to hold—numerous cultural, artistic, and literary events, as well as publications, in solidarity with Palestine and in rejection of Israeli crimes. He affirmed that true intellectuals are those who belong first to humanity and second to their nation, with their words, art, and voices reflecting their people’s struggles.
In his recorded message, Al-Yafai asserted that pens, colors, and melodies bleed alongside the free blood shed and the victims who fall every moment under brutal aggression. "If one does not share their pain or strive to break the siege and shameful silence, their work is nothing but a fleeting, chaotic, and false outburst."
He saluted the free voices taking a stand against the Zionist atrocities in Gaza and all of Palestine, calling on cultural institutions and entities to fulfill their duties in continuously supporting the Palestinian cause. He urged them to reject all forms of military and political aggression until Palestinians attain their right to a dignified life and reclaim their occupied land.
| more of (Local) |