By Larbi Arbaoui
By Larbi Arbaoui
Morocco World News
Taliouine, Morocco, May 10, 2013
Over a hundred students and teachers from middle and high schools in the region of Taliouine, 76.37 miles (122.9 kilometers) from Marrakech, attended the event organized Friday, May 10, at Migration et Development (migration and development) theater hall in Taliouine on the occasion of the international poetry day.
The event was initially scheduled to take place on March 21, but because of some constraints and students commitments, the organizers postponed it to May 10.
The event kicked off by a passionate poem composed and read by Abdellah Amechnoug, the head master of Ibn Maja High School, who defined poetry as “a green lantern whose words are endeavored to enlighten the way for humanity, but at the same time a red lip of a gorgeous woman that leaves us broken into aches.”
The purpose of this day “is to give students an opportunity to show their talent and sensitize them about poesy as the most artistic way of expressing the self,” said Aziz El Afif, teacher of English in Ibn Maya High school.

Five young female students from Assaki middle school took the challenge of travelling 10 kilometers to take part in the event. Their purpose was to make their voice heard by simple, but powerful rhymes they composed in a state of tranquility.
“Even though the event comes almost two months after the international poetry day, we did not want to miss the event. Our main objective behind it is to motivate students to be creative and try to instill in them love for poetry as the most elevated means of communication,” added Adil Elouahabi, teacher of Arabic at Ibn Maja High School.

“It seems to us that poetry is no longer cherished in our culture. Our endeavors are merely to revive it and bring it to life again,” said a student from Ibn Maja High school.
Every year, on 21 March UNESCO celebrates the World Poetry Day. A decision to proclaim 21 March as World Poetry Day was adopted during the UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris in 1999.
The performance of all the students struck a chord, and the guitarist who provided the music was more than the words can explain.
“I feel a new sense of purpose towards celebrating poetry day,” a student from the audience said.
“I’m motivated to do more than just listen or read poesy; I want to experience the same joy I saw on the face of the young poets when they took delight in reading their rhymes” another female student said.
“It was truly a day to remember,” she added.
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