Providus Bank recently celebrated World Poetry Day 2023 with Wole Soyinka, with the theme of “Restating Humanity with The Woman.” The event focused on valuing, protecting, and liberating women in global societies. It also remembered students Leah Sharibu and Deborah, who were victims of violence, through a performative poetry segment. The event aimed to highlight the courage of these young women and the need to value and protect women’s rights.
During the opening ceremony, six secondary school students performed poems eulogizing Leah Sharibu’s courage and calling for her liberation from captivity. Actress Taiwo Ajai-Lycett commended the students and urged young women and girls to be aware of their responsibilities as mothers in raising responsible men who do not abuse women. She reminded them that they run the world and to go for substance rather than the shiny objects people throw at them.
Wole Soyinka noted that humanity is incomplete without women and called for society to begin the new journey of including the neglected and oppressed parts of the global society. The event also marked the unveiling of the poetry anthology Journeys, which focused on Migration: of Dislocation and Displacement, comprising poems by forty student poets who participated in the workshop on Migration last year. The project was powered by Providus Bank to highlight the work of young and untapped poets.
Overall, the event celebrated the power of poetry and the importance of valuing and protecting women’s rights. Through performances, speeches, and the unveiling of a new poetry anthology, attendees were reminded of the crucial role women play in society and the need to take action to protect and uplift them.
