Amanze Chinonye
Eleven poets from Nigeria and across the world joined Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka on Thursday, March 19, for the 2026 ProvidusBank World Poetry Day Café held in Lagos, Prime Business Africa reports.
The event, themed “Power & Order: Freedom & Illusion,” took place at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Iganmu, attracting a diverse audience of creatives, corporate executives and poetry enthusiasts.
The evening featured a mix of poetry readings and spoken word performances that examined themes of power, freedom, societal order and the illusions that sustain authority in a complex world.
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Four international poets – Yolanda Castaño, Valter Hugo Mãe, Maryam Palizban and Mohsen Emadi shared the stage with Nigerian poets including Dike Chukwumerije, Abdulazeez Sirajo Alli (Ba Sabouke), Ayomide Fasedu (Mide Fash), Nwani Emmanuel Chidera (Grey Martyr), Pacella Chukwuma-Eke, Oloruntobiloba Abiodun (Tobi Abiodun), and Hafsat Abdullahi.
The Nigerian poets brought a wide range of styles and themes to the event, from socially conscious performance poetry and feminist narratives to explorations of spirituality, identity and contemporary Nigerian realities, enriching the overall experience.
Each participant delivered original works aligned with the theme, either through traditional readings or performance poetry, in what organisers described as a “concert atmosphere” highlighting the vibrancy of modern poetic expression.
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World Poetry Day, proclaimed in 1999 by the UNESCO, is observed annually to promote linguistic diversity and amplify poetic voices across cultures. The day underscores poetry’s role in capturing human experience, challenging injustice and inspiring social change.
In Nigeria, the celebration has been hosted since 2020 by Providus Bank under its corporate social responsibility initiative, the ProvidusBank Poetry Café. The programme is curated by the Culture Advocates Caucus and directed by Jahman Anikulapo under the supervision of Soyinka, a former UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Organisers said the 2026 edition reaffirmed the importance of creativity, intellectual freedom and the arts as critical drivers of cultural dialogue and national development.
Amanze Chinonye is a Staff Correspondent at Prime Business Africa, a rising star in the literary world, weaving captivating stories that transport readers to the vibrant landscapes of Nigeria and the rest of Africa. With a unique voice that blends with the newspaper's tradition and style, Chinonye's writing is a masterful exploration of the human condition, delving into themes of identity, culture, and social justice. Through her words, Chinonye paints vivid portraits of everyday African life, from the bustling markets of Nigeria's Lagos to the quiet villages of South Africa's countryside . With a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the complexities of Nigerian society, Chinonye's writing is both a testament to the country's rich cultural heritage and a powerful call to action for a brighter future. As a writer, Chinonye is a true storyteller, using her dexterity to educate, inspire, and uplift readers around the world.
