Resistance Poetry to Land in Toronto

Organizers have announced that the First International Festival of Poetry of Resistance will take place in Toronto April 24rd to 30th. The Festival will “promote opposition to a culture of war, violence and greed and to end racism and discrimination.” From a press release:

This year the Festival is in honour of the Cuban Five, men who tried to prevent the killing of innocent people by terrorist acts hatched in south Florida by extremist Cuban-American groups. After information was shared with the FBI, these five men were arrested and are now serving a total of four lifetimes plus 77 years in maximum security prisons in the U.S.

The coordinating committee of the Festival is made up of poets, musicians and organization representatives: Charles Roach, published “rapso” poet; Arnold Itwaru, two-time National Poetry Award winner in Guyana; Carlos Angulo, published poet from Peru living in Toronto; Asoke Chakravarty, Kolkata Book Fair Festival Award winner; Keith Ellis, Hamid Bashani, Dr. Duam Bangala, Lowell C. Bowen, composer; Maria Elena Mesa Mejia, Suzanne Weiss, Lisa Makarchuk and others.