On the 8th of October, URI MENA hosted the second event of its cultural café month in October. For this event, Yazeed Al Awaysheh was invited to share his passion for language and his love for poems. His workshop was genuinely inspiring and touched the attendees’ hearts. Describing the uniqueness of this event to someone who hasn’t been a part of it is very difficult. Let me explain why by showing you a picture like Yazeed showed us during his speech:
What do you see when looking at a picture of the galaxy? What do you immediately think of? Does it remind you of something in your childhood?
Also, what do you feel when seeing a picture of something you will probably never see with your own eyes? (Unless you’d become a scientist at NASA and fly to space). Do you feel lonely or awestruck? How would you describe the feeling to others?
Expressing your thoughts and feelings through words can be difficult. Even though we have spoken since we were young and it’s part of our everyday life, it’s tricky to tell others what we truly mean. And if we find the perfect words to describe a pleasant memory, we can’t be sure that our words are perceived as we intended. Words and language shape a picture in our minds that is never the same as in other people’s heads. If it’s never the same, misunderstandings can quickly arise, leading to frustration.
But in the depth of language also lies pure beauty. Though words can be fragile, they can also be powerful and enable us to share our most profound dreams and hopes. An artistic way to express yourself to the world is through poetry:
The most articulate way to vividly tell our story, give a voice to the voiceless and leave an everlasting whisper of ourselves in the world lies in expressing ourselves through poetry.
Poems are a medium to communicate, to bring thoughts alive, and to pass stories from one generation to another. The poet transcends his/her dreams and encouragements creatively into words. And each word of the poem speaks to you, as a reader, individually. You begin to make your own story with the poem at hand as it touches your heart and soul personally. Because the words speak to our inner insecurities and dreams, we become vulnerable. This is nothing to be ashamed of but rather worth sharing. And every personal story is beautiful in itself.
The participants of the workshop experienced this magical moment twice. First, when everyone shared their personal impression of the picture of the galaxy. Second, when participants shared their thoughts about Yazeeds own written poems.
With his presentation, Yazeed brought the participants closer to the art of poetry and closer to each other by opening up to one another. It was extraordinary, and hard to describe, so make sure to attend the next workshop 😉
Check out the other Cultural Cafes with professional speakers:
- Mini Workshop about How to tell a great Story
- Mini Workshop about How to live sustainable vegan.
- Mini Workshop on How to identify Fake News