More than 100 poetry lovers joined and recited verses
In the “First Online Recital of Hispano-Filipino Poetry,” Instituto Cervantes de Manila brought together more than 100 lovers of poetry who recited verses written in Spanish by Filipino poets. All the recorded recitations have been compiled in a video that will be published on the institute’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
The recordings were part of its “Día del Libro” celebrations, a Spanish tradition where books and roses are exchanged—a tradition Instituto Cervantes brought to Manila in 2006 and has been regularly celebrated since.
The selection of poems recited included “Canto de María Clara” by Jose Rizal, “Señorita Provinciana” by Jesus Balmori, “Boceto” by Evangelina Guerrero, as well as contemporary poems “Seguir Viviendo” by Guillermo Gomez Rivera and “Saudade” by Daisy Lopez.
According to Javier Galván, director of Instituto Cervantes Manila, this campaign is designed to promote literary awareness of our poets and celebrate the shared literary traditions between the Philippines and Spain. It also intends to initiate interest among young Filipinos to use the Spanish language as a literary creation tool.
As a teaser, here is the video of the poem “El canto de María Clara” by José Rizal.