Brussels to host World's first Slam Poetry Championship
Brussels will host the first-ever inclusive World Poetry Slam Championship from September 26 to 29. The forty best slam poets in the world will compete for the world title in Kinepolis Brussels.
The Championship is the brainchild of the World Poetry Slam Organization (WPSO), a network that unites slammers from around the world. They have been preparing for two years behind the scenes and made, as a starting point, a joint charter in which inclusion, free speech, decolonisation and LGBTQ+ rights are important values.
Through Belgian slam poet Philip Meersman, a bridge was built with co-initiators Creative Writing, Willemsfonds Brussel and the creative agency Hurae. The result is a spectacular tournament in which slam poets from Mexico, Chad, Madagascar and Australia will participate.
Belgium is represented by 32-year-old Marie Darah. She will try to use her words to knock out her opponents figuratively. “We use the rules of poetry, but we don’t obey them. That artistic freedom allows you to really tell your own personal story. That’s what makes it so interesting and intense to watch other poets at work,” says Darah.
The semi-finals will take place on 27-28 September, followed by the grand finale on 29 September . The event will be presented in several languages and all texts are projected in Dutch, French, English and Spanish.
The Poetry Slam World Championship also offers showcases, workshops and other activities throughout the week at various locations in Brussels.
© BELGA PHOTO PATRICK POST - Dutch championship Slam Poetry. The finalist who became 2nd, Lucas Kloosterboer.