Mother Tongue Multilingual Poetry Night is on Monday 21 February 2022, from 7 pm to 8:30 pm at Smith’s Alternative. Photo: Mother Tongue – Multilingual Poetry.
Mother Tongue’s first poetry night for 2022 will showcase some local multilingual poets sharing cultures and identities from around Australia and the world. It also celebrates International Mother Language Day (IMLD), recognised every year on 21 February to raise awareness of language, cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Featured poets:
- Abhi Tripura: Born in an indigenous community in Bangladesh, Abhi’s mother tongue is Kokborok, the language of over a million indigenous Tripura people of Northeast India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. He also speaks three other South Asian indigenous languages, Chakma, Marma and Tanchangya, as well as English and Bangla. Abhi will speak about IMLD and its connection with Bangladesh, his indigenous background and languages, and share poems in his mother tongue and two other languages.
- Mirsad Ramic: A bilingual writer and poet of Bosnian origin living and working in Canberra. Mirsad will present a selection of his poems, which are a collage of diary segments, memories, dreams, and observations, multilayered with his personal history and true events, often fictionalized into fantastic visions of reality and loaded with symbolic imagery.
There will also be an ‘open mic’, where other local poets can share a poem in a language other than English with an introduction or translation in English. Each presenter has 4 minutes. All styles from traditional forms through to contemporary slam poetry are welcome, the poem can be read or recited and can be an original poem or a piece by another poet.
For more information, booking details, and/or possibilities of accessing the event by Zoom, email mothertonguemic@gmail.com or keep an eye on the events page.
Anyone interested in sharing a poem as part of the open mic also welcome to email mothertonguemic@gmail.com.
The details
What: Mother Tongue Multilingual Poetry Night
When: Monday 21 February 2022, 7 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Smith’s Alternative, 76 Alinga Street Canberra City
Cost: Free but bookings required. Keep an eye on the Facebook event page for the booking link.
Organised by Mother Tongue – Multilingual Poetry with support from Canberra Academy of Languages Inc (CAL) and an ACT Government 2022 National Multicultural Festival Grant.
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