Poetry in Tanta, an International Poetry Festival in Egypt
As a Mexican poet who lived 13 years in the USA and works as a translator, existing in two languages is nothing new. However, it is so very different when “the other” language is one which doesn’t even use the alphabet you grew up with. English and Spanish not only share in common the Roman alphabet, but the Latin etymology in many of their words. That is not the case with Arabic, and even though we share the same Phoenician roots, ultimately, this is only an interesting fact to know because as it doesn’t help in deciphering it at simple sight or sound.
This didn’t worry me when I received the invitation to participate in the first International Poetry Festival in the city of Tanta, north of Cairo, in Egypt. I am someone who is always ready for adventure, and the perspective of sharing my work with such a different audience seemed fascinating. I had some Egyptian poet friends as well, both in Tanta and Cairo, so it didn’t feel like I would be totally isolated or lost in such a different culture.
so it didn’t feel like I would be totally isolated or lost in such a different culture.
Arriving at the airport presented no trouble, and even though it had been a long journey of over 24 hours, adapting to the new time zone didn’t feel so hard the next day, when activities begun, maybe because of the excitement and newness of the experience. Not even the noisy streets and the loud praying starting at four in the morning troubled my sleep that night. I had arrived and was ready for it all!
I was honored when I was asked to speak on behalf of the foreign poets during the inauguration ceremony, before a packed auditorium, and sharing the podium with the governor of Tanta and the Egyptian Minister of Culture, among others. It was a bit odd to represent people I had barely just met, but I have been in enough poetry festivals to know that the brother/sisterhood of poets is the same, everywhere.