Speak Easy in Abu Dhabi
There is something serendipitous about the idea of 100,000 poets coming together, from all around the world, to perform, create art and promote change. ...
Oct 10, 2015
There is something serendipitous about the idea of 100,000 poets coming together, from all around the world, to perform, create art and promote change.
Art enthusiasts witnessed exactly this on Sept. 26 when they gathered at The Space, a cultural venue in the TwoFour54 complex in Abu Dhabi.
On a single day, different organizations from across the globe hosted a total of 100,000 poets for an international event promoting activism through art. Livestreams connected separate sites to each other, pulling in Abu Dhabi spectators along with those in countries like Morocco and the U.S.
Despite its modest beginnings, Abu Dhabi's poetry scene has recently begun to garner widespread attention. Behind this rise in popularity is Dorian Paul Rogers, a resident who began cultivating a performance community and hosting open mic sessions on the top floor of Café Arabia.
As interest grew, these intimate gatherings were transformed into the monthly events known today as Rooftop Rhythms, which focuses on showcasing the lyrical compositions of artists from Abu Dhabi and beyond.
Over the course of its four-year development, the local host of 100 Thousand Poets for Change, Art House Speaks, has also contributed to the poetry scene and helped elevate it to a dynamic and professional level.
For some, this thriving environment came as quite a surprise.
“Coming to Abu Dhabi, I didn’t expect there to be a vibrant arts scene, but I’m so glad Art House Speaks organizes things like this,” said freshman Ishani Sen, who attended the event. “I was really impressed with the caliber of the event and intend to participate in the future in spoken word.”
The Art House Speaks organization found out about the 100TPC initiative through their sister organization in Sudan, Nas With Notepads, which has taken part in 100TPC in past years.
When asked what Art House Speaks hoped to achieve, both through this event and their monthly open mic sessions at the quaint Art House Café, the organization said they wished to provide a platform for artists as well as the larger community.
“The artists get to sit together and discuss and review their work and receive feedback for it, almost like a workshop,” said an Art House Speaks spokesperson. “It also provides the option for youth in this city to enjoy and develop positive, character-building interests in poetry and the arts.”
The themes of the performance that night ranged from the importance of feminism to struggles with personal identity.
Throughout the night, poets fulfilled the purpose of 100TPC by proving that poetry is much more than just rhyming words on a page; it can be a call for change, and an expression of the human condition.
Larayb Abrar is copy editor. Email her at feedback@thegazelle.org.
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