The Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts in Iganmu served as the grand stage for a global literary convergence on March 19 as 11 distinguished poets from across the world gathered to mark the 2026 World Poetry Day.
Organised under the evocative theme “Power and Order: Freedom and Illusion”, the seventh edition of the ProvidusBank World Poetry Day Café offered a profound exploration of the human condition through the lens of verse and performance. Curated by the Culture Advocates Caucus and directed by Jahman Anikulapo, the evening brought together a “coterie” of established and emerging voices to challenge the boundaries of imagination.
The international contingent featured Spain’s Yolanda Castaño, the Angolan-Portuguese writer Valter Hugo Mãe, and Iranian-born poets Maryam Palizban and Mohsen Emadi. They shared the spotlight with a formidable Nigerian line-up, including the celebrated spoken word artist Dike Chukwumerije, Bá Sabouke, Ayomide Fasedu, Nwani Emmanuel Chidera, Paella Chukwuma-Eke, Tobi Abiodun, and Hafsat Abdullahi. Each of the 11 performers offered unique reflections on the day’s theme, ranging from Sufi-inspired surrealism to urgent social commentary, captivating an audience of corporate executives and cultural enthusiasts alike.
The gathering paused for a minute of silence to honour the late Evelyn Osagie. A journalist, poet and dedicated cultural advocate, Osagie had performed at last year’s edition of the event before her passing on August 17, 2025, in Lagos at age 49.
Following the final presentation by the invited poets, the atmosphere reached a crescendo as Professor Wole Soyinka himself took the stage to close the event. Appearing as the 12th and final performer of the evening, the Nobel Laureate initially delighted the room with a display of his trademark wit. He began with a humorous apology, jokingly claiming he was not responsible for the choice of venue and describing it as a “trick” played by the organisers who informed him at the last moment he was expected at a centre bearing his own name. He quipped that he had been searching for his own “centre for 90 years without success,” adding that he felt quite at home in Iganmu as it was the site of an “original brewery”.
In a moving finale to the soirée, the mood shifted from levity to solemnity as Professor Soyinka prepared to read a poem dedicated to the late Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro. His performance served as a powerful reminder of the enduring strength of poetry to outlive the “enemies of freedom of thought”. By closing the ceremony in his honour with his own voice, Soyinka reaffirmed the vision of World Poetry Day, proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999, to celebrate linguistic diversity and the transformative power of the written word.
