The Script Road – Macau Literary Festival returns in March for its eighth edition, this year with a focus on the beautiful rhyme, rhythm and expression of poetry, and its ability to cross over and inspire other art forms like theatre, music, cinema and visual arts. The Script Road is inviting a number of renowned poets, particularly from China and Portuguese-speaking countries, to present engaging and informative workshops and discussion panels.
“For the first time at the Macau Literary Festival, we will have a central theme as our focus,” notes Alice Kok, Executive Director The Script Road – Macau Literary Festival. “‘Poetry’ in its various forms will be the connection for all our invited guests, poets, writers, musicians, artists and audience to celebrate the very human quality to imagine, to express and to communicate. Poetry is like the nectar of our life, and we would like the city to be bathed in it.”
Many of the events of this year’s Macau Literary Festival will be based at the Navy Shipyard, close to the famous heritage site of A-Ma Temple. And as always, the Festival will take its programme out to the public and local schools, seeking to inspire literary creativity and expression in the youth of the city.
One of the highlights of this year’s Festival will be a visit by award-winning Chinese poet Jidi Majia, who is a member of the Yi ethnic community and currently serves as the vice-president of the Chinese Writer’s Association.
The Festival will also present a tribute evening, celebrating the life and work of Portuguese poet and writer Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, who in 1999 became the first woman to receive the highest Portuguese award for poetry, the Prémio Camões.
Over the years, the Festival has become more than just an international gathering of writers, also presenting concerts, art exhibitions, cinema, and theatre. This year continues this tradition with performances by local theatre groups Rolling Puppets Alternative Theatre and Récita Maquista, and a concert by Portuguese singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017, Salvador Sobral.
And on March 21, World Poetry Day will be celebrated with two art exhibitions at the Art For All Society at Tak Chun Macau Art Garden, displaying works by local artists Crystal Chan and Alexander Marreiros, and featuring poetry recitals and other live performances.
Jidi Majia:
POETRY IS PICKING UP
One of the headlining guests at this year’s The Script Road – Macau Literary Festival is renowned poet Jidi Majia. Currently serving as the vice-president of the Chinese Writer’s Association, a member of the Yi ethnic minority and an award-winning, widely published poet, Jidi Majia is very optimistic about the China’s poetry scene, both now and looking forward to the future.
What do think of the poetry scene in China these days? How has it evolved over the past couple of decades? Do you feel there is growing interest in this form of literature?
If there has been any change in the Chinese poetry scene in recent decades, I would say it has become more and more active. The clearest manifestation is that there is no style or group of poets that can exclusively influence the poetry scene now. Poetry, as a relatively independent form of art, has always had some readers, but the changes brought about by the emergence of the Internet are unprecedented. The growing popularity and widespread dissemination of poetry writing and reading online are in full swing. The Internet has not only changed people’s way of living, but also the ecosystem of poetry.
Of course, it has also brought us new problems: how to establish and determine the standards for poetry. It is a challenge we must face. A consensus may be hard to reach, but one thing is certain, that is, the basic standards of good poetry certainly exist. It is a fact that poetry has been “picking up” and entering more and more people’s lives. Many new media outlets also feature the popularisation of poetry. The “Chinese Poetry Contest” television programme aired on CCTV posted a new record-breaking audience rate, and many WeChat official accounts promoting poems have attracted a large number of poetry lovers. Also, according to statistics released by some poetry publishers, the circulation of poetry collections has also increased significantly.
How do you think young people can be inspired to develop a greater appreciation of poetry, both classic and more modern works?
This should not be a problem. As for how to appreciate poetry, there are of course many different ways, but I think “personal” reading is the most important at any time. In a sense, a poet’s writing is independent and personal – though this is not to say that it has nothing to do with social life; I believe a truly great poet should also bear social responsibilities – so is a poetry-lover’s reading. For a good reader, every reading is a process of participating in the work. According to the theory of reception aesthetics, reading is a kind of creation too. Of course, how to effectively popularise poetry through a variety of public reading initiatives remains a challenge in our endeavour to build a rich spiritual life in society.
Do you feel that poetry has a role to play in the development of modern Chinese culture and in exploring the new Chinese identity in the world?
China is a country of poetry. The cultural self-confidence we talk about requires content as the support, and poetry undoubtedly gives us sufficient. For example, the Tang poems not only mark the golden age of Chinese poetry, but also a golden age in poetry worldwide. In today’s world, with increasingly frequent international cultural exchanges, Chinese poets and poetry are playing a more and more important role. I can say with confidence that contemporary Chinese poetry does not pale in comparison with that in any other country, and China is among the regions with the most active and innovative poetry writing. I once said that poetry cannot carry all, or sometimes even a part of the heavy tasks of humanity, but it is an important part of the spiritual foundation that human beings survive on. Perhaps it is exactly because of the existence of poetry that humans’ creation can become so rich and brilliant. Poetry, with its independence and universal significance, is one of the most effective ways for us to build a community of shared destiny today.
As vice-president of the Chinese Writer’s Association, what role does this organization play in the promotion of poetry and what sort of activities and events is it involved in?
The Chinese Writers’ Association, together with the writers’ associations at all levels, has done a lot of fruitful work to promote the development of poetry. Mainland China perhaps holds the most international poetry activities in the world. It shows that an open China is not only economically integrated with the world, but also culturally engaged through in-depth communication and dialogues with other countries. Among various activities, the Qinghai Lake International Poetry Festival, Chengdu International Poetry Week, Xichang Silk Road International Poetry Week and Luzhou International Festival of Poetry and Liquor have become important platforms and windows for international exchanges, exerting an important impact on the world poetry scene.
How do you feel your own poetry and writing has evolved over the years and how significant is your Yi ethnicity in inspiring your work?
Only my works at different stages can truly illustrate the constant changes in my writing. As for the role of my Yi ethnicity in my writing, I would say it’s the spiritual background of me as an author. As for the source of inspiration, each poem is different. Otherwise, the writing will deviate from the truly complex and multi-dimensional humanity.
What are your expectations for this year’s Macau Literary Festival?
I hope it can provide all writers and poets with a platform for barrier-free communication, the premise of which is to open up a broader space for the freedom of the spirit. I truly believe it can be achieved through the efforts of the organizers.
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Salvador Sobral and his “small change” in the Portuguese music scene,
in concert at the Venetian on March 17
Rolling Puppets theatre group reflect on the work of
revolutionary writer Lu Xun
Born in 1977, Tong Chong has been an active figure in the local art scene, known for his works of painting, paper-cutting, wood sculpture and seal carving. Late last year he was commissioned to design the official poster for the 8th edition of The Script Road-Macau Literary Festival.
As this year’s The Script Road turns its focus to poetry and its broader relationship to the arts, two exhibitions of local artists will be presented that demonstrate this notion very well, one by Alexandre Marreiros, and the other by Crystal Chan. Crystal has been living in New York since 2015 and graduated from the School of Visual Arts. She had her first solo exhibition last year at Gallery 456 of The Chinese American Arts Council and is currently back home to participate in the Macau Literary Festival.
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