BOGOTA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The 30th Medellin International Poetry Festival, one of the largest events of its kind in the world, opened virtually on Saturday for the first time.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers launched the new digital version of the event through social media platforms like YouTube, which will be available until Oct. 10.
Almost 200 guests from over 100 countries will recite their works for thousands of online viewers this year.
Jidi Majia, a Chinese poet, read his poem "Split Open Planet" at the opening ceremony of the festival, who composed the piece after witnessing the rise of the pandemic.
"It is a difficult time for human beings, when poets and poetry should undertake the noble mission of guiding the human spirit. We need to use poetry to break barriers and isolation, and make our contribution to building a more equitable, fair, and humane world," said the Chinese poet during his opening speech.
Jidi Majia's poetry has been translated into more than 20 languages and published for distribution in 30 countries.
Festival activities include interviews and conversations with many guests, as well as concerts, panels, courses, and workshops, which, for the first time, can be viewed from anywhere in the world thanks to a digital platform capable of hosting 500,000 viewers. Enditem
