The cast of the We Gatherin World Poetry Day celebrations being flanked by Minister in the Prime Minister’s office responsible for Culture, Senator, Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight and Chairman of the St.Thomas Parish Organizing Committee, Kevyn Henry.
March 21, 2025 – Rock Hall Freedom Park, Barbados – The We Gatherin’ Secretariat, The Division of Culture – Prime Minister’s Office, and PoeTree Barbados hosted a powerful World Poetry Day Celebration as part of the We Gatherin’ St. Thomas festivities. With an enthusiastic crowd of 175 attendees, many from the St. Thomas community, the evening was a stunning showcase of Barbados’ most talented poets, musicians, and hip-hop artists, celebrating the art of spoken word and cultural storytelling.
The event featured a lineup of electrifying performances, each offering unique poetic and musical
expressions:
● Damani Re – Libation
● Stonedwithcupid & Chad Ifill & Kiru Blvk – They Call Me Poet/Poetry Is
● Atiba Sealy-Thompson – Beautiful Black Bird
● Ayana John – Guns and Roses
● Nicholas Boyce – Black Coded
● La Shawna Griffith – Belch of Racism
● La Shawna Griffith & Ashley Serieux – Comment Section
● Ashley Serieux – The Chains We Don’t See
● Ariel Hamilton – The Crown of a Black Queen
● Negus “Knots” Hinds – Canefields
● Timon Howard, Malachi Hope & Raquon Hinds – Emancipated
● Malachi Hope – Power
● Sandra Sealy – Kamau’s Spider & Spirit of the Dancer
● Taitu Heron – I Hope You Know & Emancipation
● Winston Farrell – Tribute to Kamau Brathwaite (Exodus, PoeTree Nation, Negus, and Black Knight)
● Sam Sounds – Chasing Dreams
● Keoma Mallet – It’s On You & Alive
Among the many talented performers, several acts stood out, captivating the audience with their intensity, lyricism, and powerful messages: Ariel Hamilton delivered an emotionally charged performance of The Crown of a Black Queen , showcasing her dynamic poetic prowess, Timon Howard, Malachi Hope & Negus Knots brought raw energy to Emancipated , a performance that resonated deeply with the audience. Stonedwithcupid and his band set the stage ablaze with They Call Me Poet/Poetry Is , blending music and spoken word seamlessly. La Shawna Griffith & Ashley Serieux delivered a compelling duo performance of Comment Section , a piece that explored the ongoing debate about young girls that run away in Barbados.
One of the key highlights of the night was the presentation of the 8th PoeTree Barbados Griot Award to Adisa ‘Aja’ Andwele in recognition of his immense contribution to rhythm poetry in Barbados.
Additionally, the night paid tribute to the late Kamau Brathwaite, with Winston Farrell’s evocative tribute in which he performed Exodus, PoeTree Nation, Negus, and Black Knight as well as Sandra Sealy’s moving poem Kamau’s Spider.
The night reached its peak with a high-energy jam session, featuring all of PoeTree Barbados’ cast as well as PoeTree Barbados Open Mic Champion Rae , who wowed the audience with an impromptu performance. The session became even more memorable when Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for Culture, Senator Dr. Shantal Munro-Knight, Chairman of the St. Thomas Parish Organizing Committee Kevyn Henry, and Committee Member Petra Ramsay-Rollock joined the stage, celebrating the beauty of spoken word and artistic expression.
Master of Ceremonies La Shawna Griffith infused the evening with her signature charisma and enthusiasm, ensuring an engaging and seamless flow of performances.
The World Poetry Day Celebration at Rock Hall Freedom Park was a resounding success, cementing We Gatherin’ and PoeTree Barbados as pillars of Barbadian literary and cultural expression.
(PR)