The voices of young poets took centre stage in San Fernando on Tuesday as students explored the impact of fatherhood through spoken word and poetry.
The finals of the San Fernando West Spoken Word Poetry Competition challenged the 11 participants to reflect on the theme, “The Power of a Father’s Presence”.
Director at Paria Fuel Trading Company Limited, Kent Samlal, described the competition as an opportunity for students to build confidence, express themselves creatively and explore the impact fathers have on their lives and communities.
“This event is a celebration of youthful creativity, a platform for powerful self expression and a tribute to the vibrant literary arts that enrich our culture. This year’s theme, The Power of a Father’s Presence, invites us to reflect on the profound impact of fatherhood in our lives and the communities. Through your words, you will explore the strength, guidance, and the love that shapes us.”
Minister of Education, Dr. Michael Dowlath, said events like these give students the opportunity to discover and develop their potential beyond the traditional classroom setting.
“It allows us to express ourselves, to express our dreams so that as we mature, as we develop, as we grow, we can find the kind of direction and fulfilment in life.”
One of the judges of the competition, TTT Limited’s Virmala Balkaran, encouraged the students to not become overly focused on memorising every word of their poems.
She instead advised that they internalise the meaning of their work and connect emotionally with it.
“Because what you have created is a work of art, your poetry came from your heart. Wow, I just rhymed. When you do that, when you’re so focused on the words and just standing there and like, ‘Okay, what comes next? I forgot. Miss, you could tell me what your next word is?’ And then you don’t have Miss there, you don’t have a prompt or you don’t have your paper there, then you are relying too heavily on that and not necessarily what you’ve internalised.”
First place in the Primary Schools category went to Jamel Chance of St. Paul’s Anglican, while Aaditya Poonram of Presentation College San Fernando topped the Secondary Schools division.