World Poetry Day has been celebrated on March 21st since 2000, and was established by UNESCO in 1999. The purpose of this Day is to promote reading, writing and publishing poetry in schools around the world, as well as to encourage and give new recognition to national, regional and international poetry movements.
The Reading Club of the Association of Slovenians "Triglav" organized the celebration of Poetry Day on the premises of the Association on March 24, 2025 under the title "We Speak Poetry in Our Mother Tongue". The guests that evening were representatives of the Cultural Association of Macedonians "Vardar" Banja Luka and the Association of Czechs of the Republika Srpska "Česka Beseda" Banja Luka. Ljiljana Memon greeted the gathered poetry lovers, emphasizing the importance of celebrating World Poetry Day, when verses convey emotions that are felt in all languages, and that the messages from poems bring a lot of light, warmth and joy in these troubled times.
Poetry lovers and admirers had the opportunity to listen to the verses of famous and recognized poets; eight reciters read poetry in four languages: Slovenian, Macedonian, Czech and Serbian.
Our Slovenian language teacher Metoda Perger, who is the conceptual organizer of this gathering, introduced us to the Prekmurje poet Feri Lainšček. She read his poem in the original Prekmurje dialect, which aroused our special attention. After that, we heard the Macedonian language in the verses of the poet and revolutionary Koča Racin, which were recited by Zoran and Jelena Mitrovska. The poem by Jan Skacel in Czech was recited to us by Goran Stojković, a member of “Česka beseda”. Mladen Prodan, a member of the Triglav Association, who is also a member of the Patrija Jelovac Homeland Society from Prijedor, recited his verses in Serbian, as did Ljiljana, who introduced us to the little-known love poetry of Petar Kočić, verses addressed to his only love, his wife Milka. I introduced the audience to the Slovenian poet Simon Gregorčič, choosing from his wide opus the humorous "Svarilo" and the defiant, patriotic "Na bregu". The teacher concluded the poetic part of the evening with verses by Tone Pavček.
The socializing of the participants of the poetic evening continued in a pleasant poetic atmosphere over coffee and cakes.
Olga Suvajac
