The 37th World Congress of Poets, Danzanravjaa International Poetry Festival, Poetry Days Event were held in Mongolia under the perspective of “Wisdom of Nature and the Nature of the Human Heart”
Hundreds of respected poets from many countries around the world as well as Mongolian poets had gathered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for the 37th World Congress of Poets and 'Danzanravjaa International Poetry Festival' during these cool autumn days from 16th of August to 22th of August with fresh breeze. It has been the second time that our country had the honor of hosting this event. The previous one held in 2006 coincided with the 800th Anniversary of the establishment of the Mongol Empire.
Celebrating “the Wisdom of Nature and the Nature of Human Heart”, this year’s congress held its opening ceremony in the Parliament Palace and the President of Mongolia had sent his cheering greetings to the opening.President’s message was sounded by MsTs.Khulan, the Presidential Advisor on Cultural and Religious Policy.
His greeting stressed importanceto "re-educate people in the nature and beauty of human languages and remind them the magic powers of poetry at this modern world where people worship material industry and technological advancements as sole defining factors of human existence due a distorted picture of, and pre-installed programs about social developments."
Greeting speeches were made by Maurus Young, French poet and the President of the World Academy of Arts and Culture, G.Chuluunbaatar, Ph.D, professor and Minister of Education, Culture and Science, and Ts.Buyanzaya, Chairman of the Mongolian Writer’s Union.
The main report at the Congress was “Poetry and the Wisdom of Nature” by Mongolian poet G.Mend-Ooyo which was followed by “Mongol shamanic spirits and their chants bridging heaven and earth” by professor S.Dulam, “Poetry as an intimate link between nature and man” by Spanish poet, Ph.D Justo Jorge Padron, “Our ancient cultures of the shared-self and the Survival of the Planet Earth” by Philippines film maker KidlatTahimik, and “Transforming Arts ofUndurGegeenZanabazar” by Buddha-sculptor lama, Ph.DG.Purevbat, which were all enjoyed by the audience. Especially, striking similarities between verses of Mongolian popular song about country and verses of Philippines National Song as KidlatTahimik presented was fascinated all participants of the congress.
Held in a different country every year, the congress of poets discusses important issues regarding poetry which is a valuable heritage of human intellect and come up with definite results. The congress also has a tradition of handing out respectful titles and awards. This time the board of directors of the World Academy of Arts and Culture has decided to award Mongolian poets and researchers D.Tsedev and S.Dulam with Honorary Doctor of Literature while Twice State Honored composer N.Jantsannorov was awarded with Honorary Doctor of Humanity. State Honored Poet DolgorynNyamaa from Mongolia was honored with the golden medal “For Exceptional Poetry”. It was also a great honor that our poet G. Mend-Ooyo was awarded 'Golden Hummer' Award of the World Academy of Arts and Culture.
It can be concluded that the World Congress of Poets held in Mongolia meant a great opportunity for Mongolian poets to meet their international counterparts, expand their international connections, exchange ideas, take their work of art abroad and compete in the global intellectual market.
The 37th World Congress of Poets brought in more than 300 poets, artists and publishers from over 40 countries and among them were honored guests such as Knut Odegard, Poet Laureate, Knight anointed by the Norwegian King and the Member of the Norwegian Academy, Justo Jorge Padron, the most distinguished poet of the Spanish speaking world, Yu Hsi, Enlightened master of the East, the Winner of the Kafka Award, philosopher and Taiwanese poet, UlugbekOrazbailuYesdaulet, State Honored poet of Kazakhstan, Giza Choks, poet and advisor to the Prime Minister of Hungary, KidlatTahimik, renowned Phililppinese filmmaker, awardee of the Fukuoko Asian Cultural Award, and President of the International Indigenous Culture Forum, poet Lee Kil-Won, member of the International PEN Board of Directors, President of the Korean PEN, IstvanTurczi, Hungarian Poet Laureate, Member of the European Poetry Academy Board of Directors, Dana Prescot, painter, cultural manager and General Director of the CivitellaRanieri Foundation of the USA, Maurus Young, French poet and President of the World Academy of Arts and Culture, Maria Eugenia Soberabis, Secretary General of the World Academy of Arts and Culture, Sarantuya, First Degree Poet of the PRC and Awardee of the Junlo Award of all China, BanyaNatsushi, the President of the Japanese Haiku Association, and Jiri Dedecek, Director of the Czekh National Library and President of Czekh PEN.
During the International Poetry days in Mongolia poets read their poems at the different honorable cultural places such as the State Library of Mongolia, the National History Museum, Zanabazar Art Museum, etc.
Danzanravjaa International Poetry Festival had celebrated its Ulaanbaatar session at theBegzynYavuulahan Park, a park named after the Great Poet of the East who was State Honored and Emeritus Cultural Worker of Mongolia, and continued its the Eastern (Dorno) Gobi session in TavanDokhio Tourist Camp and Khamar Monastery, home of the FifthNoyonKhutukhtuDanzanravjaa, where international poets raced their horses of poetry in the great land of Mongolia and under the Blue and Starry Sky of Mongolia. Ulaanbaatar Mayor made an official decision to honor poets by a new award, titled "Poetic Ulaanbaatar" on the occasion of the 37th World Congress of Poets and Danzanravjaa International Poetry Festival. Knut Odegard from Norway and DamdinsurengynUriangkhai were awarded with this awards “Poetic Ulaanbaatar” along with diplomas and 5 million tugriks each. During the Festival's East Gobi session, Spanish poet Justo Jorge Padron was awarded the Golden Scorpion, grand prize of the Danzanravjaa International Poetry Festival, held in Mongolia from Aug 16th to Aug 22nd, 2017. The prize in form of a gold gilt scorpion sitting on a book, symbolizing the wisdom and mystical power of poet Danzanravjaa, came with a diploma and 10 million tugriks in cash.
Within the framework of the World Congress of Poets, Danzanravjaa International Poetry Festival was held and participated by approximately 300 poets from more than 40 countries who recited their poems in Ulaanbaatar and in the Gobi, united under the slogan “the Wisdom of Nature and the Nature of the Human Heart”.
One of the accomplishments of the festival was the full cooperation of Mayor’s Office of the City of Ulaanbaatar and the Governor’s Office of the Dornogovi province which indicated the recognition of the importance of poets’ voice in advertising the native Gobi land, the capital city and whole motherland to the outside world.
Danzanravjaa (1803 – 1856) has deep connections with the many branches of Mongolian cultural world. He was a genuinely gifted poet, playwright, director, songwriter, naturalist, explorer, architect, philosopher, meditator, Buddhist teacher and an extraordinary genius.
Danzanravjaa was a man who had deep interdependency and connection with the stars, sky and the land. It has been proven that the places he built the monasteries of Khamaryn and Demchokyn, which is one of the three Galba Gobi monasteries, have unusual natural and intellectual energy waves. At the age of 50 (1853), he discovered the Shambhala in the Gobi after many deep meditation periods and examination and he called it the “Shambhala in the North” which is currently the area around the Khamaryn monastery.
Danzanravjaa’s poetry is an extraordinary phenomenon in Mongolian national literature and substantial advances have been made in recent years in terms of studying, advertising, and internationally distributing his heritage, culminating in 2006 with the official celebration of the 150th anniversary of his passing and listing him in the UNESCO list of geniuses. His collection of poetry, “Perfect Qualities” was published in English, garnering respect from foreign readers.
This international poetry festival is going to be organized every 2 or 3 years in places with special historic or cultural significance or outstanding natural beauty in Mongolia, growing into a major cultural and tourism event that has the significance of advertising Mongolian cultural heritage through the writings and poems about Mongolian history, culture, nature and people by globally acclaimed poets and writers who have millions of readers.