In 2010, Afghan Youth Voices Festival ran two poetry competitions in Nangarhar and Balkh province, each of which events were attended by hundreds of young people. Poetry has a long tradition in our country going back many centuries and it has been our experience that young people are keen to explore this medium to express themselves and very confidently so. Moreover, there are many prominent female poets in its history, which could be role models for young girls.
This year, we are going to take this poetry competition nationwide by hosting five regional poetry competitions in Herat, Kandahar, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Kabul. The winners of the regional poetry competition would then compete in a national poetry competition to be held in September.
The theme of the competition is “Hope”. To participate, please send a poem under the title “Hope” to info@afghanyouthvoices.com or contact your local Afghan Youth Voices Festival coordinators.