Award-winning Manchester author and broadcaster Lemn Sissay will perform a poem to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech today.
King’s era-defining speech was delivered in August 1963 to more than 250,000 civil rights supporters at the March on Washington event, calling for an end to racism in the United States.
It is regarded as one of the most powerful deliverances in human history and Sissay’s aim is to pay homage to this by creating a reactionary poetic vision for our times.
“I feel it is a challenge, but it’s one that I relish because when Martin Luther King spoke it was during challenging times so I will take this energy and channel it into my own performance,” he said.
“I am totally affected by the beautiful, powerful speech and I’m looking forward to being able to perform and give back to Manchester.”
King’s speech is seen as the pivotal moment of the African- American civil rights movement, and tackled the issue of racism head-on.
Sissay, the first Black Writers Development Writer in the North of England, believes that Manchester has come a great way in regards to racism.
“Racism is an illness which affects all races,” he said.
“What is great about Manchester, especially over the past 10 years, is the great racial mix in the city now. Just look around you, there are thriving communities of Somalian people, Ethiopians, Europeans… to name a few.
“The important message is that Manchester is most confident when it accepts the difference of the many peoples that make it what it is.”
Sissay wishes to deliver a universal poem to his Manchester audience as Martin Luther King’s speech was not just about race but also workers and humanity in general.
“I can’t tell people what to take away from the poem. I just want people to feel the vitality of the poetry as I feel the vitality of the city,” he said.
“One thing I do know though is that I want people to feel the urgency of now, the term used by King. This urgency will be reflected in my poem.”
Sissay was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics and his poems can be found decorating the streets and buildings of Manchester including: Market Street, Hardy’s Well and Piccadilly Station.
The poet is a firm believer that poetry should be an art form for the masses and coming back to perform in Manchester is extremely important to him.
“I feel lucky to have been taken in and loved by this wonderful city, it’s like my older brother and sister- my family you know,” he said.
“I can feel the power of Manchester, and it will always be with me. Even though I don’t live here anymore it still influences me because its spirit stretches across the world.”
When it came to writing the poem for Saturday’s performance Sissay described it as a very personal process.
“I have gone to the heart of who I am but making sure that I reconnect to the world and reconnect to the story – in this case Martin Luther King’s message that we must rise up to the challenges we face,” the poet said.
“Manchester embodies this. As a city it’s always changing, it’s always growing and every time it is challenged it rises up.
“This is what we must do universally – rise to the challenges that are presented to us!”
Tickets cost £10 for adults and £6 for students and groups.
Book on: 0844 907 9000 or online at http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk
Picture courtesy of Emma Crouch via Flickr, with thanks.
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