From spoken word to lyrical poetry, Providus Bank, in commemoration of the 2025 World Poetry Day (WPD) made March 21 ‘Evening with Wole Soyinka’ an unforgettable one. The event reminded the mixed audience of Nigerians and Cubans, who graced the event, which held at Terra Kulture Victoria Island, Lagos, of how poetry not only promote linguistic diversity, creative expression and the enduring influence of poetry in bridging social and cultural divides, but also reveals the universality of human feelings regardless of ethnicity or race.
  
The event, which was themed, Sand Dunes and Ocean Bed: The Template of Dispersal to amplify the historical and cultural connection between the homeland country Nigeria and Cuba, the guest nation, where a huge chunk of unwillingly Africans were dispersed centuries ago, but whose descendants returned in musical and poetic homage is in accordance with UNESCO global theme, ‘Poetry as a Bridge for Peace and Inclusion’ preoccupying poetry as humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expressions and identity.
  
Speaking at the event, which was graced by high networth guests, including the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Ambassador of Cuba to Nigeria, Miriam Morales Palmero; the Cuban delegation and other prominent personalities, the Managing Director/CEO Of Providus Bank, Mr. Walter Akpani, commended Soyinka for curating the sixth edition of WPD.

He said: “Your diligence and passion in keeping the art of poetry alive and through the Providus Bank Poetry Café is worthy of celebration. WPD 2025 is a day when voices converge to remind us that poetry is not just an art; it is a force of nature, a movement, and, in its purest form, an echo of the human spirit.
  
“The theme of this year’s celebration speaks to the eternal forces of change, migration, and evolution. Like shifting dunes sculpted by the wind or the ocean’s bed, ever-changing yet grounded in depth, poetry moves with the currents of time, carrying voices across borders, shaping minds, and fostering unity in diversity. So, as we celebrate poetry in our discourse, let us also celebrate the power of dispersal – the way ideas travel, and the way change, though sometimes unsettling, is the bedrock of renewal. ”

“Let this be a call to everyone. To the poets, keep writing, and breaking new ground with your work. Seek to touch the world with your words, take on new adventures with your art and leave a lasting impression, for future generations. Let your origins and places of birth be proud to know that you have exported the best of their culture and become worthy ambassadors.”

“As the dunes shift and the tides rise and fall, let us remember that dispersal is not disappearance. It is expansion. It is the spreading of influence. It is the promise that every word, every effort, and every dream has the power to reach distant shores. Let poetry continue to be our bridge, our beacon, and our boldest expression of what it means to be alive.”
  
Also speaking, Professor Soyinka, who before unveiling his new musical poetry, titled: ‘Image in a Month of Abstinence’, which he said is still a work in progress, but was instigated by the evicted Maroko noted that the event should have been tagged ‘An Evening with Cuba’ rather than ‘An Evening with Wole Soyinka as Cuba is the ‘Special Guest Nation’ at this year’s WPD.
  
Soyinka spoke on the reality of displacements and migration and how its impact humanity in profound ways as it did with Maroko, a suburb of Victoria Island, Lagos, now Oniru and part of Lekki Phase I in 1990 where the original inhabitants were displaced.
  
He said this year’s WPD celebration is in honour of the United Nations Decade of Remembrance for the enslaved people and the commencement of a second decade of the United Nations programme for the descendants of enslaved people; hence, the theme, ‘Sand Dune and Ocean Bed’, further spoke about the persistence slavery in different forms. “This is why Cuba is here both as a reminder of the tragic instance of our history on the African continent and also as a spur to the continuing recollection that the task is not yet over, that that aberration known as slavery is still very much with us not only externally, but internally on the African continent.”
  
The event featured performances from both Nigerian and Cuban poets.