The charm and romance of European and Filipino languages continue this year as “Bersong Euro-Pinoy” goes live via: facebook.com/EUDelegationToThePhilippines on 27 May 2022 from 4 to 6pm.

Together with the Embassies of Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany (and the German Academic Exchange Service), Ireland, Spain (and Instituto Cervantes), France (and Alliance Française), Italy (and the Philippine-Italian Association), Austria and Poland, and the University of Santo Tomas, the European Union Delegation to the Philippines is organising a poetry recital “Bersong Euro-Pinoy, “Pagkakaisa, Pag-asa”.

The poetry festival is part of the Viva Europa cultural program, in commemoration of Europe Day, which took place on May 9th.

European Union Ambassador Luc Véron said that the poetry recital underlines the importance of togetherness and hope as the world is recovering from the pandemic.

A brainchild of Instituto Cervantes, it used to be held under the framework of “Dia del Libro” gathering all diplomats and literary enthusiasts from among the EU member states’ embassies and cultural institutes and the EU Delegation to the Philippines.

The programme for the Bersong Euro-Pinoy is as follows:

“Doordeweeks” (On Weekdays), that will be recited by its author, the Belgian poet Mustafa Kor.

Mustafa Kör is the 5th Poet Laureate (National Poet) of Belgium following his predecessor, Carl Norac, who the Embassy was also able to feature in last year’s Bersong EuroPinoy. Norac dedicated last year’s poem to Kör (as his successor) entitled, “Pour Mustafa, pour Mustafa Kör”. Inaugurated last 23 March 2022, Kör was given the mission of writing poems inspired by the whole of Belgium, its history and current affairs.

Tree of Justice by František Novotnŷ (recited by Dalibor Mička, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Czechia);

Hope by Freidrich Schiller (recited by Dr Monica Fröhlich, DAAD German Academic Exchange Service);

When all the others were away at Mass by Seamus Heaney (recited by H.E. Irish Ambassador William Carlos);

Wild Swans by William Butler Yeats (recited by Deputy Head of Mission Brian McCrohan, Embassy of Ireland);

Variaciones Sobre El Instante Eterno (The Eternal Instant) by Jose Hierro (recited by Professor Carmen Ruiz de Apodaca, Instituto Cervantes Manila);

Liberté by Paul Eluard (recited by students from the French School, European Campus);

Un Adesso Immenso (Immense Now), by Filippo Balestra (audio-visual rendition by Filippo Balestra with video by Alessio Bertallot);

Amo (Love) by Grazia Deledda (recited by Cristina Morrica, Philippine-Italian Association);

An Mauern Hin (Along Walls) by Georg Trakl (recited by Ms Tajana Platzer, Embassy of Austria);

Stepy Akermanskie (The Akkerman Steppe) by Adam Mickiewicz (recited by Chargé d’affaires a.i. Mr. Jarosław Roman Szczepankiewicz, Embassy of Poland);

Renowned and award-winning poets from the University of Santo Tomas will recite their original works: Associate Professor Nerisa del Carmen Guevara, How to talk to the Dead in the Garden; Dr. Joselito De Los Reyes, Ang Init Na ‘to; Assistant Professor Ned Parfan, The Waves; Assistant Professor Paul Castillo, Para Lang Sa Langit; 

For the third consecutive year Bersong Europinoy is joined by La Punta della Lingua, an international festival, based in Ancona, Italy, dedicated to “Total Poetry”. Since 2006, the festival continues to explore possibilities of interaction between poetry texts and moving images, as well as other forms of hybridization of poetry with the web, theater, music and cinema.

This year, La Punta della Lingua will present the video-poem “Un adesso immenso” / An Immense Now, by Filippo Balestra and Alessio Bertallot.