Thursday, 27 August 2020

Michael Chang : part five

Why is poetry important? 

All poetry is political.  Let’s get that out of the way first.  For me, poetry is an avenue for political protest and bearing witness.  With my unique lens as a lawyer and political operative, I believe in storytelling as a means of affecting change.  Maya Angelou said that there “is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you.”  At a time when forces choose to pick at the historical scabs of inequity and injustice, we must bear witness!  We must say loudly: we’re here!  And use the language of seeing and telling as a means of strengthening our communities and advocating for our fellow people.

In my own work, I consider aspects of diaspora dislocation, estranging inheritance, the decentering of self, distance, rupture, and restlessness.  Ultimately, poetry is important because it challenges convention and introduces unruliness, boundlessness, borderlessness as a means of reclaiming power and enacting change.

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