Young Spoken Word Performers Showcase at Central Bank Auditorium

Over 30 young and eager Spoken Word performers will take the stage on May 24 at the Central Bank Auditorium. These students will be taking part in the third edition of the Inspire Showcase. This spoken word poetry display has been sponsored by Republic Bank and managed by The 2 Cents Movement for the past three years.

The Inspire Showcase is the culmination of a Primary School Tour, where poets from the 2 Cents Movement visit Primary Schools throughout Trinidad and use spoken word poetry to educate and entertain students. Over the past three years, the poets of The 2 Cents Movement were able to do presentations such as “Planting Good Seeds” (2016) “True Wealth”, (2017) and “The Right Start” (2018). These presentationsusually explore themes such as decision making, financial responsibility, and the current tour explores the rights of a child.

The performance series is always accompanied by a workshop, where students interested in the spoken word craft have an opportunity to learn it. During the Easter break this year, the 2 Cents Movement hosted two Spoken Word Poetry Workshops for three days each. One camp was held at the Jean Pierre Complex in Port of Spain and the other at the Nalis Library in Couva. Over 35 young students were able to participate in the camp which surpasses the numbers of the previous years – 14 in 2016 and 17 in 2017.

Artistic Director of The 2 Cents Movement, Derron Sandy, has been on every Primary School Tour. He noted that there was a different energy surrounding this year’s Inspire Showcase. “We have continued to improve this year especially by expanding the capacity of the younger poets in The 2 Cents Movement to facilitate workshops for Primary School Children and making the engagement with the children more intensive. The Inspire program not only builds the capacity of Primary School participants, but the capacity of young poets in the 2 Cents Movement to teach and use the craft differently. ” Sandy stated that since the Easter camps there were two additional rehearsal sessions for the children.