Poets from countries as Zimbabwe, Armenia and Palestinian Territories debated at the Poetry International Festival the role of poetry in their respective cultural contexts.

They adressed issues like censorship, freedom of expression, the need to make protest poetry and the influence of poets and their poems.

The interesting debate in the Rotterdamse Schouwburg was attended by around 50 people.

The participants in the debate were the poets Sascha Aurora Akhtar (Pakistan), Vahe Arsen (Armenia), Najwan Darwish (Palestine) and Umar Timol (Mauritius), Cynthia Marangwanda (Zimbabwe) and Poetry International website editor Arundhathi Subramaniam (India). The debate was led by Nausicaa Marbe.