World-renowned celebrities, including seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, came together in a video featuring Palestinian and Sudanese poems in a show of solidarity with the two nations in conflict.
The virtual cento session also features Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo and Spanish singer Rosalía, among others, who joined forces to recite verses written by Palestinian and Sudanese poets whose lives were tragically cut short by wars.
Organized by songwriter Mustafa Ahmed, a Canadian-Sudanese poet, the video was livestreamed on social media, drawing global attention to the voices of poets who have died in the two countries.
A cento is a poem composed entirely of verses from other poems, and this unique arrangement was crafted by Mustafa and Safia Elhillo, a Sudanese-American poet.
According to a report by Roya News, the session featured contributions from artists such as Ramy Youssef, Jodie Smith, Safia Mafia, BSmooV, Dani Moon, Dev Hynes, Maria, Shawn Mendes, Ahmed Malek, Daniel Caesar, Tamino and Anok Yai.
The background score (music) was created by Dev Hynes or Blood Orange, adding a haunting and emotive musical backdrop to the poetry.
“The words here are by dead poets from Sudan and Palestine, many of them murdered before their time. This is a cento we made for them, for what they left behind,” Mustafa explained to the viewers.
Stressing that the words by poets are timeless, Mustafa said, “The poet lives forever.” At the end of the session, viewers were requested to donate to causes in both countries.
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