STORY: Poets from BRICS countries gather in China
SHOOTING TIME: July 19, 2024
DATELINE: July 20, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:21
LOCATION: HANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): FEBEN FANCHO, Poet from Ethiopia
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): THIAGO PONCE, Poet from Brazil

STORYLINE:

More than 70 poets from BRICS countries have come together in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, to participate in a poetry event.

During the event, they will express their thoughts through poetry, highlighting the friendships between different countries, ethnic groups and cultures.

Participants are expected to visit Hangzhou and Beijing, engaging in a series of literary activities such as academic dialogues, seminars and poetry sharing sessions.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): FEBEN FANCHO, Poet from Ethiopia
"This is a very exceptional experience for me. I haven't been in China. This is my first time. And having lots of poets from different countries and sharing experiences, your artwork, and, you know, emotions are universal, so sharing emotions -- that's a very wonderful experience for me.
I can imagine what we can do in the future, like translating each other's poems, being introduced to movies and music and dance... And I hope this goes to the food, the dressing, or attire so that we can exchange a lot of things and have a very strong relationship in the future."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): THIAGO PONCE, Poet from Brazil
"I think that the cultural exchange is one of the most important things. I think we have to strengthen these connections, these bonds, because we have lots to learn from each other, and also to empower our cultures and our countries. So I think poetry has an important role on this issue, on this theme."

First held in 1980 by a poetry magazine that the association publishes, this event is considered the most influential and longest-running literary gathering in China.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hangzhou, China.
(XHTV)