International charity ActionAid have published a limited edition collaboration of poetry from women in developing countries, and international stars such as Dame Judy Dench and Yoko Ono.
The collaboration is what ActionAid describe as being a “celebration of the resilience, humour and hope seen in the women it works with in some of the poorest countries in the world.”
See Me, Hear Me, Read Me is constructed completely out of Haikus, a quite simple form of poetry, that seemingly unites the women of the book, symbolizing that there is more that unites us, than divides us.
This is a lovely and moving little book of poetry. I am not usually a fan of poetry and Haikus, however I do love this book for not only what it stands for, but because of where its proceeds go.
While some of the proper writers and poets went a bit overboard with the abstract imagery (for example Carol Ann Duffy’s poem is called “High Cow”), in my opinion, the non-writing women like Dame Judy Dench seemed to capture the sentiment and purpose of the book best:
Girls are not allowed
To go to school, only boys
Girls work, girls cook, girls weep
This book highlights the struggle that women in developing countries face, and will aptly be released on International Women’s Day on the 8th of March. See Me, Hear Me, Read Me will be available for £15 on the actionaid.org website.