Voz De Sparky, Set The World On Fire | Alternative Fruit

A brilliant initiative from the local Hispanic community of down town Phoenix's Arizona State University is a bilingual poetry event. Called Voz De Sparky and aimed at integrating English and Spanish speaking residents and students into one literary movement, it stands to do amazing work with breaking down national walls which prevent each other from growing as a whole. Enabling cultural differences to become a celebratory subject of artistic ventures proves that what divides us is a resource of depth and wisdom.


This year, the event is on October 4th and is taking place in the First Amendment Building of the campus. Named Voces de la Calle or Voices of the Street, the direction opens up for many routes and roads which can be verbally explored in English and Spanish. The specific insights and stories waiting to be told can only be revealed on the night, however for those in the audience they will no doubt influence future thought in some way. That's the purpose of art.


For the Hispanic community there, it is important for their stories and experiences to be voiced. Often muffled by the barriers of language and anxiety, providing a safe haven where their words are the exhibit really makes a difference emotionally. This then will naturally translate into their ability to integrate and to feel at home where their home now is. Because English speakng people and many intellectual Americans truly appreciate culture and poetry, the combination of these two factors will no doubt attract a crowd. Once more, serving to bolster the confidence and geographical integrity of those who may need it.


According to spokeswoman Arisbeth Valenzuela, the event is aiming to “advocate, celebrate and educate not just the Mexican and Hispanic populations but (also) the entire Sun Devil community.” (statepress).


Sun Devil refers to the athletics teams which the university students belong to. There are various sports which all come under this one umbrella. It's good that poetry and literature are being given the same level of respect as sports. The whole message is one of positivity, validation, and reinforcement of personality. This must be an amazing experience for everyone partaking in it.


We can all learn from this, and prove that we too can celebrate cultural differences and learn from them. By understanding each other we diminish the fear of the unknown and we also learn how to best communicate across national lines. It's never easy to embrace something completely new and something we may have heard bad things about in the past, however when confronted with it in a proper way that's built from the ground up, we can quickly learn that we are all just people and we all have a story to tell.