The Martin Luther King Spoken Word contest took place for the third time. From over ninety entries, the expert jury, consisting of Babs Gons, Dorothy Blokland, Onias Landveld and Dave Ensberg, selected five nominees who were allowed to perform their entry live on Black Heritage Night: Noë van Leeuwen, Anna van Doorn, Dina Bousbaa, Tasha Mhishi and Kwan Suppaiboonsuk.
The five nominees were praised by the jury for their beautiful and powerful words. "We were looking for hope, like Martin Luther King expressed his hope. We were not necessarily looking for happy endings, but for the small cracks through which the light shines. Wraiths little snippets or small pieces of dream between the lines", jury member Babs Gons said. It was Tasha Mhishi who eventually won the Martin Luther King Spoken Word contest 2021 with her entry 'No title'.
Watch the entries of the five nominees of the Martin Luther King Spoken Word contest 2021 and the jury report here:
Kwan Suppaiboonsuk - More than just a number
(Foto: UPI/From the film poster: A Filmed Record. Montgomery to Memphis)