Proving That Creativity Matters: HUMSS Open Mic Competition at QNL

Written by Frances Balani, News Writer

Campus News

Originally written on  November 16, 2019

The HUMSS students wearing their costumes prior to their performance at QNL.
Photo by Alliah Sabiniano

"For me, as someone who has never experienced delivering a poem to a big audience, I recommend you guys to write more every day as a practice to [create] a very skilled fate, especially if you want to excel in the creative writing or poetry field,” says Mohammad Jaber Lim, one of the qualifiers for the competition when asked about what he wants to say to aspiring poets.

Poetry is a type of literature that writers use for self-expression. They can voice out their opinions and views on topics that interest or affect them.

This Open Mic Competition is an event organized by the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in collaboration with Qatar National Library as part of Qatar's first experiential learning festival, the Doha Learning Days (DLD). This contest aims to promote the children’s creativity in making poems, essays, or simply how they wish to express themselves in writing. Out of more than 100 entries, five extraordinary PISQians qualified. Mohammad Jaber Lim, along with Alliah Raquel Sabiniano, Vanessa Ramirez, Mark Funilas and Diego Mendoza, coached by Ms. Lei Asis, had performed in this event and delivered with amazing results.

These students have expressed themselves creatively and has left their audiences in awe at how moving their words were: Mohammad Jaber Lim uses the plants and ecosystems as a metaphor for the people and society, Diego Mendoza takes his viewers to a tour throughout history, Alliah Raquel Sabiniano opens the eyes of those present to the significance of all kinds of professions, and lastly, Vanessa Ramirez targets the public in her emotionally-wrecking speech about relearning to build thriving societies.

It doesn’t take much to express your imagination; others use music, arts, and their original innovations, but writers only need a pen and some paper.

"What I can say to aspiring poets is that, don't limit yourself to the technicalities of poetry. Even me, before, I didn't really have a style. So, I thought, 'Because I encounter a lot of people, maybe I should input what I've learned from them,'. I incorporated them into my work in order to distinguish mine from others so that you'll have your own style and that your style will be known," was Alliah Raquel Sabiniano’s heartfelt advice to aspiring poets. No one should limit themselves to the mechanics; they must learn to break down boundaries that keep their visions boxed up. You must learn to never limit your self-expression to only one platform. Explore all stages till you find the podium that suits you and your ingenuity.

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Photos by Alliah Sabiniano