poetry truntfest

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Reported by Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

http://www.rferl.org/content/Nigerian_Wins_Ukrainian_Poetry_Recital_Contest/2017827.html

Nigerian Wins Ukrainian Poetry Recital Contest

Ayo Osikoya reads poetry in Donetsk.

April 19, 2010

A 20-year-old Nigerian college student, Ayo Osikoya, has stunned the
residents of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk with his talent for
reading poetry. In fact, Osikoya's emotive delivery of verses by the
Ukrainian national poet, Taras Shevchenko, won out over recitations by
native Ukrainian speakers to earn him first prize in a local poetry-reading
competition in March.

Osikoya's Ukrainian odyssey began two years ago in Lviv, in western Ukraine,
where he learned Ukrainian in just seven months. After mastering the
language well enough to study, he enrolled at Donetsk Technical
University -- widely regarded as Ukraine's best university for technical
studies -- to fulfill his dream of becoming a computer engineer.

Speaking to RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Osikoya said that he liked both
Donetsk and Lviv. "Lviv has more culture; Donetsk has more industry. I can't
tell you which city I like more -- I like both of them," he said.

Osikoya's talent for interpretive reading was noticed by Luzia Dobrovolska,
the director of a Donetsk cultural center. It was she who helped him prepare
for the Shevchenko reading competition. Dobrovolska noted that Osikoya's
interpretive style is very emotional, with his eyes closed and a hand placed
over his heart.

Osikoya plans to return to Nigeria and start his own business after he
completes his studies. But for now, he remains an inspiration to those who
love Ukrainian poetry.

-- Olga Dorovskykh and Irena Chalupa