International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, staged its 73rd Congress in Dakar, Senegal from 4 – 11 July, with more than 200 writers from over 70 countries gathered to celebrate world literature and particularly African literature. The Norwegian auther Eugene Schoulgin was elected as the new international secretary. (12-JUL-07)

 

The text is based on International PEN´s own press release and republished here by HRH Oslo/ Nina Luhr.

This year’s Congress theme, ‘The Word, the World and Human Values’, was selected by PEN’s African Centres. Writers from across Africa and from every continent will engage in cultural exchanges, share literary achievements, and highlight cases of repression of writers and abuses of freedom of expression. This year’s Congress theme, ‘The Word, the World and Human Values’, was selected by PEN’s African Centres. Writers participating in the programmes include­­ Bernard Dadier (Ivory Coast), Jean Baptiste Tati Loutard (Congo), Fernando D´Almeida (Cameroon), Dieudonné Muka Kadima Nzuji (Congo), Tanure Ojaide (South Africa) and Frédéric Pacéré titinga (Burkina Faso).

The International Secretary Joanne Leedom-Ackerman noted, ‘This is the second time in its 86-year history that International PEN has held its Congress in Africa. The Congress here reflects PEN’s growth in Africa over the last decade. We now have 15 active African Centres and expect to add even more. Writers across the continent are engaged in PEN’s mission of promoting literature and defending freedom of expression. Many of PEN’s African Centres are also engaged in reaching out to youth with literature.’

To celebrate this work, on Saturday 7 July, International PEN in association with TrustAfrica, a new African foundation that promotes peace, economic development and social justices, hosted ‘Freedoms Literary Event’ a night of African literature. The panel included Jack Mapanje (Malawi), Maliya Mzyece-Sililo (Zambia), Binyavanga Wainaina (Kenya) and Ekbal Baraka (Egypt) who read from their works and discussed the rich variety of African writing today.

The Congress also hosted the International Women Writers Committee Conference that examined the challenges faced by women writers across the world, engaged with current issues of freedom of expression and censorship and self-censorship, discussed women’s literacy and education opportunities and explored publishing potential for voices that struggle to be heard for reasons outside their control.

For more information please contact Emily Bromfield, International PEN Communications Manager.

Email: emily.bromfield@internationalpen.org.uk

Phone: 011 44 20 7405 0338/0022 12 281 781

Web: www.internationalpen.org.uk