Exiled Lit Cafe: Agit Lit Night

Monday 4th March 2019 at 7:00 pm

Words for the Silenced 2019

Work by London Palestinian artist, Mona Hatoum
An evening in partnership with Amnesty International:
writing about and from those imprisoned for their words
in Egypt, Turkey, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Includes readings, video, music
and a live performance of new work by Amir Darwish.

Part I: Ahmed Mansoor
Ahmed Mansoor is an Emirati blogger and human rights defender whose imprisonment – currently serving a ten year sentence has drawn attention around the world. To highlight his story, we will show a short excerpt of a film by Manu Luksch, who will appear in person to present to work. Afterwards, supporters will share personal recollections and poetry in English and Arabic. Poet Albert Pellicer (Kingston University) will also read work in support of Ahmed Mansoor.

Part II: Ashraf Fayadh

Ashraf Fayadh is a poet and artist of Palestinian origins whose death sentence in Saudi Arabia has been commuted to 8 years in prison and 800 lashes. The subject of a worldwide reading at the Berlin International Literature Festival in 2016, our event will highlight his work, read in Arabic and English, by poet and translator, Jonathan Wright.

Part III: Galal El-Bahairy

Galal El-Behairy is an Egyptian poet and lyricist who has been imprisoned in Cairo since March, 2018. Sentenced by a military court for three years, he has case still pending for the lyrics of one of his songs. Songs with his lyrics will be featured along with his poetry.

Part IV: Nedim Türfent
Nedim Turfent is a journalist and poet currently serving an eight-year prison sentence for “terrorist activities” in Turkey. The subject of a campaign by English PEN, his poetry will be read in translation and the original Turkish by Ege Dündar. Poems in support of Nedim Turfent will be read by James Miller.

Part V: Amir Darwish
Amir Darwish is on the Board of Exiled Writers Ink. A British/Syrian poet of Kurdish origin, born in Aleppo in 1979, he came to the UK as an asylum seeker in during the Second Gulf War. He will be reading from his recently published memoir, From Aleppo Without Love.

Co-host Simone Theiss blogs about human rights and freedom of expression under CiLuna27. A member of the Amnesty International Westminster/Bayswater Group, she has organised the event with the support of Amnesty and English PEN.

EWI Host Catherine Davidson is a novelist, poet, teacher who runs poetry workshops for Exiled Writers Ink and the West London Welcome for Refugees.

Action:
During the break and after the event, there will be an opportunity to participate in actions on behalf of those imprisoned writers featured, including postcards, and links to petitions.

Audience response & Open Mike