2008 International PEN Poem Relay

Press Release

Embargo until March 25

The International PEN Poem Relay is launched on March 25

The International PEN Poem Relay Carries the Torch for Freedom of Expression in China

www.penpoemrelay.org

The International PEN Poem Relay is focussed around the poem “June” by the imprisoned poet and journalist Shi Tao and seeks to raise awareness about freedom of expression in China in a uniquely PEN way – through poetry and translation.

Shi Tao’s poem is a meditation on the tragedy of the military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in June 4, 1989, which remains a censored topic in China .

You will find a note on Shi Tao, the poem and its translations into the three working languages of International PEN in the attachment.

PEN Centres around the world have translated and recorded “June” in more than 60 languages and, using the internet as its main instrument, the poem will virtually “travel” around the world, from centre to centre, language to language, adding new translations as it goes and ending in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

“Translators at PEN centres around the world are using the spirit of the Olympics to bring to life Shi Tao’s message in the languages of the world,” said Eugene Schoulgin, International Secretary of International PEN . “As the poem spreads from language to language, we spread our concern for freedom of expression in China and the writers who are languishing in its jails.”

The special website www.penpoemrelay.org presents a map of the world showing the progress of the poem relay, which takes its cue from the Olympic Torch Relay itinerary.

The website will be launched today, March 25. As the Olympic Torch is lighted and starts it journey across Greece towards Athens, the poem “June” then will “virtually” leave Taiyuan City, Shi Tao’s hometown and “travel to Greece”.

On March 30, the poem arrives at Greek PEN Centre (at the same time the Olympic Torch arrives in Panathinaiko Stadium in Greece ). Visitors to the website will be able to see the Greek translation text, and hear it recited in Greek. Visitors to the website will also be able to see (and hear) the poem in its original Mandarin as well as in English, French and Spanish, the working languages of International PEN.

After March 30, visitors to the website can track the poem’s progress around the globe and read and hear new translations as the poem arrives at each new centre. The poem has been translated into more than 60 languages. These include Adnyamathanha, one of Australia’s Indigenous languages; Wolof, one of the most widely spoken languages in Senegal; Tamazight, a Berber language spoken in Algeria, Morocco, Niger, Mali and Libya; Basque; Uyhgur; Tibetan; Chechen; in addition to major languages such as Japanese, Russian and others.

“The translation of this poem into the world’s languages is a testament to our concern for Shi Tao, to our concern for the many other writers in prison in China, and to our respect for the Chinese people and their literary creativity,” said Sydney PEN’s Chip Rolley, translator of the poem to English and one of the organizers of the relay.

“In the spirit of the Olympics and the international cooperation it embodies, Shi Tao’s poem ‘June’ is a torch in its own right,” said Swiss German PEN’s Kristin Schnider, also one of the organizers of the relay. “It’s a light for freedom of expression, the celebration of poetry and linguistic diversity, and a beacon for writers who are under pressure or imprisoned.”

As the poem arrives at each centre, local events will be arranged and publicised so that people around the world can participate and have their voices joined in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of all writers and journalists currently imprisoned and, especially, for an end to the practice of detaining, harassing, and censoring writers and journalists in China.

The website will be constantly updated to keep visitors informed about the progress of the poem and about Shi Tao and other cases of imprisoned writers in China , International PEN is monitoring. On March 25, you will be able to access the website: www.penpoemrelay.org

The International PEN Poem Relay is one of a number activities, calling for the release of writers we deem to be in prison in contravention of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which China became a signatory in 1998. For information on further activities in International PEN’s 2008 China Campaign, please contact Sara Whyatt, Programme Director of International PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee, DETAILS.

International PEN Poem Relay is a Joint action by the Sydney, Independent Chinese and Swiss German PEN Centres

For more information, contact:

Chip Rolley

Sydney PEN

Note: In Australia: GMT +11 hours

chiprolley@pacific.net.au

tel: +61 2 9358 1097

mobile: +61 415 615 489

Kristin T. Schnider

Swiss German PEN Centre

Note: In Switzerland, GMT +1 hour

PENZentrum-DSchweiz@gmx.ch

Tel: +41 +41 885 02 40

Mobile: +41 76 371 09 26

Zhang Yu

Independent Chinese PEN Centre

(details to be confirmed with him)

For Communications and Media:

Emily Bromfield

International PEN Communications Manager

Brownlow House

50/51 High Holborn

London

WC1V 6ER

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7405 0338

Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339

emily.bromfield@internationalpen.org.uk

For information about International PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee 2008 China Campaign:

Sara Whyatt

Programme Director, International PEN Writers in Prison Committee

Brownlow House