Aziz Isa Elkun presents on Uyghur Poetry & Cultural Erasure – London Book Fair 2024
On the final day of the London Book Fair 2024, I had the privilege of participating in two enlightening events as a speaker.
The first event, “A Trinity of Freedoms at Risk: Expression, Publishing, and Reading,” held on the main stage of the London Book Fair 2024, provided a platform for insightful discussions organized in partnership with IPA, English PEN, PEN International, IFLA, EIBF, and IAF. I express my gratitude to the panelists whose deep expertise enriched our dialogue, and a special thanks to Claire Armitstead from the Guardian #theguardian for her role as Chairperson.
The second event, organized by English PEN and attended alongside Dr. Ross Holder, Head of the Asia/Pacific Region at PEN International, focused on “Uyghur Poetry and Cultural Erasure in the #Uyghur Homeland.” Together with Ross, we delved into the themes of my edited and translated anthology book “Uyghur Poems,” published by Everyman’s Library Library under the Penguin imprint in November 2023.
Our conversation not only celebrated the rich tradition of #Uyghur poetry but also shed light on the atrocities faced by Uyghurs under the Chinese government’s repressive policies. I extend my appreciation to Ross Holder for his contributions contributions to the event and I am grateful to the English PEN for their invaluable support in organizing this event.
The urgency of addressing the Uyghur tragedy, particularly the plight of countless persecuted and imprisoned Uyghur writers, echoed throughout the London Book Fair #lbf24 . We emphasized the crucial need for immediate international action to halt the Chinese government’s genocidal actions against the Uyghur community and to secure the release of all persecuted intellectuals, including notable figures such as professor #RahileDawut, YalqunRozi, AbduqadirJalalidin, Perhat Tursun, Adil Tunyaz, Gulnisa Imin Gulkhan, and many others.
We share a single, precious world, yet we are increasingly at risk of losing fundamental freedoms – specifically, the rights to freedom of expression, publishing, and reading. It is imperative that we fight to safeguard these rights for everyone, including the Uyghurs. We must take every possible measure to protect our beautiful world from totalitarian and inhuman oppressive regimes, such as the CCP in #China.
Aziz Isa Elkun
15 March 2024