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21 / 05 / 2004
The dialogue on The value of the word concludes with a manifesto by catalan writers
The International delegates of 135 PEN Centers throughout the world gathered in Barcelona on 17 – 19 May for the Forum dialogue “The Value of the Word” in which they reflected on the current situation of writers in prison worldwide.
Dolors Oller, president of the PEN Center of Catalonia, has emphasized that the persecution of writers and journalists has tightened up worldwide after the September 11 attacks in New York. She also explained that the morning and afternoong sessions of the PEN conference in Barcelona have been extremely useful to have a better knowledge of the situation faced by hundreds of persecuted writers throughout the world. According to Oller, the three panels, “Shaping Memory Through Literature”, “Writers’ Responsibilities in the Face of War”, and “Literature as a Shield of Nature”, have enabled participants to give their input and new ideas that reflect upon the three core themes.
In the views of dialogue participants Eugene Schoulgin, president of the PEN Writers in Prison Committe and the Afghan writer Waheed Warasta, it has become more difficult to exercise the right to freedom of expression in many countries of the world in recent years. Carme Arenas, secretary general of the PEN Center of Catalonia explained that two documents were submitted during the conference: the conclusions of the PEN conference sessions of Barcelona and the Manifesto “Paraules i futur” (Words and future) drafted by the Catalan writers during their meetings on 2, 4 and 9 March in the cities of Palma, Valencia and Barcelona, respectively.
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