The Tibetan Writers Abroad PEN Centre held its fifth International PEN Tibet conference in Dharamshala to discuss about writings from Tibet, freedom of Tibetan writers inside Tibet and writings of Tibetans in general. The two day conference, held from January 9, was attended by around 50 aspiring writers and researchers including the members of Tibetan Writers Abroad. The chief guests were Tashi Tsering, Director of Amnye Machen Research Centre, and Thupten Samphel, Director of the Central Tibetan Administration’s Tibet’s (CTA) Policy Institute.
Tashi Tsering addressed the gathering by speaking about the challenges and difficulties faced by Tibetan writers in the early days of exile life with authors being pressurised by both the community and the government. He urged the members of PEN to research the work and current circumstances of writers inside Tibet.
CTA’s Policy Institute’s director Thupten Samphel spoke on making writing an integral part of Tibet’s struggle, he reiterated the saying “The pen is mightier than sword” and said “Tibet’s struggle is a non-violent struggle and we often debate about whether pen is mightier or sword. So to make the pen the mightiest, it is responsibility of all writers.”
To coincide with the gathering, PEN published a report on imprisoned Tibetan writers which documents the works of those currently serving prison terms. The members of PEN then read works of literature in the form of songs, poems and writings written by writers who are currently in prison to honour and remember them.
The Tibetan Writers Abroad PEN Centre was founded in 1999 in Dharamshala. The members meet every third year and also elect their new executive members for the term. Currently, it has 68 members.
Print
Email