ICORN international cities of refuge network

TRIBUNAL 12 presents the jury.

The jury of Tribunal 12 consists of prominent writers, academics and intellectuals who all share a strong commitment to human rights. On May 12 in Stockholm, a sharp accusation is directed towards Europe focusing on violations of human rights and a systematic mistreatment of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers.The jury members includes Saskia Sassen, Nuruddin Farah, Nawal El Saadawi, Henning Mankell, B.S. Chimni, Parvin Ardalan and Sadik J. Al-Azm.

Stavanger Guest Writer to Perform at Opening Night of Nobel Peace Center's 'In Afghanistan' Exhibition

The current guest writer in Stavanger City of Refuge, Afghan-born poet Norwan, will read from her poetry and be interviewed as part of the opening night events of the Nobel Peace Center's 'In Afghanistan' exhibition in Oslo. The exhibit will run from Friday, 10 February at 6 pm through 22 April 2012. The aim of the exhibition is to show a different side of this misunderstood country.

Al Jazeera features ICORN Guest Writer Manal Al-Sheikh in upcoming documentary

Al Jazeera's English language television channel has selected Stavanger Guest Writer Manal Al-Sheikh to be among six poets featured in an upcoming documentary series titled 'Poetry in Motion.' The programme will delve into the lives of poets living in Norway, France, Lebanon, Bahrain, Egypt, Palestine, and Algeria, highlighting the particular obstacles and challenges each writer faces in expressing his or her ideas. The project aims to explore the importance of poetry in Middle Eastern culture and its special relevance to the revolutionary movements of the Arab Spring. The documentary will also focus on writers in exile and how this experience affects the subject matter and languages in which they work.

Uppsala announces Spring 2012 Literary Programme

Uppsala has a very active literary community and the city's Literature Centre recently has released its upcoming programmes and events. ICORN Guest Writer Anisur Rahman is on the planning committee and participates heavily in the activities. For more information, go to the Studie Framjändet web site (in Swedish) or continue reading this article for highlights.

ICORN cartoonist Abdul Arts speaks with high schoolers in Skien

Abduallahi Muhiaddin, Skien City of Refuge's latest guest writer, spoke with local high school students recently about his life, work, and the current political situation in his native Somalia. Muhiaddin lived as a refugee in Cairo before ICORN selected him for its two-year programme. Muhiaddin is a well-respected political cartoonist who publishes his drawings under the name 'Abdul Arts.' Now that Muhiaddin has arrived in Norway, his work will be able to find new and wider avenues for publication.

'Risk Society and Cosmopolitanism': ICORN at the Centre for Humanities, University of Utrecht

ICORN is occupying an entire day of the three week-long intensive programme 'Risk Society and Cosmopolitanism,' organised by the School of Critical Theory at the Centre for Humanities, University of Utrecht from 16 January-3 February 2012. ICORN Director Helge Lunde and Fanø Guest Writer Noufel Bouzeboudja will work with advanced students from all over Europe on Tuesday, 24 January in this unique trans-national and interdisciplinary series of seminars in Utrecht.

Second ICORN guest writer arrives in Ljubljana

Just shortly after Ljubljana received Zineb al Rhazoei as its first ICORN guest writer, renowned Moroccan writer and journalist Ali Amar arrived in the Slovenian Capital.

Ali Amar is a Moroccan writer and journalist. In 1997 he co-founded the Casablanca weekly ‘Le Journal hebdomadaire’ which he edited until its closure in January 2010. It was the first independent journal banned by the Moroccan regime. He currently writes for the information site Slate Afrique.

ICORN Guest Writer Asieh Amini wins Oxfam Novib/PEN Award

Persian poet and activist Asieh Amini, ICORN's current guest writer in Trondheim, will be awarded the Oxfam Novib/PEN Award on 19 January in the Theatre in the Spui, The Hague, Netherlands. The award is given annually to chosen writers who have been persecuted or had to flee their homeland due to their writing. Amini will be present and will read a selection of her poems aloud in Farsi. The award ceremony is in conjunction with the Writers Unlimited Winter Nights Festival taking place from 19-22 January in The Hague.

Easterine Kire releases new novel 'Bitter Wormwood'

Easterine Kire, who hails from conflict-plauged Nagaland in northeastern India, was ICORN's Guest Writer in Tromsø from 2005-2007, where she continues to live and work prolifically. Easterine was gracious enough to answer a few questions about her writing and the struggles of the Naga people to mark the release of her new novel, 'Bitter Wormwood.' Through the scope of one villager's lifespan, the novel details the series of occupations and violent setbacks that the Naga have experienced in the 20th century.

Musa Mutaev's releases translation of first novel, 'Medal of Honour'

Musa Mutaev, an author from Chechnya and ICORN's former Guest Writer in Trondheim, has just released a translation of his first novel, Medal of Honour. The Norwegian daily newspaper Dagsavisen has given it a glowing review.
Mutaev has lived in exile nearly his entire life. His family was forced to leave Kyrgyzstan and relocate to Chechnya when he was one year old. Much of Mutaev's writing has been devoted to the bloody struggles for Chechen independence. His first book of stories about Chechnya that he published in Norway in 2007, titled I Kuntas Skygge ('in the shadow of Kunta') was declared a 'masterpiece of modern European literature.'

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