CULTURAL
EVENTS CORNER
Irrawaddy
Literary Festival & Yoma FMI Short Story Contest in
Yangon, Myanmar
(1st - 3rd February / Inya Lake Hotel)
Tickets
for the Irrawaddy LitFest are now on sale. They're available for 1500 Kyats
from The British Council, Monument Books, Inya Lake Hotel, Today Book Stores
& Myanmar Book Centre.
The
Irrawaddy Literary Festival
“I am delighted to lend my support and personal participation to this first Irrawaddy Literary Festival. Literature has always been a big part of my life and I hope this festival, which brings together some of the finest talent from Burma, the UK and elsewhere will encourage more people to explore the world of literature and further their understanding of the English language.”
This,
the first ever international literary festival in Burma/Myanmar will include
the best local authors writing in English as well as a substantial number of
local authors writing in Burmese and, of course, a rich mixture of
international writers.
At
present Irrawaddy Literary Festival participants list
includes:
Participating
Foreign Authors:
- Fergal Keane
- Jung Chang
- Rory MacLean
- William Dalrymple
- George FitzHerbert
- Josceline Dimbleby
- Nick Danziger
- Sudha Shah
- Rupert Arrowsmith
- Timothy Garton Ash
- Caroline Courtauld
- Thierry Falise
- Victor Chan
- Frank Dikotter
- Akash Kapur
- Michael Vatikiotis
- Rory Stewart
- Dina Roma
- James Byrne
- Nyein Way
- Jonathan Powell
- Vikram Seth
Participating
Local Authors:
- Thant Myint U
- Pascal Khoo Thwe
- Pandora
- Zarganar
- U Thaw Kaung
- Dr Ma Thida
- Pe Myint
- Zaw Thet Htwe
- Zeyar Lynn
- Ju
- Pandora
- Mya Thwe Ni
- Sein Myo Myint
- Htine Win
- Soe Thaw Dar
- Ko Ko Thett
- U Khin Maung Nyo
- Daw Ma Ma Naing
The inaugural Yoma
FMI Short Story Prize will be presented during the festival. This
competition is now open for any students aged up to 25 years. Interested
students should submit a fictional story based on the theme of ‘Changing
Lives’, not exceeding 2,000 words. There will be two awards of $1,000 – one for
the best story written in English, one for the best story written in
Burmese/Myanmar. Please send your entry to: info@irrawaddylitfest.com by Friday
18 January 2013. The prize is the initiative of Yoma Strategic Holdings and
First Myanmar Holdings, one of the Irrawaddy Literary Festival’s sponsors along
with MPRL E&P, the British Embassy and the British Council. TODAY Media
Group, Monument Books and Myanmar Book Centre are also supporting the festival.
Festival Tickets
Tickets will
be on sale from 7 January 2013 at the Inya
Lake Hotel, as well as other outlets. Tickets can also be purchased by
emailing info@irrawaddylitfest.com
There will be a small entrance fee of 1500 kyats (around $2) for all festival goers for each day of the festival. There will be no additional payments required. The gates will be open from 9.30 each day and the programme will start from 10 am.
There will be a small entrance fee of 1500 kyats (around $2) for all festival goers for each day of the festival. There will be no additional payments required. The gates will be open from 9.30 each day and the programme will start from 10 am.
Programme
The full
programme is still in preparation and will be put up on the website http://irrawaddylitfest.
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Afterwards…
Aung
San Suu Kyi draws thousands to Myanmar's first literary festival
Though the
"Lady" was the main attraction, the Irrawaddy Literary Festival
managed to focus the spotlight on Myanmar's changing book landscape.
By Kate Whitehead, 5 February, 2013
"If you have ever learned some poems, they will come in very handy if ever you are imprisoned," said Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, while speaking at the Irrawaddy Literary Festival.
The Irrawaddy Literary Festival was never going to
be a regular book bash. Not with one of the world's great democracy icons
as the star of the show.
And the
thousands that turned up to hear Aung San Suu Kyi weren't what you'd call
the usual literary festival crowd.
"It's
the draw of this country and Aung San," said Jane Heyn,
the festival's director and wife of the British ambassador to Myanmar,
as the three-day festival came to a close on Sunday.
Three
thousand made their way through the doors of Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon on
Saturday and more than a thousand of those packed the hotel ballroom to
hear Ms. Suu Kyi speak.
She spoke of
how books helped her through the 15 years she spent under house arrest.
Outside
Yangon'a Inya Lake Hotel, site of Myanmar's first literary festival, book
stalls were set up under the shade of bright blue tents. "I read a lot
about prisoners and prisoners of conscience," she said. "Through
books you can learn how people cope intellectually and spiritually through
the challenges of life."
Suu Kyi's
favorite genre -- detective stories -- have proved more than a source of
entertainment. She says they've helped her understand people.
"And
now that I'm chair of the Law and Order Council, I know a lot more about
the law and courts because of reading detective stories," she says.
"The more detective stories you read, the better able you are to work
out who the villain is."
For Suu Kyi,
literature sustains the soul and gives strength: "If you have ever
learned some poems, they will come in very handy if ever you are
imprisoned."
Source: Kate
Whitehead, Travel CNN
Myanmar's changing
literary landscape
As crowds
flooded out of the ballroom onto the Sunset Terrace to hear Suu Kyi
announce the winners of a writing competition, 20-year-old Naing Mie Mie
Khin beamed.
"I am
so happy today!" she gushed.
Did this
student of English at Rangoon University come to join the weekend's literary
discussions? "No -- I've come to see the Lady!"
Indian
novelist and poet Vikram Seth, one of the 26 international writers who
flew into Yangon for the event, said it was the draw of Aung San Suu Kyi
that convinced him to accept the invitation.
"I wouldn't
normally come to a festival when I'm working on a book, but because of Daw
San, because it's Burma and because it relates to freedom and free speech
I wanted to come."
Although Suu
Kyi was the star of the show, the festival wasn't all about her. When she
sat on a panel with three other writers -- Jung Chang, Vikram Seth and William
Dalrymple and moderator Fergal Keane -- she was careful not to steal
the limelight. She even generously shared that one of Vikram Seth's poems
helped her get through a particularly dark time under house arrest.
Alongside
the international writers were 120 Burmese writers -- some authors, plenty
of poets as well as journalists and editors. The names of the overseas
writers were unfamiliar to most but that was hardly surprising -- under
Myanmar's 50-year military regime very few foreign books were translated.
Those that
were translated were largely the classics and even they were annotated.
But things are changing. For instance,
festival speaker Jung Chang's bestseller "Wild Swans" was
recently translated into Burmese.
Likewise,
the international writers knew little about their Burmese peers.
Although a
few have been translated into English, such as the author, journalist and
surgeon Dr. Ma Thida, as well as the poet Pandora, most are unknown
outside of Myanmar.
"I hope
that this event has enriched the outlook of our local writers," said
Pandora. "And also that the rest of the world can find out more about
Myanmar literature. Our biggest barrier at the moment is language -- we
need more work to be translated, we need more translators."
Outside on
the lawn overlooking the tranquil Inya Lake was a carnival-like
atmosphere.
Under the
shade of bright blue tents were book stalls and food buffets.
Festival-goers lay on the grass and chatted. There were marionettes for
entertainment and even fire breathers.
But inside
were serious discussions -- some in English, some in Burmese, all centered on
the special moment at which the country finds itself. After five decades
of military dictatorship the door has opened to the world, free
exchange is permissible and the buzz of change is an almost physical
sensation.
Source: Kate
Whitehead, Travel CNN
Uncertain future for
Irrawaddy Literary Festival
Three thousand
made their way through the doors of Inya Lake Hotel in Yangon on Saturday, many
to hear Aung Suu Kyi speak. Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European Studies
at Oxford University, was one of the festival's most successful
moderators, deftly smoothing over any cultural gaps and gaffs.
He moderated
a panel on writing under censorship and free speech and gave a
lecture on what George Orwell -- the English novelist and journalist who
served as a police officer in Myanmar from 1922 to 1927 -- meant for the country.
One of the
world's leading authorities on Orwell, Garton Ash's talk was much like the
festival itself -- entertaining, informative and deeply personal. He was a
close friend of Michael Aris, Suu Kyi's late husband, who died of cancer
while she was under house arrest.
The house
in which Suu Kyi spent all those years is just across the lake from where
the festival was held.
It's
uncertain whether the Irrawaddy Literary Festival will be staged again next
year. Heyn conceived and created a one-of-a-kind festival. She and her
ambassador husband will leave Yangon in the summer after four years and no
one has yet stepped forward to take responsibility for putting it on
again.
If the
festival is staged next year one thing is certain -- it won't ever capture the
special vibe of last weekend. Witnessing a country as it greets its future, as
writers meet other writers and discover new ways of expression, is a magic
that happens only once.
International Writers
Converge in Rangoon for Literature Festival
RANGOON, BURMA — International
writers travelled to Rangoon in recent days for Burma’s first international
literature festival. The three-day Irrawaddy Literary Festival marked the first
open exchange of ideas between local and foreign writers in Burma after decades
of publishing restrictions and government censorship.
Two years ago it would have seemed like fantasy to imagine Aung San Suu Kyi and internationally acclaimed writers Vikram Seth and Jung Chang sitting around a table in Rangoon, talking about what books they would take to a desert island.
It’s only recently that foreign writers and exile Burmese have been allowed into the country, according to festival organizer Jane Heyn.
“The visa issue. It was then, and even in some cases has been for this festival, quite difficult for participants, some of them to obtain a visa,” said Heyn.
The festival hosted some 150 local and foreign writers who discussed formerly taboo topics - more evidence of how Burma’s political change is affecting culture and the arts.
Formerly blacklisted Burmese author Pascal Khoo Thwe, whose book From the Land of Green Ghosts was banned, is back home after more than 20 years in exile. He said this is the kind of event he has always fantasized about.
“It ought to inspire young people to write I think. They do read a lot as far as I know, but they haven’t got the confidence to write,” said Khoo Thwe.
He said literature and the arts are critical to what he called normalization after decades of military rule.
Government restrictions once made new books a rare treasure, leaving libraries and schools without books and learning materials.
Thant Thaw Kaung founded the Myanmar Book Center, which has imported English books since 1995. Import licenses and censorship once plagued his business, but he said he now looks forward to making education materials more available to Burmese people.
“We are doing a book buffet here. That’s one of our events. It’s a charity book fair, we are raising funds, and after we get the funds we buy back the Myanmar [Burma] language books and donate to these village libraries.”
Festival organizers hope the event will be annual - should the government remain open - putting Burmese literature back on the map.
Two years ago it would have seemed like fantasy to imagine Aung San Suu Kyi and internationally acclaimed writers Vikram Seth and Jung Chang sitting around a table in Rangoon, talking about what books they would take to a desert island.
It’s only recently that foreign writers and exile Burmese have been allowed into the country, according to festival organizer Jane Heyn.
“The visa issue. It was then, and even in some cases has been for this festival, quite difficult for participants, some of them to obtain a visa,” said Heyn.
The festival hosted some 150 local and foreign writers who discussed formerly taboo topics - more evidence of how Burma’s political change is affecting culture and the arts.
Formerly blacklisted Burmese author Pascal Khoo Thwe, whose book From the Land of Green Ghosts was banned, is back home after more than 20 years in exile. He said this is the kind of event he has always fantasized about.
“It ought to inspire young people to write I think. They do read a lot as far as I know, but they haven’t got the confidence to write,” said Khoo Thwe.
He said literature and the arts are critical to what he called normalization after decades of military rule.
Government restrictions once made new books a rare treasure, leaving libraries and schools without books and learning materials.
Thant Thaw Kaung founded the Myanmar Book Center, which has imported English books since 1995. Import licenses and censorship once plagued his business, but he said he now looks forward to making education materials more available to Burmese people.
“We are doing a book buffet here. That’s one of our events. It’s a charity book fair, we are raising funds, and after we get the funds we buy back the Myanmar [Burma] language books and donate to these village libraries.”
Festival organizers hope the event will be annual - should the government remain open - putting Burmese literature back on the map.
Source:
http://www.voanews.com/a/international_writers_converge_on_rangoon_for_literature_festival_irrawaddy_literary/1596985.html
Letter from Organizing Committee of Irrawaddy Literature
Festival to the Editor-in-Chief of Aquatics Cambodia:
Dear Sir,
We are delighted to learn of your initiative offering a special package to Cambodian residents interested in coming to our festival. All information about the festival is to be found on our website, to which you have already drawn attention in your article in Aquatics Cambodia. The website is regularly up dated and will soon contain details of the festival programme.
We wish you the best of luck with your initiative and look forward to welcoming any visitors from Cambodia.
Regards,
Giles FitzHerbert
(member of festival organising committee)
Burma
We are delighted to learn of your initiative offering a special package to Cambodian residents interested in coming to our festival. All information about the festival is to be found on our website, to which you have already drawn attention in your article in Aquatics Cambodia. The website is regularly up dated and will soon contain details of the festival programme.
We wish you the best of luck with your initiative and look forward to welcoming any visitors from Cambodia.
Regards,
Giles FitzHerbert
(member of festival organising committee)
1st Irrawaddy Literary Festival 2013 in Inya Lake Hotel, Myanmar (in Burmese Language)
1st Irrawaddy Literary Festival 2013 in Inya Lake Hotel, Myanmar: Press Briefing with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (in Burmese Language)
International and Local Writers Converge in Yangon, Myanmar for Irrawaddy Literature Festival 2013
Burma
Denied Pagoda Venue, Literary Festival
Kicks Off at Mandalay Hotel
The
Irrawaddy Literary Festival gets a bumpy start, with a last-minute venue change
after organizers were denied permission to hold the event at Kuthodaw Pagoda.
·
·
By ZARNI MANN 14 February 2014
MANDALAY — The second Irrawaddy Literary
Festival got off to a bumpy start here on Friday, with a last-minute venue
change after organizers were denied permission to hold the event at Kuthodaw
Pagoda, a sacred Buddhist compound that authorities said would be at risk if
the international festival proceeded as planned.
A prohibition letter issued by the Ministry of
Culture was received by the Mandalay festival’s organizers on Thursday
afternoon, citing the pagoda compound’s value as a global monument to Buddhism
and justifying the denial in the name of its conservation.
In addition to immediate concerns about the
effect of holding the festival on the pagoda grounds, the letter cited the
precedent that its approval would set and said future requests to hold similar
events would be difficult to deny, with potential long-term impacts on the
heritage site.
“It is such a shame as there are a lot of
world famous writers and authors present at the festival. However, we had to
rush to move the location to Mandalay Hill Resort Hotel. We deeply apologize to
the speakers, the authors and everyone for the inconvenience,” said Dr. Aung
Myint, a member of the festival’s organizing committee and an author.
The organizing committee had to scramble to
move festival materials to the Mandalay Hill Resort and arrange rooms for the
festival’s opening speech, a photo exhibition and literary discussions.
The venue change is not the first controversy
to beset the festival, which runs through Sunday. Last month more than 50 Burmese
poets and 30 cartoonists declared that they would boycott the event. In a
public letter, the Mandalay-based poets said they were unhappy about
“manipulation” in the organization of the event, without providing specifics.
One writer who spoke to The Irrawaddy in
January said the boycott was likely related to a long-standing schism between
artists who had worked with Burma’s former military regime and those who
maintained independence.
“To sum up what is happening now in Mandalay:
the ones who have been standing up for the oppressed are not happy to stand
with the ones who are for the oppressors,” said the author, who requested
anonymity.
The inaugural Irrawaddy Literary Festival was
held in February 2013 in Rangoon.
On Friday, Aung Myint brushed off this year’s
venue snafu.
“We do not want to blame anyone but want to
thank everyone who gave their kind understanding. Despite the unsmooth start,
we believe this second literary festival will open another door to the world
for literature and book lovers,” he said.
U Phone, a well-known Burmese author, was
similarly unfussed.
“This is what happens at events all the time,”
he said. “We understand that and blame no one. We just need to play our role in
how to best present and promote our literature to the world.”
Source:
http://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/denied-pagoda-venue-literary-festival-kicks-mandalay-hotel.html
So wonderful to see such powerful insight to Cambodia
ReplyDeleteThis is our obligation, to help friends from neighboring ASEAN countries to promote good values as literature is, and always will be…
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