Power, privilege and equity of expression

Global inequalities produce an unjust and dangerous relationship between power and equity of expression, whereby the voices of those with the most political and economic power often have the most sway. The need for global solidarity is pressing. How do organisations, movements and individuals effectively leverage their privilege for social good whilst acknowledging the power structures which enable them to do so in relative safety? How do human rights campaigners amplify the voices of those who are targeted rather than attempting to be their voice? And how does governmental complicity in global oppression – historic and present – influence the way we campaign for the rights of communities affected by inhumane state policies?

This is one of two public panel discussions hosted by English PEN in partnership with PEN International, taking place as part of the 90th PEN International Annual Congress. Find out more about other events taking part during Congress here.

Gioconda Belli is a Nicaraguan-Spanish writer and political activist. She was President of the PEN Center in Nicaragua until the Ortega dictatorship cancelled its legal status in the country. A prolific poet, she was awarded the Reina Sofia Prize, the most prestigious honor for poets in the Spanish speaking world in 2023. She is also Cavalier of the Arts and Letters of France and member of the Spanish and Nicaraguan Literary Academies. She has won important prizes for her novels and her work has been translated into 30 languages. She was one of the most important critical voices against human right abuses and the persecution of the independent media in Nicaragua. Even though she had been a Sandinista revolutionary, the Ortega government stripped her of her Nicaraguan citizenship, confiscated her home, and her pension and accused her of treason in February 2023. She now lives in exile in Madrid and has been granted Spanish nationality.

Mahi Ramakrishnan is a multiple award-winning investigative filmmaker, whose films have won awards in Asia, Europe and the US. Having spent many years as a journalist, writing for Associated Press, AFP, TIME, the BBC and Al-Jazeera amongst others, she often takes huge risks to tell her stories. Her powerful documentaries lend a voice to voiceless communities, including refugees, migrant workers, LGBTIQ+ and stateless persons. As a consultant on forced migration with Beyond Borders Malaysia, she also founded The Refugee Festival in 2016 to showcase the artistic talents of poets, writers and performers who are also refugees. As a member of the Asia Pacific Partnership for Atrocity Prevention (APPAP), Mahi researches issues relating to violent extremism and hate speech, affecting marginalised communities in Southeast Asia.

Nedim Türfent is a Kurdish journalist and poet. Following his arrest in Turkey in 2016, he became a key concern for PEN International and was appointed as an Honorary Member of English PEN and PEN Melbourne. Nedim spent six years and seven months in Pr*son in violation of his right to freedom of expression, despite international campaigns for his release. His first collection of poetry Kuş Aynası (Bird Mirror) was written from Pr*son and published in 2021. In 2022, his book of poems and writings Über Mauern was published in Germany. Following his release in 2022, Nedim was invited to take part in the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom's Journalists-in-Residence programme in Leipzig, and then Gefangenes Wort's in Giessen, Germany. He continues to live abroad with his partner, and has resumed his journalism.

English PEN is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations and the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers’ association with 130 centres in more than 90 countries. The charity works to promote literature and to defend freedom of expression in the UK and internationally. www.englishpen.org

PEN International is the foremost and largest association of writers which stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression around the world. Founded in London in 1921, PEN International – PEN’s Secretariat – connects an international community of writers. PEN operates across five continents through over 130 Centres in over 90 countries. It is a forum where writers meet freely to discuss their work; it is also a voice speaking out for writers silenced in their own countries.

PEN International works to promote the PEN Charter to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to impart information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others. We champion the freedom to write, recognising the power of literature to transform the world. www.pen-international.org

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