Welcome to the ICORN Network Meeting Amsterdam 26-28 May 2015
Dates: Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 May 2015
Main venue: De Brakke Grond, the Flemish Cultural Centre in Amsterdam; Nes 45, 1012 KD Amsterdam (www.brakkegrond.nl)
Organisers: ICORN, the International Cities of Refuge Network; PEN International Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC)
Meeting/conference Hotels: ICORN: Volks Hotel (www.volkshotel.nl) Rho Hotel; www.rhohotel.com PEN International: Lloyd Hotel (www.lloydhotel.com)
Official hosts: The City of Amsterdam Cartoon by © Mana Neyestani Netherlands PEN
PROGRAMME
Tuesday 26 May
Morning/noon: Arrivals
11:00 Registration open at De Brakke Grond (DBG)
13:00 Welcome Lunch (DBG Foyer)
14:30 ICORN opening session DBG Rode Zaal
The ICORN Network Meeting opens with welcome speeches, updates on network developments and interventions from guest writers/artists, among them Sahar Bayati (Iran/Haugesund), Idrak Abassov (Azerbaijan/Bø), Abdul Hakim Hashemi (Afghanistan/Paris)
15:30 – 17:00 ICORN Speed dating session DBG Expozaal
In a diverse and dynamic exchange of competences, experiences and challenges, selected ICORN guest writers, member cities and international cooperation partners invited to present their work to the participants.
18:45 Welcome Dinner Venue: Restaurant NEL, Amstelveld 12
20:00 Official Opening Reception Venue: De Duif, Prinsengracht 756
Reception in the presence of he Mayor of Amsterdam Mr. Eberhard van der Laan. Interventions by PEN International WiPC Chair Marian Botsford Fraser, ICORN Chair of Board, Peter Ripken, President of PEN Netherlands Manon Uphoff and PEN International President John Ralston Saul
21:00 Creative Resistance public manifestation Venue: De Duif, Prinsengracht 756 (Public event)
With Anna Funder (Australia), Ramy Essam (Egypt), Geert Mak (Netherlands), Masha Gessen (Russia/USA). Moderator: Abdelkarim Benali (Netherlands)
22:00 Sightseeing boat roundtrip on the canals of Amsterdam (Starting point: De Duif)
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Wednesday 27 May
09:30 – 12:30 Separate ICORN and PEN International WiPC sessions
09:30 – 11:00 ICORN plenary session DBG Expozaal Updated status and new developments from the ICORN Administration Centre. Presentation of new member cities, special focus on extension of scope and geographic expansion with Harstad and their guest musician Abazar Hamid, Gävle safe haven for artists, and reports from Brazil, South Africa, Australia and Pittsburgh/USA
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee Break (DBG Foyer)
11:15 - 12:30 ICORN workshop session
The Arts of Hospitality New beginnings Freedom after expression? DBG Tuinzaal DBG Resto DBG Expozaal
Special session on benefits, Many guest writers and About the consequences of challenges and cooperation artists use the opportunity an traumatic experiences, such options for ICORN member ICORN residency gives to as violence, cities. Opening speech by change direction and start intimidation/threats and former Reykjavik Mayor Jón new undertakings. In this being a refugee. How to Gnarr, panel intervention by workshop we discuss treat post-traumatic stress Chair of Culture Committee Fiona Winders, Malmö, Head possibilities and obstacles to disorder and depression. of Diversity and Citizen new beginnings. Presentation by Wilco Department Maria Cuartas, With: Todd Lester (Artist. Tuinebreijer (psychiatrist/ Amsterdam and Sophie Boule Safety.net), UAF medical director of the and Philippe Olle-Laprune (Netherland), Hamburg Amsterdam dep. of mental from Paris/Mexico City – Foundation (Germany), health). Poetry by Faraj Capitals of Exile guest writers and artists Bayrakdar; Syria.
12.30 – 14:00 Lunch (DBG Foyer)
14:00 – 14:45 Keynote Speech by UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression David Kaye. Introductory speech by Human Rights Ambassador Kees van Baar (Netherlands) DBG Expozaal (Public event)
14:45--15:45 “Free Speech vs Hate Speech: A conversation about Freedom of Expression Activism in a Globalized, 24/7 World” with Larry Siems (USA), Masha Gessen (Russia/USA), Ashur Etwebi (Libya), Kamal Khan (Pakistan) and Frankie Asare-Donkoh (Ghana). Chair: Marian Botsford Fraser (PEN International WiPC) DBG Expozaal (Public event)
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15:45 – 16:00 Coffee Break (DBG Foyer)
16:00 - 17:30 ICORN/PEN International joint workshop session I
After Charlie Latin American and Asian “We are Journalists” DBG Rode Zaal writers on the frontline DBG Tuinzaal (Public event) DBG Resto (Public event)
What task, challenges and Impunity for murders and other Screening of new film by opportunities are cartoonists attacks on writers has long been Ahmad Farahani on facing after 7 January 2015? the most serious freedom of persecution of journalists and Panel session with Abdul Arts expression challenge facing their struggle for freedom of (Somalia) Arifur Rahman writers in Latin America. expression in Iran. In presence (Bangladesh), Mana Neyestani Recent years have seen a sharp of and with an introduction by (Iran) and Fadi Hassan (Syria). rise in murders of journalists in the director, Mr. Ahmad Moderated by Robert Russell, Asia. What is behind this Farahani. Cartoonists Rights Network phenomenon? What can the International writing community do to combat this most deadly form of persecution? Writers from both regions come together to explore the commonalities and differences and to share experiences in developing strategies to end impunity.
18:00 Dinner Venue: Harkema Restaurant, Nes 67
20:30 – 22:00 Café Liberte DBG Expozaal (Public event)
Literary/artistic public event , with Sjón (Iceland), Abdelkader Benali (NL), Beatrice Lamwaka Uganda), David van Reybrouck (B), Samar Yazbek (Syria), Nihad Sirees (Syria), Faraj Bayrakdar (Syria), Pablo Simonetti (Chile), Mana Neyestani (Iran), Fadi Hassan (Syria), Khaled Harara (Palestine), Meral Polat (NL), Mohsen Emadi (Iran), Ghayath Almadhoum (Syria), and the dancers Carl Refos (Suriname/Netherlands) and Tamara Robledo Oud (Spain/Netherlands)
Curator: Paul Buekenhout
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Thursday 28 May
09:30 – 11:00 ICORN/PEN International joint workshop session II
We are journalists at risk Free to criticize, free to The danger of Art DBG Rode Zaal dissent DBG Expozaal DBG Tuinzaal Writers from the Middle East share their experiences of Decriminalizing libel and Why and how is music and fleeing persecution. How can criminal defamation in Africa other artistic expressions we improve protection of and beyond. In this workshop, provoking repressive regimes writers and journalists, and PEN is exploring ways in around the world? With Ole how can we develop an which the writing community Reitov (Freemuse), Anna effective response to the can take forward initiatives to Livion Ingvarsson (Gävle), humanitarian crisis. With abolish these criminal Julia Farrington (Index on among others Naeimeh Sanaye defamation laws across the Censorship) and the artists (Iran), Nawzat Shamdin (Iraq) continent, drawing on Khaled Harara (Palestine), and Ashur Etwebi (Libya) experiences from other Arifur Rahman (Bangladesh) Chaired by Cathy McCann, countries and regions. and Abazar Hamid (Sudan). PEN International WiPC Moderator: Mary Ann de Vlieg
11:00 – 11.15 Coffee Break (DBG Foyer)
11.15 – 12.30 ICORN/PEN International joint workshop session III
Digital Security The Rise of anti-LGBT Shelter Unlimited DBG Tuinzaal legislation & Freedom of DBG Resto Expression DBG Expozaal In this workshop you will meet How and by whom is free organisations offering mainly expression being suppressed A panel event that will examine short-term residencies to HRDs and surveilled? How can various aspects of the rise in and writers and artists at private persons and anti-LGBT legislation and its risk. What can we learn from organizations develop more impact on free expression. each other? Could your secure and creative tools for What is behind this apparently city/PEN centre start small? the digital world of tomorrow? growing anti-LGBT sentiment? With: Justice & Peace (NL), With Technology officer What can writers and Perpetuum Mobile (Finland), Menso Heus from Free Press organisations like PEN do to CAHR University of York Unlimited, in cooperation with defend LGBT free (UK), guest artists and writers, ICORN guest writer and expression? With Pablo among them Magamed computer engineer Mohsen Simonetti (Chile PEN), Damir Abubakarov (Russia/Lawyers Emadi (Iran) Arsenijevic (Bosnia PEN), for Lawyers). Babak Salimi Zadeh (Iran) and Beatrice Lamwaka (Uganda PEN). Chair: Peter Vermeersch, PEN Flanders.
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12.30 -13.30 Lunch (DBG Foyer)
13.30 – 14.30 “Archiv 1,336 – 1, 337”. Theatre performance by Hika &Valborg collective, featuring Ethiopian ICORN playwright Hika Dugassa and Valborg Frøysnes DBG Rode Zaal (Public event)
Theatre collective Hika &Valborg, in collaboration with M H Hallum bring you this performance exploring the expansion of private life into the public sphere. The play questions the position of crying and tears in public life, and how it affects the audience, whether on stage, in the media or in the world of politics.
In 2012 Archiv 1,336-1,337 was invited to the Ibsen Festival at the National Theatre in Oslo. However, when the performance began Valborg Frøysnes appeared alone on stage. Her Ethiopian co-actor, Hika Dugassa, had disappeared. Since then, the performance has been reinvented. This time the archive and history of the performance itself will be included, and reflect upon a regime‘s attempt to silence an artist and his political voice. The performance is sponsored by:
14:30 – 16:00 ICORN separate plenary session, summing up, future perspectives, sequence with questions from the audience, closing of meeting. DBG Expozaal
20:30 “The Prisoner” by Remah Jabr DBG Rode Zaal (Public event) This short performance The Prisoner consists largely of a monologue in which we follow the thoughts of a prisoner as he attempts to define his relationship to the world. Searching for something to hold on to, he grapples with the inability to communicate. The Prisoner is a small production about our great capacity for thought.
20:30 Back to Aleppo/Damacus: Stories from Syrian Writers in Exile Venue: Perdu, Kloveniersburgwal 86 (Public event) Literary evening with performances, talks, short films and music, and a debate about the situation in Syria, perspectives for the writers and the influences on their work. Performing artists: poet Faraj Bayrakdar, poet Ghayath Almadhoun, writer Nihad Sirees and journalist/writer Samar Yazbek. Language of communication will be English, performances in Arabic with screening of translations in English. Moderator: Maarten Zeegers
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