Poetry Planetariat No 2. PDF File

Poetry Planetariat Issue 2, Fall 2019 Istanbul / Medellin POETRY PLANETARIAT ISSUE 2, FALL 2019, ISTANBUL / MEDELLIN POETS OF THE WORLD UNITE AGAINST WAR World Poetry Movement Istanbul / Medellin Poets of the World Unite Against Injustice Copyright 2019 World Poetry Movement Publisher: World Poetry Movement www.wpm2011.org [email protected] Editor: Ataol Behramoğlu [email protected] Associate Editor: Pelin Batu [email protected] Editorial Board: Mohammed Al-Nabhan (Kuwait), Ayo Ayoola-Amalae (Nigeria), Francis Combes (France), Jack Hirschman (USA), Jidi Majia (China), Fernando Rendón (Colombia), Rati Saxena (India), Keshab Sigdel (Nepal) Design and layout by Eduardo Emilio Esperza Mejia and Gülizar Ç. Çetinkaya [email protected] Adress: Tekin Publishing House Ankara Cad.Konak Han, No:15 Cağaloğlu-İstanbul/Turkey Tel:+(0212)527 69 69 Faks:+(0212)511 11 12 www.tekinyayinevi.com e-mail:[email protected] ISSN XXXXX Poetry Planetariat is published four times a year in Istanbul by the World Poetry Movement in cooperation with Ataol Behramoğlu-Pelin Batu and Tekin Publishing House CONTENTS POETRY AND PEACE/ATAOL BEHRAMOĞLU POETRY: REJECTING ALL BORDERS IN THE SOUL/JIDI MAJIA REPORTS FROM CHENGDU/FERNANDO RENDON POETRY AZAM ABIDOV (UZBEKISTAN, 1974) DRAGAN DRAGOJLOVIC (SERBIA, 1941) ELLIE PEONIDOU (GREECE, 1940) PAOLO RUFFILLI (ITALY, 1949) LAURA GARAVAGLIA ((ITALY, 1956) HASSANAL ABDULLAH (BANGLADESH/USA, 1967) DILEEP JHAVERI (INDIA, 1943) KAREN MELANDER MAGOON (USA, 1943) SERGEY BIRYUKOV (RUSSIA,1950) MAXIM AMELIN (RUSSIA, 1970) RAMIZ ROYSHAN (AZERBAIJAN, 1946) GREG POND (USA) DIVINE ONYEKWENA (NIGERIA) SHEIKHO (KURDISH, 1986) FRANCIS COMBES (FRANCE, 1953) IN MEMORIAM YannisRitsos (1909-1990) Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) MANIFESTOS Wilfred Owen’s Dulceet Decorum Estas an anti-war manifesto POETRY AND PEACE Ataol Behramoğlu (Turkey) We know that like all concepts, good and evil are the products of mankind’s evolution. But at this point these are not relative but absolute concepts. No sane mind can assert that the spilling of blood, the taking life, or in short, war is a good thing. Then why can’t the world reach a stage of peace without recourse? Science and poetry can answer this crucial question in their own original ways. Science shows us that the origin of war is ambition, exploitation and the economic order of the world. Poetry underlines the good and peaceful sentiments within us, the plain purity and de- votion we nurture against all that is evil, selfish and ruthless thereby deepening us emotionally, intellectually and ethically. Therefore it behooves both science and poetry to help bring about peace. During the Third International Poetry Week that took place between 3-9 September in Chendgu, China, The World Poetry Movement’s coordination committee decided that our November-December activities would center around the idea that “Poetry is the Path to Peace.” The second issue of the Poetry Planetariat was therefore put together around this motto. In a session he held on the 6th of September, the Vice-Chairman of China Writer’s Association and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of Chengdu International Poetry Week JidiMajia underlines the peaceful nature of poetry under the title, “Poetry: Rejecting All Borders in the Soul.” In this talk, Majia states: “Poetry as and art form of the highest levels of spirituality for human beings, can doubtless sustain the dialogues and exchanges between souls of people of different ethnic groups. It can also bridge the differences and enhance understanding so we can reach the future shore of fraternal love.” 4 POETRY PLANETARIAT | ISSUE 2, FALL 2019, ISTANBUL / MEDELLIN POETS OF THE WORLD UNITE AGAINST WAR You will get to read the whole speech in this issue of the Poetry Planetariat. We will also share sections of the speech of a leading member of World Poetry Move- ment’s coordination committee, Fernando Rendon, also uttered in Chengdu. After our poetry section we will commemorate our great contemporary Yannis Ritsos (1909-2010) on the 110th anniversary of his birth and 19th year of his death with his immor- tal poem “Peace.” Another guest we commemorate in our second issue is the novelist, philosopher and poet Iris Murdoch (1919-1999) on the 100th anniversary of her birth and 20th year of her death. We thought it apt to publish Winfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum Est” as an anti-war manifesto in this issue... POETRY PLANETARIAT | ISSUE 2, FALL 2019, ISTANBUL / MEDELLIN 5 POETS OF THE WORLD UNITE AGAINST WAR POETRY: REJECTING ALL BORDERS IN THE SOUL JidiMajia (China) Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the 3rd Chengdu International Poetry Week 2019 Mr. JidiMajia,Vice-Chairman of China Writer’s Association and Chairman of the Or- ganizing Committee of Chengdu International Poetry Week Ladies and gentlemen, poet friends, as the Chairman of the Poetry Week’s Organizing Committee, I would like to welcome all poets to Chengdu, the city of poetry. It is because of you that this poetry week has become a poetry festival, and it is also because of you that we are looking forward to fruitful interaction this week. During Poetry Week we will continue our pursuit of peace and the development of mankind through communication and exchange among poets from different countries, ethnicities and cultures. I am confident that this year’s poetry week will prove that poetry will play an extremely important role to serve this purpose. We live in a world of drastic changes. Every morning people wake up only to find news that causes us great concern on TV and in the newspaper- news of disputes, conflicts, violence and disasters. It seems as if the existing international order is no longer maintained and that a new one has not yet been established. This, along with the growing uncertainty of the world, means it’s safe to say that today human beings once again stand at a crossroads, and we must decide which path will lead to a bright future. I believe that it is not only politicians who must answer this question, but that every person living on this planet must answer this question. Perhaps because humans have made unprecedented achievements in science and technology, especially in nuclear and biological technology and artificial intelligence for military use, as soon as human conflict is no longer contained, the results will be catastrophic. The reality of today’s worlds tell us once again that since the two world wars ended, human beings have yet to complete a meaningful examination of our deficiencies. Of course, this self reflection should be conducted on moral and ethical levels, but also from the historical perspective and in terms of current realities. As witnesses and victims of war, many great thinkers and philos- ophers have written in depth about the causes of the Holocaust and crimes against humanity. The philosopher Hannah Arendt, in her book Eichmann in Jerusalem, thoroughly analyzes why people are constantly producing new kinds of evil. The book not only reveals the evil of individuals in human nature; more importantly, it shows her reflections on mankind as a whole. She tells us a simple truth, which is that none of us should remain silent during crimes 6 POETRY PLANETARIAT | ISSUE 2, FALL 2019, ISTANBUL / MEDELLIN POETS OF THE WORLD UNITE AGAINST WAR or disasters. Rather, we must speak out with courage, or eventually we will lose the chance to speak out. Since the end of World War II, conflicts have continued to arise due to territorial and religious interests, along with geopolitical reasons, and the casualties have been equally shocking. Particularly within the context of globalization, new crises confronting all people such as climate change, eco-catastrophe, mass starvation and lethal pandemics seem to emerge endlessly. When faced with such challenges, it becomes necessary and urgent to build a com- munity with a shared future for all mankind. Poetry as and art form of the highest levels of spirituality for human beings, can doubtless sustain the dialogues and exchanges between souls of people of different ethnic groups. It can also bridge the differences and enhance understanding so we can reach the future shore of fraternal love. These dialogues and exchanges, of course, not based on any of the so-called patterns or standards, will have the greatest respect for differences and the respect for diversity is a due virtue in human nature. The fruits of our communication, as well as the outcomes facilitated by this type of constructive dialogue, will give new meaning to this era. Therefore, I firmly believe that every nation, in addition to upholding it traditional culture and other distinct features, will identify with the human consciousness of universality that will eliminate all the barriers among human beings and turn this into reality. Only this way can we eliminate all the friction and oppositions caused by differences, and stand on the height of building a common destiny of mankind so as to perceive, recog- nize and share all the creations which are conformable and conductive to the comprehensive development of the individuals and human society. Poetry will not die out, like man will not. Admittedly Adorno’s No Poetry after Auschwitz has been quoted a million times, but until today the voices made by poetry and the strength it shows still represent the flowers on the flag of human justice, the wind of freedom blowing across the land, the brightest stars in the dusky sky, the shiniest dew at dawn. I once said, and I will tell you again here today, it is the existence and continuation of poetry that gives mankind and all the great civilization on earth a reason to embrace a bright future. My poet friends, it is because you have come here that we can work together to complete this glorious mission.

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