SXSW 2024
Witness Poetry: Uyghur Poetry and Resilience
Description:
Poetry of witness served as a vital tool for expression in Uyghur continuity, echoing its historical struggles against colonialism, showcasing its resilience in confronting repression. However, since 2016, nearly all intellectuals and their works vanished as China began its’s ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs. Despite this, poetry stands tall as a form of resilience, both in the homeland and in exile. How has poetry connected different generations of Uyghur experiences across space and time? How has it been used as a tool against the dictatorship while preserving the cultural value that the CCP wants to tarnish so vehemently?
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Takeaways
- Learn about the Uyghurs and their resilience through their rich culture, music, literature, to break the image of Uyghurs as an oppressed community.
- To raise awareness about the plight of imprisoned intellectuals, to amplify their voice, and uncover their stories.
- To reflect on the wider violence that is happening in the Uyghur Region as it is portrayed through the artistic expression of Uyghur artists.
Speakers
- Munawwar Abdulla, Research Assistant, Harvard University
- Ahmatjan Osman, writer, poet, independent writer
- Elise Anderson, Senior Program Officer, Asia Programs, Freedom House
- Jewher Ilham, Forced Labor Project Coordinator, Spokesperson for the Coalition to End Uyghur Forced Labour, Worker Rights Consortium
Organizer
Kim Helptim, Legal Policy Intern, Human Rights Foundation
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