PEN International was founded in London, UK, in 1921, simply known as PEN. Today it operates across five continents in over 90 countries, with 130 Centres supporting the unhindered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations. PEN Sri Lanka, is the newest branch of PEN International,having recently joined this esteemed worldwide organisation of writers in 2022. The mission of PEN Sri Lanka is to promote literature and freedom of expression, and to defend the rights of writers and readers in the island.
PEN Sri Lanka’s first and ongoing project entitled: “Voice for the Voiceless- Identifying, Appreciation and Preserving the Poetic Works of the Forgotten Up-country“ is a testament to PEN International principles. The project will provide a platform for these unsung Tamil Poets of South Indian origin to express their thoughts and ideas.
Speaking to Newasia.lk, Pathum Wickremaratne, the General Secretary of PEN Sri Lanka, and who is also a professional Journalist, Content Specialist and Lecturer in New Media Communication & Digital Media, explained in more detail about the objectives of the Voice for the Voiceless project:
Tell Us More About PEN Sri Lanka and PEN International ?
At Pen Sri Lanka we are mainly targeting the freedom of expression and the promotion of literature and we are directly affiliated with the esteemed organisation,PEN International,which share the same ideals and goals . The UK based charity is over 100 years old with over 120 centres globally. PEN Sri Lanka is the newest member, having applied for membership in 2023 and we are currently working on our second project.
Our first project was the Digital Media Literacy programme. We started to conduct several workshops on Digital Media in the rural areas of Sri Lanka for schoolchildren , as there is a great lack of knowledge on this subject. Currently, the PEN Sri Lanka team are working on the Voice for the Voiceless project which is mainly concerned about providing a platform for upcountry Tamils to write poems and express themselves freely.
What is the main aim of the Voice of the Voiceless project?
The Voice for the Voiceless is our second project as PEN Sri Lanka and it is aimed at providing a platform for the upcountry Tamils to express themselves through poetry as they have been marginalized for so many years. This section of the Tamil community have never been provided with an opportunity to showcase their talent in the mainstream art and literature media channels due to the social hierarchy present amongst the other Tamil communities in Sri Lanka, especially from the North and other areas. Jaffna Tamils in particular have not allowed the Upcountry Tamils to showcase their talent in the mainstream media , while the majority Sinhala people are unable to read any work from this section of society.
What Has Been the Progress of the Voice for the Voiceless Project ?
PEN Sri Lanka is currently searching for the marginalised Tamil poets, under the age of 50 years, by holding workshops in major cities such as Kandy, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Matale and Ratnapura. After our panel selects the 20 poems, we will be holding a general workshop together with a media book launch, in which we can introduce these exceptionally talented Tamil poets to the mainstream media and to the Sinhala poets . We are currently in the process of selecting the best poems and these will be translated from Tamil to English and Sinhala.
After the Media Book Launch of Voice for the Voiceless what will be the Benefit for the Upcountry Tamil Poets ?
The 20 selected Tamil poems will be highlighted in the Sri Lankan mainstream media with copies of the translated books being provided free of charge to schools, libraries and universities in Sri Lanka. Awareness will be created in social media, highlighting these exceptional poets, thus bringing to the limelight those Upcountry Tamil people who had been marginalised for years. The public will be able to learn more about the life and issues faced by this section of society in Sri Lanka’s tea estates.
The Voice for Voiceless project is currently underway and the PEN Sri Lanka team are now in the process of selecting the 20 deserving and talented upcountry Tamil poets whose poems will be translated from Tamil to Sinhala and English for mass circulation following a media book launch.