54th International Writers for Peace Committee Meeting at Bled 11th - 13th of May 2022
12 January
Despite the unpredictability of the current times, we remain faithful to the tradition of organising our annual Bled Meeting. Hoping that an end to the Covid-19 pandemic might finally be in sight, we wish to invite you to the 54th International Writers for Peace Committee Meeting of Writers in Bled, 11th to 13th May 2022. Please note that while the meeting will be held in person, online participation will also be possible.
Provisional agenda:
11th May 2022 – General Assembly of WfPC
12th May 2022 – Round tables:
Failing Global Ethics: The Writer's Response
The five horsemen of the Apocalypse: covid, hate speech, violent protests, global warming, and the decline of democracy
Bosnia and all the "Bosnians in the world"
Today, too many governments around the world are increasingly disregarding the importance of human rights, including the right to freedom of expression, thereby posing a threat to democracy. The ethical basis of the world order is being undermined by many of the very states that established it after World War II. How are writers responding to this threat?
Many authoritarian governments are using the pandemic as an opportunity to further stifle critics. The promotion of hate speech in political discourse, in the media, on social networks and during violent protests is leading to the disintegration of democracy. Simultaneously, the exploitation of nature and people for the benefit of a handful of the richest is threatening the decline of civilisation, if not the destruction of the planet. How are writers affected by these social phenomena?
Bosnia and Herzegovina is once again in the grip of nationalism and dangerous social, interethnic and interreligious frictions, facing the risk of renewed conflict, alongside some of the countries from the Balkan region (Montenegro, Macedonia and Kosovo), and other crisis areas around the world. What can writers do to help establish and maintain world peace?
13th May 2022 – closing meeting of the WfPC, including finalising materials for the PEN Annual Congress 2022.
A detailed programme will be shared after the 1st of February 2022.
Registration
If you are interested in attending, please send us a completed registration form by end of the 10th of April 2022. The participation fee needs to be settled by the 20th of April 2022.
DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM HERE
Link for hotel arrangements:
https://reservations.travelclick.com/77251?groupID=3375070&adults=1#/guestsandrooms
Your written contributions will be published in an anthology if sent by the 10th of April 2022 in one of the official languages of the meeting; French, English or Slovenian. The text should not exceed 4.000 characters, including spaces. In order to encourage as many people as possible to participate, we are accepting for the first time all literary forms, not only essays like in the previous years.
Looking forward to your registration, Emmanuel Pierrat, Committee Chair of Writers for Peace Committee Tanja Tuma, President of Slovene PEN
Sara Katarina Zver, editor and co-ordinator of Writers for Peace Committe