From the Archives: Censorship in Ethiopia
A chair sat empty June 2, 2015 at PEN Canada’s annual general meeting and Ideas in Dialogue event to recognize the absence of Honourary Member, Eskinder Nega. Nega, an Ethiopian …
Archives
From the Archives: A Report on the Eli Langer Trial
In October 1993, PEN Canada’s Writer in Prison chair, Marian Botsford Fraser, attended and reported on the trial of Eli Langer, an artist whose works were seized on the basis of a newly amended definition of child pornography that was extended to include any visual representation of a person under the age of 18 engaged in “explicit sexual activity”.
From the Archives: A Writer’s Journey
Martha Kumsa came to Canada in 1991. As a journalist from Ethiopia, she had been held in prison under atrocius conditions for nine years and eight months before being released in 1989 with the help of PEN Canada. The following is a reflection on fractured identity, from being Oromo, to Ethiopian, to a Black writer in Canada.
From the Archives: Free Press has Obligations
In September, 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten published editorial cartoons that satirized the prophet Mohammed. PEN Canada recommended restraint in order to create a space for critical debate, while defending the right to publish the cartoons.
From the Archives: Penning a New Chapter
As PEN launches a student centre at Ryerson University, we look back on the student chapter that started it all at the University of Toronto in 1990.
From the Archives: Three Wishes Challenged
On March 20, 2006, PEN and a coalition of organizations appealed the Toronto District School Board’s restriction of Three Wishes. Lawrence Hill offers one parent’s view and Evie Freedman provides a young reader’s view.
From the Archives: “The Power of the Internet”
In 2000, Evan Solomon wrote on “The Power of the Internet” – and while that phrase may seem dated, the ideas and concerns he presented are just as relevant today.
From the Archives: Deepa Mehta’s Film Protested as Anti-Hindu
In this letter from 2000, Bapsi Sidhwa speaks with Deepa Mehta during the height of protests to the filming of Water in India.
From the Archives: Visiting Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma
In this piece, which originally appeared in the Summer 1996 newsletter, Karen Connelly visited Aung San Suu Kyi at her home to discuss the wellbeing of two Burmese writers.
From the Archives: A Letter on Censorship from Rohinton Mistry
On Oct. 20, 2010, Rohinton Mistry wrote a letter condemning the burning and removal of his novel from the course syllabus at the University of Mumbai.