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Dec
13
Monthly letter from John Ralston Saul to the PEN membership - December 2011
December 13, 2011
Dear PEN Members, Dear Friends,
Over the last month I have been able to spend time with some twenty of our Centres in Africa and in Europe - a PEN African Network meeting in Dakar, four days in Sierra Leone with our PEN Centre there, a Forum of Freedom of Expression and Guest Writers in Stockholm, and finally in Milan I got together with Franca Tiberto of the Swiss Italian & Reto-Romansh PEN Centre and Sebastiano Grasso of PEN Italia.
Perhaps the most moving moments of this trip came during the days spent in Sierra Leone, a country pulling itself together after a terrible era of violence and destruction. We have a very strong PEN Centre in Freetown and they are deeply involved in school reading and creative writing programs (these are called PEN School Clubs) along with a number of other African PEN Centres. PEN Sierra Leone has 40 programs in schools all over the country.
I had always thought that these must be wonderful programs, but I admit that I tended to associate them as much with literacy as with literature. Now, I realize that they are really about literature, creativity, self-confidence, speaking out in public and freedom of expression. They are about the students writing creatively and reading literature. These are teenagers in secondary schools. They may be in neat school uniforms, but most of them are living in circumstances which would prevent them from moving on to college or university, let alone becoming writers or active citizens, speaking up with their ideas. PEN's school programs give them an extra edge – the power and the dignity of imagination released in a formal way. This allows them to unleash their eagerness and to develop the strength to engage publically.
I went with Mohamed Sheriff (PEN Sierra Leone President), Nathaniel Pearce (Head of the reading program) and Allieu Kamara (PEN Sierra Leone Secretary) to a girls' school, Our Lady of Guadalupe, several hours outside of Freetown. Hundreds of teenagers were literally jostling to perform their plays, read their poems and their stories. At two events in Freetown, I had long talks with some of the students and heard them reading poems on violence and life as a street kid.
All of this is PEN doing its job, on the ground, in the real world. Frankly, we could do with programs like these in most of our countries.
Yes, PEN has always been about established and leading writers as examples of literature and freedom of expression. But thousands of our members are important examples of freedom of expression without the protection of a big language or an established publishing system. Many of the writers we work to protect are unknown and unpublished for political or economic reasons. And beneath all of that lies the real basis of literature and free expression - an engaged citizenry, reading, writing and speaking out.
There were some ten Centres at the PAN meeting in Dakar where we were guests of PEN Senegal. It was a fascinating discussion over several days about how PAN should organize itself. Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah was reconfirmed as Secretary General; Mohamed Magani, who had preceded him, came back as the chair of a new board of seven members. Some provisional organizational structures were proposed and Harruna is now busy with PAN members looking for a consensus.
After the PAN meeting a year ago in Cairo, this was another reminder of how strong our African Centres are. And there is a real desire to create more of them.
In Stockholm I was at a gathering organized by the Swedish Arts Council that involved all the Nordic PEN Centres, as well as ICORN and various local authorities. This was aimed at convincing more cities to create places for writers not able to live in their own countries. There was also a good discussion about how to work with these guest writers to help them build a viable life in a country which is not their own.
Swedish PEN also to put out a statement on the responsibilities of digital communications companies when it comes to selling technology to governments like those of Belarus and Syria. This fits in with the policy work being done by our Digital Rights Committee and I used the occasion of the meeting to talk about this growing problem.
While there I also had a chance to have a good discussion about PEN with our former International President, Per Wästberg, and separately with the former Chair of the WIPC, Thomas von Vegesack.
All best wishes for the Roman calendar New Year!
John Ralston Saul
Dear PEN Members, Dear Friends,
Over the last month I have been able to spend time with some twenty of our Centres in Africa and in Europe - a PEN African Network meeting in Dakar, four days in Sierra Leone with our PEN Centre there, a Forum of Freedom of Expression and Guest Writers in Stockholm, and finally in Milan I got together with Franca Tiberto of the Swiss Italian & Reto-Romansh PEN Centre and Sebastiano Grasso of PEN Italia.
Perhaps the most moving moments of this trip came during the days spent in Sierra Leone, a country pulling itself together after a terrible era of violence and destruction. We have a very strong PEN Centre in Freetown and they are deeply involved in school reading and creative writing programs (these are called PEN School Clubs) along with a number of other African PEN Centres. PEN Sierra Leone has 40 programs in schools all over the country.
I had always thought that these must be wonderful programs, but I admit that I tended to associate them as much with literacy as with literature. Now, I realize that they are really about literature, creativity, self-confidence, speaking out in public and freedom of expression. They are about the students writing creatively and reading literature. These are teenagers in secondary schools. They may be in neat school uniforms, but most of them are living in circumstances which would prevent them from moving on to college or university, let alone becoming writers or active citizens, speaking up with their ideas. PEN's school programs give them an extra edge – the power and the dignity of imagination released in a formal way. This allows them to unleash their eagerness and to develop the strength to engage publically.
I went with Mohamed Sheriff (PEN Sierra Leone President), Nathaniel Pearce (Head of the reading program) and Allieu Kamara (PEN Sierra Leone Secretary) to a girls' school, Our Lady of Guadalupe, several hours outside of Freetown. Hundreds of teenagers were literally jostling to perform their plays, read their poems and their stories. At two events in Freetown, I had long talks with some of the students and heard them reading poems on violence and life as a street kid.
All of this is PEN doing its job, on the ground, in the real world. Frankly, we could do with programs like these in most of our countries.
Yes, PEN has always been about established and leading writers as examples of literature and freedom of expression. But thousands of our members are important examples of freedom of expression without the protection of a big language or an established publishing system. Many of the writers we work to protect are unknown and unpublished for political or economic reasons. And beneath all of that lies the real basis of literature and free expression - an engaged citizenry, reading, writing and speaking out.
There were some ten Centres at the PAN meeting in Dakar where we were guests of PEN Senegal. It was a fascinating discussion over several days about how PAN should organize itself. Abdul-Rahman Harruna Attah was reconfirmed as Secretary General; Mohamed Magani, who had preceded him, came back as the chair of a new board of seven members. Some provisional organizational structures were proposed and Harruna is now busy with PAN members looking for a consensus.
After the PAN meeting a year ago in Cairo, this was another reminder of how strong our African Centres are. And there is a real desire to create more of them.
In Stockholm I was at a gathering organized by the Swedish Arts Council that involved all the Nordic PEN Centres, as well as ICORN and various local authorities. This was aimed at convincing more cities to create places for writers not able to live in their own countries. There was also a good discussion about how to work with these guest writers to help them build a viable life in a country which is not their own.
Swedish PEN also to put out a statement on the responsibilities of digital communications companies when it comes to selling technology to governments like those of Belarus and Syria. This fits in with the policy work being done by our Digital Rights Committee and I used the occasion of the meeting to talk about this growing problem.
While there I also had a chance to have a good discussion about PEN with our former International President, Per Wästberg, and separately with the former Chair of the WIPC, Thomas von Vegesack.
All best wishes for the Roman calendar New Year!
John Ralston Saul
Nov
23
PEN Expresses Concern over Secrecy Bill Passed in South African National Assembly
Cape Town and London, November 23, 2011—South African PEN and PEN International today expressed alarm over the passage of the Protection of Information bill by the National Assembly, saying that the bill, if enacted into law, represents 'a retreat towards the secrecy that characterized South Africa before its democratic transition.'
'The Protection of Information bill,' said Margie Orford, executive vice-president of South African PEN, 'will make it both difficult and dangerous for writers and journalists to do their work. The bill contains extreme penalties – up to 25 years in prison - for anyone who holds or publishes classified information. This has grave implications for writers and journalists, as much as it does for social justice activists and ordinary citizens, because of the absence of a public interest defence clause. The powers of classification remain too broad. We are deeply concerned that this bill will be used to cover up corruption and abuses of power, both of which are rife in South Africa, and that critical voices will once more be targeted and silenced.'
The Protection of Information bill, popularly called the Secrecy Bill, would eliminate whistleblower protections, force journalists to reveal their sources, and criminalize the withholding of classified information. The bill does not allow for a "public interest defence," meaning that journalists would not be protected for leaking information even when exposing government corruption or misconduct. Sentences may be as high as 25 years. The bill was introduced in 2008 and has met with strong civil society and media opposition. Pressure from Sanef (SA National Editors' Forum), PMSA (Print Media South Africa), lawyers, other civil society organizations and the Right2Know campaign—a broad coalition of organizations—forced the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to withdraw earlier texts and narrow the scope of "organs of state" that could classify information. However, the most restrictive provisions remain in place.
Last week, the ANC leaked that it would reintroduce the bill in parliament, despite assurances that the party would seek civil society input. The bill was quickly debated and passed by a significant margin. It now has to pass through the National Council of Provinces, among other procedures, and be signed into law by President Zuma.
'Respect for freedom of expression and a free press makes for a stronger society and often improves the work of government,' said Laura McVeigh, director of PEN International. 'This secrecy bill denies that freedom of expression and is a step backwards for South Africa.'
PEN International celebrates literature and promotes freedom of expression. Founded in 1921, our global community of writers now comprises 144 Centres spanning more than 100 countries. Our programmes, campaigns, events and publications connect writers and readers for global solidarity and cooperation. PEN International is a non-political organization and holds consultative status at the United Nations and UNESCO.
For more information contact: Margie Orford of South African PEN, t. +27 21 465 2496, m. +27 83 556 9168 e. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
'The Protection of Information bill,' said Margie Orford, executive vice-president of South African PEN, 'will make it both difficult and dangerous for writers and journalists to do their work. The bill contains extreme penalties – up to 25 years in prison - for anyone who holds or publishes classified information. This has grave implications for writers and journalists, as much as it does for social justice activists and ordinary citizens, because of the absence of a public interest defence clause. The powers of classification remain too broad. We are deeply concerned that this bill will be used to cover up corruption and abuses of power, both of which are rife in South Africa, and that critical voices will once more be targeted and silenced.'
The Protection of Information bill, popularly called the Secrecy Bill, would eliminate whistleblower protections, force journalists to reveal their sources, and criminalize the withholding of classified information. The bill does not allow for a "public interest defence," meaning that journalists would not be protected for leaking information even when exposing government corruption or misconduct. Sentences may be as high as 25 years. The bill was introduced in 2008 and has met with strong civil society and media opposition. Pressure from Sanef (SA National Editors' Forum), PMSA (Print Media South Africa), lawyers, other civil society organizations and the Right2Know campaign—a broad coalition of organizations—forced the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to withdraw earlier texts and narrow the scope of "organs of state" that could classify information. However, the most restrictive provisions remain in place.
Last week, the ANC leaked that it would reintroduce the bill in parliament, despite assurances that the party would seek civil society input. The bill was quickly debated and passed by a significant margin. It now has to pass through the National Council of Provinces, among other procedures, and be signed into law by President Zuma.
'Respect for freedom of expression and a free press makes for a stronger society and often improves the work of government,' said Laura McVeigh, director of PEN International. 'This secrecy bill denies that freedom of expression and is a step backwards for South Africa.'
PEN International celebrates literature and promotes freedom of expression. Founded in 1921, our global community of writers now comprises 144 Centres spanning more than 100 countries. Our programmes, campaigns, events and publications connect writers and readers for global solidarity and cooperation. PEN International is a non-political organization and holds consultative status at the United Nations and UNESCO.
For more information contact: Margie Orford of South African PEN, t. +27 21 465 2496, m. +27 83 556 9168 e. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Oct
16
DAY OF THE DEAD, MEXICO, DANGER FOR JOURNALISTS
DAY OF THE DEAD 2011
DAY OF THE DEAD, MEXICO, DANGER FOR JOURNALISTS
by HOMERO ARIDJIS
In ancient Mexico it was believed that people who drowned went to the heaven of Tláloc, the rain god, that soldiers who fell in combat became part of the Eastern sun, that the souls of women who had just given birth met the sun at its zenith and dwelled with earthly goddesses in the east, and that the north was governed by Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl, the Lord and Lady of death. In this funereal geography, these points in space were the destinations of the dead, the same points to which the plumed serpent, the god Quetzalcóatl blew. But death was not just myth and rite for the ancient Mexicans, it was everyday life and it had a physical body, it adorned temples and tombs, it had names and material forms and uses, it was vessels or clothing, it was clay or stone, it smelled of fire and copal, of water and blood.
Time itself had a tomb of years. On the day a Sun was born, a date was set for its death. In the subsequent invasions Mexico suffered in the 16th century, the discoverers, the conquistadors, the missionaries, and the settlers brought their own kind of death, the European notion of dying.
Indeed they brought two deaths: one physical, the product of arms and diseases – smallpox, measles and typhus – and the other spiritual, the one which follows death in the hereafter and leads the sinner to hell. The latter was preached and declared by the Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians, who had inherited the medieval fear of death. Then in their spiritual conquest, which followed the temporary conquest by Hernán Cortés, the friars spread through the streets of New Spain images of the triumphant skeletons of the Dance of Death. The Aztecs, who made these foreign gods their own, including their manner of death, must have felt at home when the missionaries brought with them the worship of the relics of the saints – of their physical remains – to them, who lived with the bones and skulls of the sacrificed. We are the children of these two deaths, the Mexican and the European: the death of the Aztec lapidaries and the engravers Holbein and Durero, the death of the macabre artists of the tzompantli (the palisade where the Aztecs displayed the heads of the sacrificed) and the death of the sculptors of the arches and canopies of Romanesque churches, the death of ritual sacrifice and memento mori. In the Leyenda Dorada [Golden Legend], Jacopo de Voragine wrote that we, mortal men, in honouring the dead, are honouring ourselves in our future state of misery or glory.
Nowadays Mexico has become a huge cemetery for victims of major crimes. When it comes to violence our country is one of the most dangerous in the world for journalists. Not only for those who produce reports and write articles, but also for those who take photos, draws cartoons, or are witnesses to any bloody event, act of political corruption, or police injustice, and even those who have the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For me, living in Mexico and reading both the national press and publications from remote villages and state capitals, reports of attacks are almost daily, and there are so many that there is hardly time to digest one before we hear about another. What is unsettling about these attacks, apart from the condition in which the victims are found, is that these attacks and killings are rarely investigated, and we almost never hear about the outcome of an inquiry or the arrest of the real perpetrator of a crime against a man or woman who risked their life, and the safety of their family, to do a journalist's job often for a meagre fee, or out of a professional responsibility to inform society and the world of the violence which is lashing the country these days.
But at this time, journalists are not only pursued by organised crime in all its forms, but also by local, state and federal governments, by police forces, the military, and even by people whose job is to impart justice. On these grounds the federal government not only has to guarantee the safety of journalists, but also resolve the cases pending and punish the criminals, regardless of whether they are within the government or not, because as time goes on the majority get caught up in a fog which has so many lines of investigation that the real one is (deliberately) lost.
A journalist friend was telling me about a notorious political crime, where the authorities present a new line of inquiry every once in a while which takes the investigation further away from reality, until it reaches the point where nobody knows anything, like playing a game of "follow the marble", concealing the truth. For example, with regard to the two women who were killed in Mexico City on 1 September this year1, because they were journalists investigating a property company, people started to talk about suspicious causes for their deaths, until the media practically stopped giving out information about what had happened, when the investigation was suspended they ended up linking the victims to criminals. The intention was to muddy the waters, and cast doubt on their professional integrity. Then came obscurity.
Another common practice in the media, in conspiracy with the authorities, is to trivialise a case so that people stop taking it seriously. This not only happens with journalists, but also with defenders of human rights who are victims of attacks.
This Day of the Dead, we passionately hope that Mexico does not continue to be a sacrificial altar for journalists and those fighting in defence of human rights and freedom of expression.
Which heaven will the journalists killed in Mexico go to?
Mexico City, 2 November 2011
*Homero Aridjis is a writer, journalist and Vice President of PEN International.
DAY OF THE DEAD 2011
DAY OF THE DEAD, MEXICO, DANGER FOR JOURNALISTS
by HOMERO ARIDJIS
In ancient Mexico it was believed that people who drowned went to the heaven of Tláloc, the rain god, that soldiers who fell in combat became part of the Eastern sun, that the souls of women who had just given birth met the sun at its zenith and dwelled with earthly goddesses in the east, and that the north was governed by Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl, the Lord and Lady of death. In this funereal geography, these points in space were the destinations of the dead, the same points to which the plumed serpent, the god Quetzalcóatl blew. But death was not just myth and rite for the ancient Mexicans, it was everyday life and it had a physical body, it adorned temples and tombs, it had names and material forms and uses, it was vessels or clothing, it was clay or stone, it smelled of fire and copal, of water and blood.
Time itself had a tomb of years. On the day a Sun was born, a date was set for its death. In the subsequent invasions Mexico suffered in the 16th century, the discoverers, the conquistadors, the missionaries, and the settlers brought their own kind of death, the European notion of dying.
Indeed they brought two deaths: one physical, the product of arms and diseases – smallpox, measles and typhus – and the other spiritual, the one which follows death in the hereafter and leads the sinner to hell. The latter was preached and declared by the Franciscans, Dominicans and Augustinians, who had inherited the medieval fear of death. Then in their spiritual conquest, which followed the temporary conquest by Hernán Cortés, the friars spread through the streets of New Spain images of the triumphant skeletons of the Dance of Death. The Aztecs, who made these foreign gods their own, including their manner of death, must have felt at home when the missionaries brought with them the worship of the relics of the saints – of their physical remains – to them, who lived with the bones and skulls of the sacrificed. We are the children of these two deaths, the Mexican and the European: the death of the Aztec lapidaries and the engravers Holbein and Durero, the death of the macabre artists of the tzompantli (the palisade where the Aztecs displayed the heads of the sacrificed) and the death of the sculptors of the arches and canopies of Romanesque churches, the death of ritual sacrifice and memento mori. In the Leyenda Dorada [Golden Legend], Jacopo de Voragine wrote that we, mortal men, in honouring the dead, are honouring ourselves in our future state of misery or glory.
Nowadays Mexico has become a huge cemetery for victims of major crimes. When it comes to violence our country is one of the most dangerous in the world for journalists. Not only for those who produce reports and write articles, but also for those who take photos, draws cartoons, or are witnesses to any bloody event, act of political corruption, or police injustice, and even those who have the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
For me, living in Mexico and reading both the national press and publications from remote villages and state capitals, reports of attacks are almost daily, and there are so many that there is hardly time to digest one before we hear about another. What is unsettling about these attacks, apart from the condition in which the victims are found, is that these attacks and killings are rarely investigated, and we almost never hear about the outcome of an inquiry or the arrest of the real perpetrator of a crime against a man or woman who risked their life, and the safety of their family, to do a journalist's job often for a meagre fee, or out of a professional responsibility to inform society and the world of the violence which is lashing the country these days.
But at this time, journalists are not only pursued by organised crime in all its forms, but also by local, state and federal governments, by police forces, the military, and even by people whose job is to impart justice. On these grounds the federal government not only has to guarantee the safety of journalists, but also resolve the cases pending and punish the criminals, regardless of whether they are within the government or not, because as time goes on the majority get caught up in a fog which has so many lines of investigation that the real one is (deliberately) lost.
A journalist friend was telling me about a notorious political crime, where the authorities present a new line of inquiry every once in a while which takes the investigation further away from reality, until it reaches the point where nobody knows anything, like playing a game of "follow the marble", concealing the truth. For example, with regard to the two women who were killed in Mexico City on 1 September this year1, because they were journalists investigating a property company, people started to talk about suspicious causes for their deaths, until the media practically stopped giving out information about what had happened, when the investigation was suspended they ended up linking the victims to criminals. The intention was to muddy the waters, and cast doubt on their professional integrity. Then came obscurity.
Another common practice in the media, in conspiracy with the authorities, is to trivialise a case so that people stop taking it seriously. This not only happens with journalists, but also with defenders of human rights who are victims of attacks.
This Day of the Dead, we passionately hope that Mexico does not continue to be a sacrificial altar for journalists and those fighting in defence of human rights and freedom of expression.
Which heaven will the journalists killed in Mexico go to?
Mexico City, 2 November 2011
*Homero Aridjis is a writer, journalist and Vice President of PEN International.
Dec
13
Liu Xiaobo one year on: PEN International renews calls for the writer's release from detention in China
A year ago today, on International Human Rights Day, our colleague Liu Xiaobo, former president of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. One year on, he and over thirty other writers remain in prison in China. PEN International demands their immediate and unconditional release, and calls upon its members to take action to publicise the deteriorating human rights climate in the People's Republic of China.
John Ralston Saul, President of PEN International, says, 'Liu Xiaobo's words will not disappear whether he is isolated in prison or released. These are Chinese ideas that will continue to spread of their own volition. However, by keeping him in jail, the Chinese authorities are putting a loud speaker to his words. They should free him and let ideas take their natural course.'
Liu Xiaobo was arrested on 8 December 2008 and held under 'residential surveillance', a form of pre-trial detention, at an undisclosed location in Beijing until he was formally charged on 23 June 2009 with 'spreading rumours and defaming the government, aimed at subversion of the state and overthrowing the socialism system in recent years'. He was sentenced to eleven years in prison on 25 December 2009 for his critical writings and his role in launching Charter 08, a declaration calling for political reforms and human rights published on 9 December 2008, which now has over 10,000 signatories from throughout China.
Since 22 October 2010, two weeks after the Nobel announcement was made, his wife Liu Xia, a poet and photographer, has been held incommunicado under strict house arrest at her home in Beijing and is denied any contact with the outside world. At the December 2010 Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo, Liu Xiaobo's medal and diploma were presented to an empty chair.
'The PEN community stands with Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia,' said Marian Botsford Fraser, Chair of PEN International's Writers in Prison Committee. 'We salute their courage. We will work indefatigably for the release of Liu and over thirty other writers and dissidents imprisoned in China.'
Liu Xiaobo first received support from PEN International in 1989, when he was one of a group of writers and intellectuals given the label the 'Black Hands of Beijing' by the government and arrested for their part in the Tiananmen Square protests. Prior to his current arrest, Liu has spent a total of five years in prison, including a three year sentence passed in 1996, and has suffered frequent short arrests, harassment and censorship.
Notes to editors:
PEN International celebrates literature and promotes freedom of expression. Founded in 1921, our global community of writers now comprises 144 Centres spanning more than 100 countries. Our programmes, campaigns, events and publications connect writers and readers for global solidarity and cooperation. PEN International is a non-political organization and holds consultative status at the United Nations and UNESCO.
For more information contact our press office
| This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |44 (0) 20 7405 0338 + |
Interviews with PEN International or the Independent Chinese PEN Centre can also be arranged through the following channels:
John Ralston Saul, President, PEN International:
|+1-416-964 2313 |
Marian Botsford Fraser, Writers in Prison Committee Chair
| This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it | +1-416-938-420 |
Yu Zhang, Executive Secretary, Independent Chinese PEN Centre:
| This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it |+46-8-50022792 |
Cathy McCann/ Researcher / PEN International
Brownlow House
50-51 High Holborn
London WC1V 6ER.
t. +44 (0)20 7405 0338 | f. +44 (0)20 7405 0339 | e.
Twitter | Facebook | www.pen-international.org
Celebrating 90 years of promoting literature and defending freedom of expression
International PEN is trading as PEN International. International PEN is a company registered in England and Wales with registration number 05683997. International PEN is a registered charity in England and Wales with registration number 1117088. International PEN's registered office is Brownlow House, 50-51 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6ER, UK.
Dec
07
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS - THOMAS PRINGLE AWARDS 2011
The English Academy of Southern Africa is pleased to announce the winners of the Thomas Pringle Awards. The Thomas Pringle Awards recognise writers who have demonstrated extraordinary insights in their work. Two of the three categories run this year have been finalised.
The adjudicators of the award noted the following:
"In reading Corrigall's reviews, one is struck by one outstanding quality – her acuity. Whether she is reading words on a page or looking at shapes and colours at an art or photography exhibition, Corrigall has a particularly rare capacity to see things sharply and keenly. Quite apart from Corrigall's sharpness of perception, however, there is also a pleasing lucidity in the way she writes about the different media she focuses on. Her reviews are commendable, therefore, not only for their insights, but also for the crisp and energetic manner in which these insights are expressed."
Mary Corrigall is an arts critic and senior feature writer at The Sunday Independent newspaper. She is also a research fellow at the Research Centre for Visual Identities in Art and Design, at the University of Johannesburg. Her articles have been widely published in magazines and newspapers, local and international art publications and peer-reviewed academic journals. In 2007 she won a coveted CNN African Journalism award and was awarded the Thomas Pringle Award for Reviews by the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2009. In the same year the European Commission awarded her a Lorenzo Natali award for Journalism.
The two other candidates who were shortlisted for this award are Robyn Sassen and Gwen Podbrey.
Robyn Sassen, a seasoned reviewer, is commended for the clarity and crispness of reviews that covered mainly theatre and art, encouraging audience attendance and offering terse insights.
Gwen Podbrey demonstrated that she is a master of conciseness in reviews that expose the reader to the possibilities and pleasures in a range of literary works, from pure fiction to works with a biographical slant.
Judges: Dr Lynda Gilfillan (Convener), Dr Glenda Cleaver and Ms Kate McCallum
The judges were unanimous in making a joint award on the grounds that both articles make a highly valuable contribution to research in English teaching and learning in southern Africa: Fataar's at a broad sociological level and van Renen's at a more specific pedagogic level. Fataar demonstrates to us the complex contexts that lie behind our students' schooling trajectories, while van Renen demonstrates the importance of literature in developing language competence in classrooms. In this sense, the two articles are complementary both in their foci and in their significance for English education in this country.
Aslam Fataar is currently Professor and Head of the Education Policy Studies Department at Stellenbosch University. He is a former lecturer at the University of the Western Cape. His area of interest is Sociology of Education and his research focuses on policy reform and education in urban spaces. He has authored one book, Education Policy Development in South Africa's Democratic Transition, 1994-1997 (2010), and is currently completing a book on educational subjectivities in an urban context. He is a NRF B-rated scientist, which is an acknowledgement of international academic standing. Professor Fataar has also published widely in national and international journals. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, the Southern African Review of Education. He is a recently appointed member of the Western Cape Education Council and a member of the UNESCO country committee on Education.
Charles van Renen is a senior lecturer in the Education Faculty of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). His field of specialisation is English methodology and children's literature. Prior to his appointment at the NMMU he lectured at the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University, was a senior research officer with the Molteno Project at Rhodes University, and a lecturer at the Graaff-Reinet Teachers' College. Over the past few years he has published in journals such as Perspectives in Education, Journal for Language Teaching, Journal of Educational Studies and Journal of Literary Studies.
Judges: Professor Denise Newfield (convener), Dr Yvonne Reed and Mr David Robinson
**********************************************************
Each award consists of a cash prize and a prestigious certificate. The dates of the award ceremonies will be announced at a later stage.
For more information on English Academy awards, please contact Naomi Nkealah on 011 717 9339 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also visit the English Academy Web site www.englishacademy.co.za.
Category: Reviews
The 2011 Thomas Pringle Award for Reviews is awarded to Mary Corrigall for a portfolio of reviews published in The Sunday Independent.The adjudicators of the award noted the following:
"In reading Corrigall's reviews, one is struck by one outstanding quality – her acuity. Whether she is reading words on a page or looking at shapes and colours at an art or photography exhibition, Corrigall has a particularly rare capacity to see things sharply and keenly. Quite apart from Corrigall's sharpness of perception, however, there is also a pleasing lucidity in the way she writes about the different media she focuses on. Her reviews are commendable, therefore, not only for their insights, but also for the crisp and energetic manner in which these insights are expressed."
Mary Corrigall is an arts critic and senior feature writer at The Sunday Independent newspaper. She is also a research fellow at the Research Centre for Visual Identities in Art and Design, at the University of Johannesburg. Her articles have been widely published in magazines and newspapers, local and international art publications and peer-reviewed academic journals. In 2007 she won a coveted CNN African Journalism award and was awarded the Thomas Pringle Award for Reviews by the English Academy of Southern Africa in 2009. In the same year the European Commission awarded her a Lorenzo Natali award for Journalism.
The two other candidates who were shortlisted for this award are Robyn Sassen and Gwen Podbrey.
Robyn Sassen, a seasoned reviewer, is commended for the clarity and crispness of reviews that covered mainly theatre and art, encouraging audience attendance and offering terse insights.
Gwen Podbrey demonstrated that she is a master of conciseness in reviews that expose the reader to the possibilities and pleasures in a range of literary works, from pure fiction to works with a biographical slant.
Judges: Dr Lynda Gilfillan (Convener), Dr Glenda Cleaver and Ms Kate McCallum
Category: Educational Article
The 2011 Thomas Pringle Award for an article on English in education and the teaching of English published in a South African academic journal in 2009-2010 is awarded jointly to Aslam Fataar for his article "Youth self-formation and the 'capacity to aspire': The itinerant 'schooled career' of Fuzile Ali across post-apartheid space', which was published in Perspectives in Education 28(3), and to Charles van Renen for his article "Dahl's chickens: How do they roost in the 21st century?", published in the Journal for Language Teaching 43(2).The judges were unanimous in making a joint award on the grounds that both articles make a highly valuable contribution to research in English teaching and learning in southern Africa: Fataar's at a broad sociological level and van Renen's at a more specific pedagogic level. Fataar demonstrates to us the complex contexts that lie behind our students' schooling trajectories, while van Renen demonstrates the importance of literature in developing language competence in classrooms. In this sense, the two articles are complementary both in their foci and in their significance for English education in this country.
Aslam Fataar is currently Professor and Head of the Education Policy Studies Department at Stellenbosch University. He is a former lecturer at the University of the Western Cape. His area of interest is Sociology of Education and his research focuses on policy reform and education in urban spaces. He has authored one book, Education Policy Development in South Africa's Democratic Transition, 1994-1997 (2010), and is currently completing a book on educational subjectivities in an urban context. He is a NRF B-rated scientist, which is an acknowledgement of international academic standing. Professor Fataar has also published widely in national and international journals. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal, the Southern African Review of Education. He is a recently appointed member of the Western Cape Education Council and a member of the UNESCO country committee on Education.
Charles van Renen is a senior lecturer in the Education Faculty of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU). His field of specialisation is English methodology and children's literature. Prior to his appointment at the NMMU he lectured at the Port Elizabeth campus of Vista University, was a senior research officer with the Molteno Project at Rhodes University, and a lecturer at the Graaff-Reinet Teachers' College. Over the past few years he has published in journals such as Perspectives in Education, Journal for Language Teaching, Journal of Educational Studies and Journal of Literary Studies.
Judges: Professor Denise Newfield (convener), Dr Yvonne Reed and Mr David Robinson
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Each award consists of a cash prize and a prestigious certificate. The dates of the award ceremonies will be announced at a later stage.
For more information on English Academy awards, please contact Naomi Nkealah on 011 717 9339 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . You can also visit the English Academy Web site www.englishacademy.co.za.
