Second International Faiz Peace Festival

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
25 February, 2009

TORONTO (ON) The second International Faiz Ahmed Faiz Peace Festival will take place in Toronto on April 26, 2009.Writers, poets and activists from the Greater Toronto Area and from around the world will gather to oppose the culture of war and violence and to promote in their stead, peace, democracy, and social justice. The gathering will include participants attending the concurrent First International Festival of Poetry of Resistance, Toronto, and the South Asian Peoples Unity Conference, Toronto. The Festival is being sponsored by the South Asian Peoples Forum.

 The Festival programme includes poetry and paper readings, presentations, dance, and music. International and local personages expected to attend include Muneeza Hashmi, daughter of Faiz Ahmed Faiz from Pakistan, Nancy Morejon, Poet Laureate of Cuba, Allison Hedge Coke, the Reynolds Chair at the University of Nebraska, USA, Gary Geddes, Lieutenant-Governor Award winner in B.C., Canada,  Marilyn Lerch, President of the New Brunswick Writers’ Federation, Canada, Jorge Etcheverry, Ambassador in Canada of Poetas del Mundo.  Published poets from France, Brazil, and other countries will also attend. The South Asian writers and activists expected to attend include Hamid Akhtar, Muno Bhai, and Abid Hussain Minto from Pakistan and Soma Marik from India. Rekha Suria from India will be the lead singer along with local Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian artistes. Community and youth groups will participate through audio visual presentations and cultural performances.

 The Festival will take place at the Port Credit Secondary School Auditorium, in Mississauga, from 6 pm. Around 600 people are expected to attend.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 06 January, 2009

TORONTO (ON) The First International Festival of Poetry of Resistance will take place in Toronto April 24 to 30, 2009, to promote opposition to a culture of war, violence and greed and to end racism and discrimination.

International, national and local poets attending include Nancy Morejon, Poet Laureate of Cuba; Allison Hedge Coke, the Reynolds Chair at the University of Nebraska; Gary Geddes, Lieutenant-Governor Award winner in B.C.; Jorge Etcheverry, Ambassador in Canada of Poetas del Mundo, Marilyn Lerch, President of the New Brunswick Writers’ Federation. Other published poets from Brazil, Venezuela, France, D.R., and other countries will also attend.

Local poets who have already participated in pre-Festival events include Lillian Allen, Dr. Federico Allodi, Clifton Joseph, Nina LaPorta, Osaze Dolabaille, Ardis Harriman, and others.

The Festival programme includes mainly poetry readings and music organized by various communities in Toronto such as the Faiz Peace Festival. Two community centres, The “519” on Church Street and the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood House, are organizing Festival events as well as churches such as the Emmanuel Howard Park United Church. Theatre groups from Mexico and Toronto (Casa Maiz), are scheduled to participate. Panel discussions on the role of intellectuals in society, an audio-visual room for films, cartoon exhibits by the Art Service Union including cartoons of Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban Five, and other activities are outlined in the attached programme. Music will include socially-conscious hip hop group, Vibrant Rise and Symbolik, among other musicians.

The Co-ordinating Committee of the Festival is made up of poets, musicians and organization representatives: Charles Roach, published “rapso” poet; Arnold Itwaru, two-time National Poetry Award winner in Guyana; Carlos Angulo, published poet from Peru living in Toronto; Asoke Chakravarty, Kolkata Book Fair Festival Award winner; Hamid Bashani, Dr. Duam Bangala, Lowell C. Bowen,composer; Maria Elena Mesa Mejia, Suzanne Weiss, Lisa Makarchuk and others.

Contact: Charles Roach (416) 657 1472 croach@roachschwartz.com

Lowell C. Bowen (416) 657 3101 lowellcbowen@yahoo.com

Lisa Makarchuk (416) 603 9858 lisamakarchuk@sympatico.ca

resistancepoetryfest@gmail.com