| Monday, April 25, 2011 9:50AM | | | | Empty Chair | Posted By: Anelise Chen
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| Tags: Liu Xiaobo, Ai Weiwei, Liao Yiwu, detained writers, censorship, imprisonment, torture, freedom of expression, bloggers, journalists, activists, China, Middle East, revolution | 
(New Yorkers protesting Ai Weiwei's detention. Image via ShameelArafin on Flickr)
At each event in the PEN World Voices Festival, an empty chair is put on stage to symbolize all the writers around the world who are denied free expression.
In December 2010, Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize but was unable to attend his own award ceremony because he was in prison. The award was given to an empty chair.
On April 3, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was detained. Rallies around the world were held to call for his release.
Writer Liao Yiwu, who was to attend this year's opening reading "Written on Water" and "China in Two Acts," was banned from traveling.
Many more writers and artists around the world are being similarly silenced.
Undeniably, it's an exciting time in history, but it's also a scary time. In the Middle East, bloggers, writers, journalists, and activists are being censored, detained, imprisoned, even tortured for their views against the government.
The empty chair reminds us that freedom is hard to come by. Those of us who have freedom must be vigilant about using that freedom to bring awareness to those who have been robbed of it. | | |
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2 Comments | Add a Comment |
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| 3-25-12 5:50AM: elisabeth Knap said...
" empty chair ",
Xiaobo´s empty chair has made an impression, all the bookvillages in Europe ought to know and use this as you do! I live next to one, Fjærland in Norway, and they will learn about this, be sure.
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| 4-25-11 2:00PM: fran gordon said...
Lovely piece, Anelise Chen!
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