ENDANGERED-LANGUAGES-L Digest - 24 Jun 2005 to 27 Jun 2005 (#2005-55)
Aysu Erden
aysuerden at TTNET.NET.TR
Tue Jun 28 17:45:17 UTC 2005
14 FEBRUARY-WORLD SHORT STORY DAY
http://www.worldshortstoryday.org
http://vision1.eee.metu.edu.tr/~metafor/
Introduction
Language is the repository of the riches of the highly specialised cultural experiences of linguistic communities. When a language is lost, all of us lose the knowledge contained in that language's words and grammar. This knowledge can never be recovered if that language has not been studied or recorded, if no or only a limited number of literary works are written in that language, or if these literary works are not translated into other languages, or if no literary works are translated into that langıage. It is this knowledge which helps us in learning the different ways of thinking about life, of approaching our day-to-day existence in the world. No other language can be used for a linguistic group to communicate with their spirits. “There are many groups in the world whose languages are threatened by turmoil, loss of dentity, and marginalisation. When a group is unable to fully recall their own language, they are unable to speak any other language as native speakers. In the end they
lose their history, their community, their literary traditions and their cohesiveness with their own language. Finally, such communities become aware of the fact that their language, culture, literature and values are not able to
compete with those from the outside.”(1) The loss of language brings loss of identity, loss of literature, loss of sense of community, loss of traditional spirituality, loss of literary traditions. Therefore it is necessary for us to identify which languages and literatures are endangered around the world. They, their speakers and writers need our support, protection and respect.
As it is stated in the Universal Declaration on cultural Diversity of UNESCO, culture should be regarded as the set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual, literary, creative and emotional features of society or a social group. It encompasses, in addition to art and literature, life styles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs. Culture is at the heart of contemporary debates about identity, social cohesion, and
the development of a knowledge based economy. Cultural diversity and the exercice of cultural rights are related to each other and it is necessary to promote the free flow of ideas by word and image; to preserve and promote the
fruitful diversity of cultures. (2)
The process of globalization is facilitated by the rapid development of new information and communication technologies. It is necessary to create
conditions for renewed dialogue among cultures and civilizations. There should be solidarity in the world, among human beings, cultures, linguitic groups and
literatures of these, on the basis of recognition of
-cultural diversity
-awareness of the unity of humankind
-the development of intercultural exchanges (3)
The best guarantees of international peace and security are:
-to have respect for the diversity of cultures
-to be tolerant
-to have dialogue and cooperation in a climate of mutual trust and understanding (4)
Aims and Goals
The services that are aimed to be offered by the World Short Story Day Project, to all the short story writers in the world can be summarized as follows:
Safeguarding creativity in literature and freedom of expression; supporting the short story genre, which is maybe the most difficult one among the other
literary genres; highlighting the fact that the authors organizations in the world should contribute to the promotion of education in literature; supporting
the idea that all languages have equal rights; avoiding autocensorship; encouraging short stories to be written, read in small, endangered and minority languages, and then to be translated into the world languages; establishing
bridges and networks of communication among cultures in order to promote the culture of peace; protecting cultural diversity in the world; creating networks of communication between the writers' organizations, writers, readers,
translators, publishers and media all over the world.
The 14 February-World Short Story Day Project was, thus, designed to be a means of showing the whole world that the literary, linguistic, cultural and economic rights are to be seen as the civil and political rights of human beings in the world; and that establishing and promoting such a view can be achieved only through safeguarding the diverse ways of life styles and free thinking, as well as the endangered languages. Especially the languages which are stateless or under suppression.
·To enliven the oral literary tradition via short story
·To emphasize the relationship between the short story genre and other branches of art
·To consider short story as a voice created for the human being by the human being
·To understand why the most successful short stories are written at times and places where disturbing and painful social and political crisis have arisen
·To Explain why short story is but the cry of the lonely and the marginal
·To perform activities contributing to and taking their source from art,
literature, philosophy, adventures, human soul, living styles and forms of thinking
·To analyse why a kind of communication full of love and peace exists between the short story and its writer, the reader and the short story
·To expose why each short story is but flow of emotions and a new adventure for its own writer
·To highlight the reason why short story readers of all ages and occupations are ready to share with one another, every story written..It is because of all of the above mentioned reasons and goals that we, the men
and women of letters are all fascinated by this very special day. We, still are being fascinated with the magic of the above mentioned reasons and goals of the World Short story Day.
Promoting the Communication between Languages, Literatures and Cultures through a Short Story Week which Includes a "World Short Story Day"
Method
Supporting the week titled "Communication Through Short Story Week" which includes "February 14 - World Short Story Day" There may be at least 300 readings in at least 150 cities all over the world.
To achieve this, the following hierarchical and systematic method can be proposed:
1-Coordinators
a-International Program Coordinators: In general, they are expected to contact, with national coordinators, reading coordinators, short story writers, editors,
publishers, academicians, researchers, translators, short story lovers of all ages, from all corners of the world. They ask and encourage them to set up readings in their countries.
·International Short Story Reading Coordinators
·Coordinating Directors for the Short Story Reading Societies
b- National Program Coordinators : They are expected to contact local program coordinators, ask and encourage them to set up readings in their cities and towns and support them financially.
c- Local Program Coordinators : They are expected to hold festivals and reading days in their cities and towns.
2- Programmes
a-World Short Story Day programmes : held by the International Short Story
Reading Coordinators create a communication among civilizations through short
story programmes
b- Programmes held at the world famous places:
·Short story readings on international grounds like United Nations Building. Such buildings are owned by the peoples of the world. They belong to none of
the countries. Short stories may be read at United nations, Mt. Everest, West Phillipines Sea, at the Golden Horn, Bosphorus or Antarctica.
·Readings and Short story festivals can be held throughout countries, at famous museums, universities.
·International Societies for short story writers and lovers can be created.
·Short Story Host Community Groups can be established.
·Short Story Spots can be produced for the TVs.
·Digital Short Story Spots for the TVs can be worked on
·Coordinating Directors for the short Story Societies can be developed in certain countries.
c- Computer Projected Translations: During the readings, the translations may be computer projected on the large screens behind short story writers.
d- Lectures, discussions readings, the programmes may include lectures, discussions, interviews, films, exhibitions and special projects about contemporary short story.
3-Web-Sites
They may attract many short story writers, story lovers, academicians. There are 8 million web-sites on the internet. 600 000 of them are e-commerce cities.
Only 230 000 are poetry sites. How many of them are short story web sites ? Web based magazines can be created. In fact there are web-sites dedicated to the short story genre.
Such web-sites give the international audience chance to read the works of the short story writers, translators and editors. These web-sites may become a portal for international short story.
We have started two web-sites and an E-Journal:
Middle East Technical University (METU) Ankara, Turkey (2002):
http://www.vision1.eee.metu.edu.tr/~metafor/wssd.htm
WORLD SHORT STORY DAY E-JOURNAL (ISSN : 1305-4511)
A Multilingual Electronic Collection of Short Stories and Essays - Free Access to the Works of World Short Story Writers and Multilingual Translations as a contribution of the Translation and Linguistic Rights
Committee of the Turkish PEN Center, to diversity,
http://www.worldshortstoryday.org
4- E-Books / Anthologies / e-journal archives :
Anyone in the world will be able to read and see the visual representations of publications from different cultures, literary traditions and civilizations.
5- E-Mail Lists :
Creating e-mail lists and encouraging people to join certain e-mail lists help them to get information on world events related to short story activities.
Thus, we hope that the World Short Story Day Project will be popularized all over the world, in the name of all the above mentioned aims and goals, in the very near future, in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. It will thus
be a bridge between literatures, life styles, cultures, languages and regions.
THE WEB ADDRESSES WHERE THE “WORLD SHORT STORY DAY
E-JOURNAL” CAN BE REACHED
http://vision1.eee.metu.edu.tr/~metafor/
http://vision1.eee.metu.edu.tr/~metafor/oyku/oykulist.htm
http://vision1.eee.metu.edu.tr/~metafor/wssd.htm WORLD SHORT STORY DAY E-JOURNAL (ISSN : 1305-4511)
http://www.worldshortstoryday.org
A multilingual electronic collection of short stories and essays Free access to the works of World Short Story writers and multilingual translations And
http://www.sootus.com
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