World Stories

[Andre Cramblit]

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