National Literacy Trust’s Post

Can we not do this please? Omg. Blacklisting authors because they mention Israel in their book but don't mention Gaza....and blacklisting Jewish authors for talking about Jewish culture or being too connected to Disney..which apparently is too Jewish... This boycotting of everything Jewish or connected in some way to Israel is ridiculous. Also...boycotting something because it does not feature Palestinian voices? Dude. Should we do this with everything Russian? Or things that do not mention Ukraine? Or whatabout exhibitions that do not mention Sudan or Myanmar? Or the atrocities by Arab states? And people in management should stop knee jerk reacting with panic as soon as they are challenged. Jewish writers are getting blacklisted and worry about their publishing futures

From my new and important essay in the Jewish Journal: "Writers should write proudly and prodigiously about their Jewish identities—the complexities, joys, sorrows, challenges, and blessings. We should write to defy those who prefer seeing books where Jews are either victims or plotting their escape from religious Jewish practice we should write to give strength and inspiration to Jews, holding fast to faith—and discovering faith—in a time of remarkable hostility, knowing we will prevail, we should write to leave a legacy for those who will follow." https://lnkd.in/gsWR3URi

Reflective Post By a stroke of luck, chance, and time, I was privileged to join the #ICMEMOHRConference 2024 organized recently by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in Kigali The conference on the broader topic "African Memorial and Human Rights Museums- Building a More Sustainable Future for Peace”, sought to bolster museums and memorials' role in promoting peace across Africa. Hosting the African inaugural edition in Rwanda was deeply symbolic, as the Kigali Genocide Memorial and other memorials across the country continue to serve as vital learning centers for all, offering insights and strategies for nation-building in the aftermath of conflict. Interestingly, I was that week old when I knew that Nigeria has 52 museums in different parts of the country ranging from a currency museum to a war museum and various National museums. Each museum represents a symbolic fragment of the country's rich history but to what extent are these museums contributing to national development or peacebuilding? Reflecting on the significant role museums and memorials play in telling histories, building peace and unity, and using Rwanda as a case in focus, I narrowed my thoughts to the Nigeria context. 52 museums, what stories do they tell? How are these stories told? To reflect what meaning, and impact? Does the museum management consider collaborating with schools to educate students on their relevance to development? More specifically, the Nigerian civil war cum Biafra Genocide continues to exist as a crack in the unity of the country and 54 years later, remains a pain point. Unfortunately, apart from a few "tourist videos" I found online from visitors to this war museum in Umuahia, Abia State, there was little else available. I wondered why a history that still affects the socio-political landscape of Nigeria continues to be treated like a small scratch. I wondered what the state governors of the Eastern region have done and why there is no collaboration to open the war museum into a mega center where the histories of the war can be told for the younger generation of Igbos to know about their history and gain closure and for people to generally interrogate the facts of history based on evidence provided through the museum. I wondered if Oral traditions could be sourced from those who experienced the war. Can museums and memorials become tools of peacebuilding and reconciliation? Is a peace education curriculum in Nigeria possible? As Fela rightly said, "You go dey wonder wonder wonder… until you turn to wanderer"... All I could do was wonder. My thoughts however were validated by the poetry presentation of Amarachi Attamah-Ugwu titled "Biafuru". She presented a narrative/ poetic rendition of Biafra with oral narratives of victims. You can take a watch here. https://lnkd.in/eMcAjmp2 Maybe if someone could genuinely confront the impact of the Civil War, forgiveness and unity might finally become possible. Just maybe.

Now, in addition to Homo Vitruvius, I have a new Substack, American Samizdat, in the spirit (and perhaps one day in the reality) of Soviet Bloc samizdat -- dissident, underground publications of fact, fiction, and art in opposition to the oppressive state. “To warn against, prepare for, and persevere until.” Art, culture, information, and ideas for a free, tolerant, and democratic people. "We cannot be complacent about what is at stake, which is everything. There is no Constitutional, institutional, or traditional bulwark, no compact in the blood of 1776, the Civil War, or World War II that will save American democracy. The bulwarks have all have failed, breached one by one for nine years. None but one: this coming presidential election. And even then, in victory, we will need to protect its outcome. In defeat, it will be a different year zero." https://lnkd.in/gZMxKQrU

"Stories are currency of our lives. They are the way we make sense of the world, the way we connect with each other, and the way we pass our values to future generations." - Chinua Achebe African stories reflect on our diverse cultures and powerful history. This gives each individual representation and feeds into our collective desire and expression for global innovation. Share your story and become a part of the African narrative. LifeLine Narrative website is a space for more than just books and authors but an enriching resource of: Writing tips Literary inspiration Community engagement Publishing opportunities So follow us and register for more https://lnkd.in/d8d-9HJN #TheLifelineNarrative #AfricanStorytelling #WritingCommunity #LiteraryPlatform"

There's only one reason why governments would like to prevent everyone from having access to books: to control them. I am a bibliophile, I love books and have a private library at home with all sorts of titles, from Theology, to arts, to leadership, and novels in Spanish and Portuguese, dictionaries, a small collection of sacred books from different religions, and many, many books on history and essay from authors I deeply disagree with, among other themes. I don't find *every* book good or valuable. But I read them, study some of them, am exposed to different perspectives and points of view, and all this makes me more confident when I share *my* opinions on a subject I have learned about through the power of books. No one should be banning access to books, and I am glad Washington is protecting our libraries from the forces that are trying to keep our communities without accessing knowledge through the power of books. https://lnkd.in/gAsknb44

Censorship and targeting of artists and Arts workers After reading the article below, I was distressed and further demoralised by the clumsy lack of care and sensible, nuanced, open conversations prevalent in our Arts community at present. https://lnkd.in/g6W35YFb I am witnessing people who, in any way, big or small, speak up for the 30,000+ killed in P@lestine (over 7,000 of which are children) being targeted, losing work and suffering horrendous bullying and gaslighting. I stand against racism in any of its many forms. I speak for P@lestine whilst still loving, caring for and seeing my Jewish brothers and sisters. I stand against those who warmonger and refuse to accept the humanity of P@lestinian people, seeking to erase them, and their culture, from this earth. I recently wrote a speech, presented at an opening, about the current state of our Arts community: "Our Arts community is terminally ill if it is a place of bullying, of fear, of censorship, of self-interest, of silencing. It must never be a space bereft of community, to be healthy and vibrant it must embrace and support collective action, solidarity, but most importantly – CARE. If you advocate only for yourself as an artist you are, at best, narcissus, frozen within vacuous self-interest and failing miserably in the deep honour bestowed upon you as a storyteller." When good people stand by and allow this horror to happen and do not speak up, do not push against those who seek to silence and punish, as artists, as an Arts community, we are in deep trouble. My incredible Mother ingrained in me - "there but for the grace of God go I." She taught me never to be afraid to speak up, that there is nothing worse than not helping and advocating for another in need. No matter what the cost. I can only imagine how hurtful and distressing it must have been to be abruptly cancelled - the very idea "children" may be put at risk by these incredible facilitators - what an utterly disgusting narrative to hang this on. Shame on State Library of Victoria for allowing themselves to be corralled in this way and extending hurt and harm to artists who deserve so much better. I STAND WITH P@LESTINE. I STAND WITH ALL THOSE WHO CALL FOR CEASEFIRE, WHO WILL NOT STAND IDLE OR ACCEPT THE MASSACRE, STARVATION AND TORTURE OF TENS OF THOUSANDS. Please let the State Library of Victoria know if you also think this treatment of artists is abhorrent. To those who warmonger and are also funding the Arts - keep your money. I will never stop making art, I will keep writing and keep speaking up, broke or not. Those who count will keep supporting me and lifting me up. ❤️ Power to all those who will not bend to bullying. You do your Mum proud ❤️ Christine Christian AO Stacie Piper Jinghua Qian Alex Kelly Genevieve Grieves Inala Cooper Donata Carrazza Daz Chandler Rasha Tayeh Aseel Tayah

My latest essay

Consider a world where religious texts predicted the zombie apocalypse and provided ways to combat them. Click the link to explore this writing prompt further → https://lnkd.in/gpzVRacv #WritingPrompt #WritingPrompts #DraftSparks