The Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin appeals for a worldwide reading for Liu Xiaobo on March 20th 2011 of the ‘Charter 08’ and the poem ‘You wait for me with Dust’ by Liu Xiaobo, Nobel Peace Prize laureate for 2010.
Up until now, more than 115 institutions and individuals in about 73 towns and cities in 30 countries on all contintents will be participating in the WorldWideReading for freedom for Liu Xiaobo. We are delighted to see that the number of people and institutions participating is growing every day.
In 2009, after having co-written the Charta 08 with other dissidents, Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment under the flimsy charge of “undermining the state’s authority”. For this reason, the international literature festival berlin has appealed for a worldwide reading on March 20th, 2011, the anniversary of the political lie – more than 700 authors from around the globe have responded, including the Nobel Prize laureates John M. Coetzee, Herta Müller and Elfirede Jelinek, as well as Breyten Breytenbach, Wolf Biermann, Hans Christoph Buch, Alberto Manguel, Salman Rushdie and Vikram Seth. The readings will be from the Charta 08 and from writings by Liu Xiaobo.
The Charta 08 is a manifesto demanding more democracy and freedom in China. The preface to the Charta states: »After experiencing a prolonged period of human rights disasters and a tortuous struggle and resistance, the awakening Chinese citizens are increasingly and more clearly recognizing that freedom, equality, and human rights are universal common values shared by all humankind, and that democracy, a republic, and constitutionalism constitute the basic structural framework of modern governance. A “modernization” bereft of these universal values and this basic political framework is a disastrous process that deprives humans of their rights, corrodes human nature, and destroys human dignity. Where will China head in the 21st century? Continue a “modernization” under this kind of authoritarian rule? Or recognize universal values, assimilate into the mainstream civilization, and build a democratic political system?«
Do you know anyone who would like to join the WorldWideReading on March 20th? Feel free to forward any texts and the appeal ‘Freedom for Liu Xiaobo’. We are grateful for every contribution on this area. Emails are welcome atworldwidereading@literaturfestival.com until March 15th.
