A brief experience of PEN Manila

The PEN Asia/Pacific Region Conference was scheduled to take place in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, from Oct 24 to 29. The primary objective of the conference was to encourage women’s active participation. I received a recommendation from Nepal PEN to attend this significant event. Ready to embark on my journey, I had made arrangements to fly with Singapore Airlines on Oct 23. Prior to the conference, I engaged in discussions with fellow members of PEN Nepal to strategize on key agenda items, including:regional perspectives on language and translation; challenges related to online expression; and the role of young writers and their impact on the future of PEN.

These discussions aimed to ensure our active participation and contribution to the conference’s overarching goals. In addition to addressing the specified agendas, participants engaged in discussions about the advancements achieved by their respective country’s PEN chapters. They also shared insights on their favorite books, providing reasons for their preferences. 

Having traveled from Nepal, I arrived well-prepared for these discussions. Furthermore, I brought along a poem titled ‘Humanity’, written to resonate with contemporary world events, particularly related to literature-a theme contributing to the PEN conference.

After about five hours, the plane landed in Singapore. Subsequently, the journey continued to Manila via Air Singapore, taking about three and a half hours before landing in the capital of the Philippines. It being my first visit to Manila, I anticipated confusion, but fortunately, everything proceeded smoothly. At the exit of the airport, I spotted a female holding a placard with my name written on it. I was very happy to meet her, ending all my confusions and hesitations. Shortly after, a participant from Bangladesh also arrived. 

As we arrived in the evening of Oct 24, the day was relatively uneventful. The following day marked the opening ceremony and the PEN Philippines Congress. Attendees from Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Japan, Australia, and Sri Lanka were present. The opening ceremony featured diverse cultural programs, poetry readings, and discussions on various literary topics. The day before, the organizers had contacted me, requesting that I recite a poem during the program, given my identity as a poet. Although surprised and initially uncertain, I agreed, reassuring them that it would be feasible as I had brought one of my poems with me. 

The following day, multiple activities took place during the Philippines Congress. It was announced in the program that poems from Nepal and Malaysia were scheduled for recitation as part of their participation. My friends advised me to first recite the poem in my native language and then in English. I hesitated, pointing out that they wouldn't understand Nepali, but they insisted that hearing the poem in its original language would convey its spirit more effectively. I also felt the importance of showcasing my language to the world. Consequently, I recited the poem ‘Humanity’ first in Nepali and then in English. 

From Oct 26 to 28, we were engrossed in the workshop for three full days, spanning from 9 am to 10 pm (including free evening). The sessions included discussions on the progress achieved by PEN chapters in different countries and conversations about the favorite books of the participants. Taking into consideration the workshop’s emphasis on women’s participation, I found it relevant to discuss Susheela Karki’s book ‘Justice’ from Nepal. As the former Chief Justice of Nepal, she published her book ‘Justice’ post-retirement. During my presentation, I highlighted the challenging cases she handled during her tenure and her courageous stance, which led to her impeachment by the government for refusing to support an unjust decision. Ultimately, her commitment to justice prevailed. Sharing the success story of this courageous female Chief Justice left everyone present surprised and equally delighted.

Following a comprehensive discussion of everyone’s perspectives on the topic, the focus shifted to the three main themes of the workshop. During the discussion on the “Regional perspective on language and translation,” it became apparent that, with the exceptions of Japan and Australia, many countries faced similar challenges. Even though the national language is one, there are many languages, but there is a scarcity of literature in those languages. Even when written, many people do not understand the language, and there are no opportunities and arrangements for translation. In the case of Nepal, where Nepali is the national language, there are 123 other languages. Most lack a written script, and despite constitutional recognition as national languages, only a limited amount of literature is available in these languages. Moreover, even when literature exists, shortage of translators hinders its dissemination on national and international platforms. Besides, in schools, the lack of educators, writers, and textbooks for many languages obstruct progress, limiting the development of these languages. These challenges restrict writers in various languages from realizing their full potential, contributing to a scarcity of women writers as well. Geographical, ethnic, and cultural factors further limit women from openly expressing their feelings. Despite proficiency in the Nepali language, they struggle to write literature in Nepali as it is not their mother tongue. Furthermore, in the age of AI, accessibility to this technology is not easy for many in Nepal.

Similar challenges were identified in other countries too. Hence it was agreed that the initial step to be taken is promoting writing in one's own language. This approach, reflective of the customs, religion, and culture of respective regions, lays the foundation for addressing the issues at hand. After that, the importance of raising awareness and providing training in the use of AI for translation was discussed. Facilitating access to publishers was also recognized as crucial to ensuring that articles and literature could reach national and international readers. 

Additionally, regarding the challenges in ‘Online Expression’, it was observed that the potential of the writers from many countries, including Nepal, have not been fully utilized. Despite the current availability of advanced online platforms that enable global communication, meetings, and conferences without physical presence, the effective use of online expression has not been practiced, due to which even the talented writers have lagged behind. Hence, representatives from all participating nations unanimously acknowledged the necessity of developing a robust system for Online Expression. The consensus was to focus on raising awareness and providing training to potential writers on the use of online expression technologies.

Concerning Young Writers, it was found that the Philippines has a lot of young writers, but this is not the case in many other countries. In Nepal, the count is even lower compared to other nations, given its diversity in languages, castes, and cultures. Recognizing the need to focus on and enhance the participation of young writers, I conducted a self-analysis and acknowledged that I myself haven’t done as much as I could to encourage them. This realization prompted a commitment to concentrate on works written in various scripts and actively consider translation efforts. In response, I decided to dedicate my efforts to increasing the membership of young writers from diverse castes, languages, and religious cultures. 

There was also a discussion session on gender based violence and sexual harassment to the women and how we could contribute in addressing it in our respective areas. In the end, I found that everyone agreed with what Nepal presented in relation to the Future of PEN. According to which, we decide on the following points: organizing similar workshops/conferences on a regular basis to connect women writers from around the world; prioritizing women writers in such workshops/conferences; ensuring PEN activities are dynamic and diverse, breaking away from stereotypes; and involving new writers in PEN activities, fostering a sense of belonging among all writers.

Focusing on these themes, the Asian Pacific PEN workshop and training in Manila concluded on a positive note. However, echoing the sentiment of Nepali poet Madhav Ghimire, “The story is over, the pain is still there,” I couldn’t ignore that PEN Nepal might not have fully realized its potential. It is disheartening to acknowledge that PEN Nepal has neglected in expanding membership and has been influenced by specific individuals, thus confining the international organization like PEN Nepal within has been limited within the familial circle. Hoping for a positive change, I wish that the situation within PEN Nepal will improve for the better in the future.