Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Rohitha Bashana Abeywardane was born in Sri Lanka in 1972. He is a founder and later editor-in-chief of the alternative weekly newspaper Hiru, which was managed autonomously by the editors. In 2003, he organized the Sinhala-Tamil Art Festival. As a … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

The Tunisian poet, writer and journalist Najet Adouani is a critic and author who actively supports freedom, peace and women’s rights. From April 2013 until April 2016, she was involved in the Writers in Exile Program of the German PEN Center. Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Cosmos Eglo Akoete was born in Lomé, the capital of Togo, in 1963. He is a writer and human rights activist. While his house was being searched in 1992, soldiers destroyed his manuscript of an epic poem. He was arrested, … Continue reading →

Foto: Maria Kabakowa

Svetlana Alexievich was born in Ivano-Frankivsk in the Ukraine in 1948. After studying journalism at the University of Minsk, she worked as a reporter and as a teacher. Her documentary prose has been translated into 28 languages, was, in part, … Continue reading →

Foto: Christa Schuenke

Claudia Anthony was born 1963 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. During her studies at the University of Kiev, in March 1991, a brutal civil war broke out in her home country, and armed hordes indiscriminately massacred thousands of men, women and … Continue reading →

Foto: PEN-Zentrum Deutschland

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Jorge Luis Arzola was born in Jatibonico, a small Cuban town, in 1966. When he was five, his family moved to a village in the center of the island, which Fidel Castro had ordered built in the early 1960s. He … Continue reading →

Humayun Azad was born in Bangladesh in 1947.  After studying linguistics in Dhaka and Edinburgh, where he received his Ph.D., he became a full professor in 1986, teaching Bengali at the University of Dhaka.  His publications include about sixty works, … Continue reading →

Foto: Yulya Tsimafeyeva

Alhierd Bacharevič was born in Minsk in 1975. He studied philology and Belarusian pedagogy at the Maxim Tank School and then worked as a teacher and journalist. His poems and stories have been published since 1992 in small magazines and … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Sanath Balasooriya was born in Sri Lanka in 1970. From January 2011 – December 2013, he held an Elsbeth Wolffheim grant from the City of Darmstadt. He continues working as a journalist, author and translator and lives in Darmstadt, Germany, with his wife Devika Wadigamangawa. Continue reading →

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Sihem Bensedrine was born in Tunis in 1950. At the end of the 1970s, she became active in the fight for human rights, by the early 1980s she had become a prominent figure in the Tunisian feminist movement. From 1985 … Continue reading →

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Foto: Stefanie Silber

(German) „Das Leben im Exil ist eine Mischung aus neuen Erfahrungen und alter Verbitterung, aber nicht ohne Hoffnung.“ Continue reading →

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Abderrahmane Bouguermouh was born in Izger Amokrane/Algeria in 1936. From 1962 to 1963, he studied at the Paris Film Institute and worked as a film director with the R.T. Française production company. His stance on the Berbers created difficulties for … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Zaza Burchuladze was born in Tiflis in 1973 and describes himself as a contemporary postmodern novelist. Before he began to work as a writer and translator, he studied painting at the State Art Academy in Tiflis. He is the author of several novels, collections of essays, and short stories. Continue reading →

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Fethiye Çetin was born in Turkey in 1948. She grew up in Maden in the province of Elazig in eastern Turkey and studied law at the University of Ankara. After the military coup of 1980, she was arrested and convicted … Continue reading →

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Mehmet Selim Çürükkaya was born in a village not far from the Anatolian city of Bingöl in 1954. Until 1978, he studied to be a teacher in Tunceli. Even at college, he was politically active and was one of the … Continue reading →

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Roshanak Daryoush was born in Iran in 1951. She moved to Germany with her parents, went to school there, graduated and became involved in the CISNOU, the Confederation of Iranian Students. She finished her studies in political science and sociology … Continue reading →

Foto: Stefanie Silber

(German) Enoh Meyomesse, mit bürgerlichem Namen Dieudonné Enoh, ist Lyriker, Romanautor, Dramatiker, Historiker und politischer Aktivist. Er wurde 1954 in Kamerun geboren. Meyomesse studierte in Straßburg und Paris Politikwissenschaften, nach dem Abschluss des Studiums kehrte er in seine Heimat zurück. Continue reading →

Aslı Erdoğan (Foto: © Bernd Hartung)

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Masoud Ali-Reza Espabod was born in Tehran in 1951. He studied Art at the College of Fine Arts for Boys and at the Academy of Decorative Arts in Tehran and then at the Academy of Arts in London. Since 1968, … Continue reading →

Foto: © Stefanie Silber

(German) “Ich hoffe, dass ich Gelegenheit bekomme, Erfahrungen auszutauschen, gegen alle Widerstände zu kämpfen, die reale Situation meines Volkes und meines Heimatlandes aufzuzeigen und auch für die Freiheit des Verfalls zu kämpfen.” Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Adam Guzuev was born in Chechnya in 1970. He comes from a family of theater celebrities. His uncle, who was killed during a firefight in the Chechen war, was chairman of the Chechen broadcasting committee. After studying philology, Guzuev worked … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Qassim Haddad was born in 1948 in Muharraq/Bahrain. Even as an adolescent, he resented being coerced. He had problems with authority, dropped out of school and worked on construction sites to support his family financially. As a young man, he … Continue reading →

Foto: Helmut Lunghammer

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Foto: Roland Baege

The Syrian poet and journalist Yamen Hussein was born in Homs in 1984. He wrote numerous articles critical of the Syrian regime, which soon attracted the attention of Syrian security organizations. Over and over again, he criticized in his articles the restrictive and manipulative interventions of the state into freedom of publication and the press and repeatedly protested against the total disregard for human rights during the civil war. Continue reading →

Foto: Stefanie Silber

(German) „Bevor ich nach Deutschland kam, hatte ich vor allem Angst, sogar vor meinem Schatten. Seit ich jedoch in Deutschland lebe, spüre ich Ruhe in mir […].“ Continue reading →

Foto: Independent Chinese PEN Centre

Guobiao Jiao was born in China in 1963. He taught at Peking University’s College of Journalism and Communications until 2004. Most likely as a result of his widely publicized article on the internet, in which he demanded the abolition of … Continue reading →

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Ahmet Kahraman was born in Bingöl, Turkey, in 1941. His book Bir Dönemin door Büyükleri (Great Turks of Our Times) brought on legal charges against him by those same “Great Turks”—two former emergency-governors, a former intelligence chief, a former army … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Maynat Kurbanova was born in Grozny in 1974. She graduated from the Department of Journalism at the Chechen State University and worked from 1991 for various Russian mass media. Since the beginning of the Second Chechen War, she was a correspondent for the Moscow newspaper Novaya Gazeta and for the radio station Svoboda in the North Caucasus, and also in Chechnya. Continue reading →

Foto: James Hill

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Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

The Chinese blogger and human rights activist Liu Dejun was born in the province of Hu Bei in 1976. From November 2013 to November 2016, he has taken part in the Writers in Exile Program of German PEN in Nuremberg. Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

The Syrian journalist and human rights activist Amer Matar was born in Rakka in 1987. He studied journalism and Damascus and was the co-founder of the Al-Shari organization that advocated for liberal media and development. In 2010 Al-Shari began to cinematically document the rebellion in Syria, which already had been on its way back than, by means of television interviews, reports and documentaries from within the Syrian heartland. Continue reading →

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Itai Mushekwe was born in 1983. He studied communication and journalism at the Christian College of Southern Africa (CCOSA) in Harare, Zimbabwe. After graduating, he worked for the leading independent weekly newspaper The Zimbabwe Independent, where he wrote investigative articles … Continue reading →

Umar Abdul Nasser Foto: Max Gödecke

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Foto: Stefan Worring, KSTA

Jovan Nikolić was born in Belgrade in 1955 and grew up on a Romany settlement near Čačak, Serbia. Since 1981, he has published numerous volumes of poetry as well as plays and satirical texts in Serbo-Croatian. He has won prizes … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

The writer and journalist Ana Lilia Pérez was born in Mexico City in 1976. Her special subject is the corruption in her country and she addresses issues such as money laundering, human trafficking, organized crime and especially the appalling entanglement of politicians and businessmen with the mafia. From July 2013 to June 2014, she received a grant from the German PEN Writers in Exile Program and then returned to Mexico to continue her work there. Continue reading →

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Zhou Qing was born in Xi’an in Shaanxi province in 1964. He is a journalist, nonfiction writer, political reporter, and specializes in oral history. In 1989, he was sentenced to two years in prison for his involvement in the democracy … Continue reading →

Foto: Kaveh Rostamkhani

Khalil Rostamkhani was born in Iran in 1953. As early as at the age of 16, he protested against the Shah’s regime. In 1972 he left Iran and moved to Great Britain where he studied mathematics, physics, Persian and later … Continue reading →

Foto: Stefanie Silber

Arpita Roychoudhury

Arpita Roychoudhury (pseudonym) is a blogger and activist. She was born in Bangladesh in 1995. Due to her religious affiliation as a member of a Hindu minority, she learned early in her life what discrimination means. In … Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Faraj Sarkohi was born in Shiraz, Iran in 1947. He studied sociology and Persian literature in Tehran and Tabriz. As a student, he participated in demonstrations against the Shah and wrote numerous articles critical of the regime. In 1971, he … Continue reading →

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Pinar Selek was born in Istanbul in 1971, attended a French high school there and studied sociology at the Mimar Sinan University. She helped to organize various protest events for the women’s movement and founded the feminist network Amargi (she … Continue reading →

Foto: Stefanie Silber

(German) „Es gibt keinerlei Problem für mich mit der Integration in die deutschen/europäischen Werte; im Gegenteil: Weil ich diese Werte in meinem Land erkämpfen, in meinem Land sehen möchte, bin ich ja nun hier gelandet. Die Frage ist jedoch; Wird Deutschland mich akzeptieren? Umso mehr mein Land Türkei, aus dem ich kam, in zunehmend verzweifelte politische Umstände gerät, gerät auch meine Idee der ›Rückkehr‹ zunehmend ins Hintertreffen. Ich hoffe, dass die Residenz hier mit jedem Jahr wieder meine Zweifel und Sorgen zerstreut und Rückkehrhoffnung bestärken, erneuern wird.“ Continue reading →

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Mansoureh Shojaee was born in Tehran in 1958. For over 20 years, she has been one of the leaders of the Iranian women’s rights movement and her involvement in politics spans 30 years and more. She was a librarian at … Continue reading →

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Maxwell Sibanda was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1968. He was only able to live and work in his homeland until 2004. The turning point in his career was the ban and the forcible closure of the Daily News in … Continue reading →

Foto: Christoph Piecha

Hamid Skif was born 1951 as Mohamed Benmebkhout in the Algerian port city of Oran. After having lived in Langenbroich as guest of the Heinrich Böll House in 1995-96, he held a scholarship from the Hamburg Foundation for the Politically … Continue reading →

Foto: Stefanie Silber

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Foto: PEN-Zentrum Deutschland

Shahla Sultanova is an Azerbaijanian journalist and media coach. She was born in 1980 and studied English Language and Literature Studies in Azerbaijan before she studied Journalism and Media Management in Georgia and the United States by means of several scholarships. Continue reading →

Foto: Simone Ahrend, sah-photo

Bui Thanh Hieu, born in Hanoi/Vietnam in 1972, is one of the best known bloggers in his country. He goes by the name “Nguoi Buon Gio“ (The Wind Dealer) and has been commenting on political development and social themes since 2005. Due to his activities, the license for his internet café in Hanoi was revoked. Continue reading →

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Amir Valle was born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 1967. In Santiago de Cuba he studied journalism and in Havana he studied publishing. Since then, he has worked as a writer, literary critic and journalist. He has received numerous literary … Continue reading →

Foto: Roland Baege

(German) Der palästinensische Soziologe, Journalist und Autor Abbad Yahya wurde 1988 in Ramallah geboren. Er studierte Journalismus (Print und TV, 2009, Bachelor) und Soziologie (2013, Master) an der Birzeit Universität in Ramallah. Als Journalist, Moderator, politisch-kultureller Korrespondent und Redakteur arbeitete er für verschiedene Radiosender und Zeitungen. Continue reading →

Foto: Roland Baege

Fouad Yazji was born in Homs in 1959. His parents, orthodox Christians, trace their roots back to Syrian writer, philologist, and poet Ibrahim Al-Yazji originally stemming from the village of Marmarite. Starting in childhood, Fouad Yazji developed a love for mathematics and as a young man earned a master’s degree in education. Continue reading →

Foto: Stefanie Silber

(German) „In jener kleinen Stadt, in einer Zeit, in der es nicht wie heute in jedem Haus einen Fernseher und ein Handy gab, war es das deutsche Radio, das als bedeutende Quelle der Information diente. Dass sich Menschen versammeln, um gebannt dem Radio zuzuhören, habe ich in meinem Leben nur beim deutschen Radio erlebt. Würden die Leute öffentlich aufgefordert werden, einer Rede des äthiopischen Premierministers zu folgen, würden sie nicht in dieser Weise zuhören. Wenn man den Wahrheitsgehalt einer Information klären wollte, glaubte man sie nur, wenn gesagt wurde, dass das deutsche Radio darüber berichtet hatte.“ Continue reading →

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Sergei Zolovkin was born in Kok-Terek in the Dzhambul region, Kazakhstan, in 1952. At the University of Karaganda, he studied law and worked as a legal consultant for the Crime Commission in Kazakhstan. From 1979 to 1986, as a correspondent … Continue reading →