Sierra Leone PEN

Letter from Mike Butscher 

Dear All,

I was reflecting few days ago on the road from Mexico, 2003 Congress when the first meeting of the PEN African Network (PAN) was held and attended by some African delegates. One of our key resolutions was to encourage International PEN to strengthen existing centres and open up new ones that qualify. As I write to you this day, International PEN is supporting nine initiatives in several African countries:

Malawi PEN -           in promoting reading and writing in disadvantaged schools

Sierra Leone PEN  -  in the expansion of existing school clubs into four regional areas

Uganda PEN  -          in a project to write Ugandan childhood memories

Zambian PEN -          in developing a programme of school clubs

Guinea PEN  -           in developing a mobile library bus

Somali Speaking PEN  - in organising readers and writers events in a week-long celebration of Mother    Tongue Week
Egyptian PEN  -             in a project to organise literary workshops for less fortunate groups

Algerian PEN  -              in  literary readings to get writers engaged with the public on their writings

 International PEN is also supporting a Twinning/Mentoring Programme as follows:

Egypt and Somali PEN,Malawi and Zambia PEN, Uganda and Sierra Leone PEN and Algeria and Guinea PEN

You will agree with me that we have made a lot of gains as African centres. The challenge we have is how to sustain or maintain these gains. We have to be ready to take these programmes on with zeal and dedication. International PEN has obtained some funding for Africa for three years. There is a possibility that the Open Society Foundation may also approve funding

Africa programmes.
I thank you all once again for voting me into the board during the July board election in

Dakar. I promise to live up to your expectations provided you will give me your support. The kind of support I am talking about is active communication among us as members of centres and centres to centres. Please let us resolve that in 2008, we will try to quickly reply to correspondence and sometimes just drop a line to some PEN colleague who is a friend. We have to keep our communication lines open. Now, demonstrate this commitment by responding to this mail when you finish reading it.On behalf of the Board of International PEN, I want to wish you a more successful 2008.

Mike Butscher ( mike.butscher@gmail.com)

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