Wan Tru Puwema

“A true poem is something to be afraid of”. This is how the line of a Surinamese poem by Trefossa (pen name of Henri Frans de Ziel, 1916-1975) could be translated: “Wan tru puwema na wan skreki sani”. The title of this poem is used as the title of a literary event in Suriname: Wan Tru Puwema.
The event will be held from November 1 to 5, 2010. There will be a rich representation of writers from Suriname as well as writers from Aruba, Belgium, Curaçao, South Africa, Suriname and the Netherlands.
Including a variety of events that are open to the public, Wan Tru Puwema is organized as both a conference and a festival, which is why the organizers are calling the activity a ‘confest’. The writers will discuss, write, and present on the subject of multilingualism. They will also visit schools and speak to students about their craft and experiences with multilingualism. The conference activities will result in a publication on multilingualism, which will be published in March 2011.
Wan Tru Puwema is organized by the Surinamese writers ’77 Foundation Writers group in cooperation with individuals and partner organizations from abroad. Aruba: Olga Buckley and Munye Oduber. Belgium: Els Beerten and Kaet Vrancken. Curaçao: Roy Evers and Ini Statia. South Africa: Tanya Chan Sam, Diana Ferrus and Florence Filton. Suriname: Jagdies Biere, Claudett de Bruin, Charles Chang, Arlette Codfried, , Roué Hupsel, Ismene Krishnadath, Karin Lachmising, Tessa Leuwsha, Alphons Levens, Jeffrey Quartier, Rappa Parabirsing, Sombra Slijngard, Carry-Ann Tjong Ayong, Marieke Visser and Dorus Vrede. The Netherlands: Clark Accord, Karin Amatmoekrim, Usha Marhé and Raj Mohan.
More information can be found on the website of Writers’ Group ’77: www.schrijversgroep77.org
One of the participants in Suriname keeps a personal blog every day: Karin Lachmising: http://www.waranasolutions.blogspot.com/
For full article (in Dutch) on the participation of Olga Buckley and Munye Oduber, see http://caribemagazine.nl/bloggen/literatuur/arubaanse-dichters-naar-literair-festival.html