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Linguistic and Poetic Rights.

C Murray | 13.09.2008 16:49 | Culture | Gender | Migration | World

'There are nine different words for the colour blue in the Spanish Maya dictionary
but just three Spanish translations exist, leaving six butterflies that can be seen only
by the Maya, proving that when a language dies six butterflies disappear from
the consciuosness of the earth."
Earl Shorris.


The Poetry of the Dispossed in Ireland -An Dunaire- has meanings beyond the
politicisation of a national language, anyone who grew up in Ireland will tell you
about local dialects and community linguistics. I learnt my Gaeilge in Dungarvan,
which is different to Cork,different to Rossport or Indrebhan.

But this small piece is not specifically about our Language but about
Nomadics and Dispossession as a result of greed or globalised hegemony.
I published a brief excerpt from An Dunaire in memory of Viola and Christina,
two young girls from the Roma community who drowned on a tourist beach in
Italy. This and other indymedias put up articles and links in support of that Ethnic Community in which they were refferred to by the man who sends his ambassadors round our world on official engagements as 'a wave of Evil'.

 http://www.ubu.com/ethno/discourses/endangered.pdf

Its almost as if prime-ministers have forgotten their responsibilites to protect
ethnicity and oral culture,often despite foreign policies contributing to the problems
of Migrancy and Diaspora.

So the attached link details the World Conference on linguistic Rights
which made a statement with 40 PEN Centres, 61 NGO's, included the 1948 Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the 1192 resolution 47/135 of the UN.

But sure in Oaxaca those willing to destroy community work hand in hand with
the US and congress is not even listening to Brad Will's family as they continue
their campaign for justice:  http://www.friendsofbradwill.org

Poetic engagement is often ignored In Ireland, where a national Newspaper
will twist the visit of the Nobel Laureate to Tara into some sort of poetic government
sponsored Junket :  http://www.savetara.com

I am adding in some poetic resource pages. The Nomadics Site:

 http://www.pjoris.blogspot.com [contains the pdf from which the excerpt is quoted
(above)]
 http://www.ubu.com/ethno/soundings/celtic.html
 http://www.poetryireland.ie/forum
 http://www.nirelandpoetry.proboards57.com

Poetry Ireland also has a 'Tangled Web' literary Resource page, Reviews section
and Events Guide.

PEN International has A translation and Linguistics Rights section:-

 http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/go/committees/translation-and-linguistic-rights

Roma Women in European feminist forum :
 http://www.europeanfeministforum.org

Everyone Group:-
 http://www.everyonegroup.com/Everyone/MainPage/Mainpage.html







C Murray
- Homepage: http://poethead.wordpress.com