Poetry of Witness Series

I doubt there is any concept more frequently affirmed in principle and more frequently violated in practice than 'Equality'. This is exactly what Oxfam, in its report ''An Economy for the 1%'', shows us. And although world leaders have increasingly talked about the need to tackle inequality, the gap between the richest and the rest of mankind has widened dramatically in 2015. Such an 'explosion' in the wealth of the super-rich has come at the expense of the majority and particularly the poorest people. Today, just 62 ultra-rich people have as much wealth as the bottom 50% of humanity. ''Instead of an economy that works for the prosperity of all, for future generations, and for the planet, we have instead created an economy for the 1%,'' (from Oxfam report). What we want to get, through this poetry compilation, is to add our voice to those other unequivocal voices that denounce such an absolute lack of equality in our society, and make all such voices resonate in the conscience of all people of goodwill. The poems collected in this book belong in what is called "Poetry of Witness", and we believe that this is a task that all of us, as poets, have a moral obligation to pursue, because we can't accept to live in a world where extreme poverty is so widespread and sheer inequality is the norm.

Terrorism, which is one of the most important topics in the world today, refers to any act designed to cause 'terror' by means of violence or the threat of violence. As a fundamental rule, terrorism is politically and emotionally charged, because it is meant to instill fear within, and thereby intimidate people – an entire country or even the whole world. Terrorism is certainly frightening, but the best way we can fight it is by living our lives without terror. At the UN webpage on terrorism, we read: "Countering this scourge is in the interest of all nations and the issue has been on the agenda of the United Nations for decades." Now we can understand why Poets from 43 different countries have written a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and to the Presidents of each of the countries whence they come from. As stated in the letter to Mr Ban Ki-moon: “Through the poems, we wish to express our unanimous desire for universal peace and to add our voice to those other unequivocal voices at the United Nations who say 'NO' to the scourge of terrorism”. It is a symbolic gesture, but it highlights their commitment as "Poets against Terror". As Fabrizio Frosini, the publisher, says: “I started this editorial project after the murdering of so many innocents in Paris, on November 13, 2015, as a tribute to them and to the countless other victims of terror, worldwide. I started the project, but it is a collective book: a compilation of poems written by poets from 43 different countries, worldwide, who believe in peace and brotherhood, and are against any kind of 'terror'. Other voices of the Poets: This project is about compassion for the victims of terrorism, it's a celebration of a simple equation: 'violence = more violence; peace = peace'. We have made it clear, we are not debating causes, but mourning a particular 'effect' which is the intentional murder of innocents''. - D.J. Brick, USA As someone born in Sri Lanka, a country that will always be remembered as the birth place of the suicide bombing, I can only offer my own tears to lessen the pain and to heal from this terrible plague and my own sweat to lay one brick to build a universal home for peace. - D. Gunawardana, Sri Lanka Наши потери мучительны, но террор - это инструмент манипуляции через запугивание, поэтому нам следует искать истинные причины, а не реагировать слепо. Our losses are painful, but terror is a tool of manipulation via frightening, so we should search for the true reasons and not react blindly. - G. Italyanskaya, Russia The most difficult aspect to accept about all the senseless violence in the world is the fact that we are doing this to each other, and that by now negative political, religious and social dynamics have become so complex that it is hard to believe in a better future. Therefore, each person must begin with him- or herself in contributing peace and non-violent solutions to our shared humanity. - B. B. Linder, Germany Iwe neni tikabatana, nyika inobudirira (in Shona) You are because I am, together we can make the world a better place - T. Makadho, Zimbabwe Jag sörjer och stödjer med all min vänlighet ,med tanken på alla oskyldiga offer och anhöriga,och tyst gråtande hjärtan,min tro bygger på ett liv utan grymhet, och ord som vågar uttrycka solidaritet. I gave rise to much kindness, I think of all the people and children and the hearts of silence cry, I admit a new faith without cruel life, how to find words how dare to dare. - I. Molnar, Sweden What is gained from the killing of children, people shopping for food, those just passing by? - L. Beck, USA The dead body of the 3-year-old on the beach will haunt humanity forever, if we can't put an end to terrorism! - A. Jafarinoor, Iran Avec un bout de papier et une plume On est capable de faire face au terrorisme.. We use a pen and a paper to face Terror.. and to spread Peace and Love

"In a strife ridden world it is incumbent on the part of a poet to dwell upon social issues like war, corruption, poverty, refugee influx etc. He should hold a mirror to life and its sufferings and joys and strive to bring each one’s life a trifle closer to the worth and meaning of man’s existence on this Earth. Only by exposing the injustices and absurdities of society and voicing against them, we can reduce the gloom that permeates the lives of many in our society. Refugees who are thrown out of the orbits of their lives have a life and death struggle before them. Let the world realize that all are rightful heirs to the bounties of the world and everyone has a right to lead a dignified life." (Valsa George Nedumthallil) « Voiceless, I now speak to myself And voiceless I speak to you, also —You, Who are listening to me through your empty Eyes » (F.Frosini, April 2016) This book is for all those who are forced to leave their homes and their countries because of persecution and wars (F.Frosini) ~*~ A 'Refugee' is a person who flees to another country to escape being persecuted for their religion or politics, or to escape war. According to UNHCR, the agency of the United Nations set up to aid, protect, and monitor refugees, at the end of 2015 the total number of "forcibly displaced" worldwide was 65.3 million —a number equal to the entire population of the UK. "During the year 2015, conflict and persecution forced an average of 34,500 persons per day to leave their homes and seek protection elsewhere, either within the borders of their countries or in other countries. 51% of refugees were under 18 years old —the highest figure for child refugees in more than a decade." [UNHCR]

Under President Barack Obama, the United States pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26-28% from 2005 levels by 2025. On the contrary, Obama's Clean Power Plan and regulations set to protect the environment, are now targeted for elimination by President Donald Trump. Indeed, the prominent denier of global warming, today, is the Trump administration! The present head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, publicly denies that CO2 is a primary contributor to global warming —this way the head of EPA negates EPA policy and ‘overwhelmingly clear’ evidence on climate change. Is this just 'politics'? Or should we call it blindness? For many, Mr. Trump is that kind of person who views not only America, but the entire world as a showcase for their own ego. Regrettably, his closest allies and advisers seem to be of the same kind... The Earth is the only world we have, and the poems of this collection, filled with empathy and sensitivity, thoroughly show our deep concern for the future both of our planet and of humankind — a future that the latest executive orders coming from the White House make even less comforting..

One thing that makes 'gender discrimination' such an important issue is that it is a worldwide problem – there's no discrimination on how women are treated as 'second class citizens' in almost all cultures. Every day you would come across stories about atrocities committed against women. Some of such injustices are very overt, like physical and sexual abuse; while others are more 'subtle', like telling women that they are ' goddesses' and ' princesses', and thus, they must not pursue careers in, say armed forces. Misogyny comes in many “flavors”, each of them unacceptable. However, as a society, we tend to have a very thick skin when it comes to noticing the injustices women suffer. Unless and until it is some really horrible crime like rape and/or murder, we tend to ignore the plight of women. Thus, there is almost no outrage about “small” acts of misogyny – someone is cat calling a woman on the streets? “Honey, take it as a compliment”. Women being forced to wear (or not to wear) certain types of clothes? “My dear, that’s just a part of a culture”. Unfortunately, this attitude, which we often describe as “normal”, later on takes the shape of victim blaming, and a general form of incredulity towards the claims of women about injustices – “Well, she must have provoked him: good girls don’t get raped”. But, I ask you, do you ever hear someone blaming the victim for other crimes? Do you ever hear a pedestrian getting blamed for being hit by a car? I mean, after all, they were walking on the streets, sort of ‘asking’ to be hit by a car (?!). Nope, it’s only with women that the victims are blamed for the crime. At the root of this prejudice is a culture that essentially belittles and subjugate women through various "norms" that are born out of obsolete ideals, moralities, and at times even the “Law of the land”. A woman's "femininity" is determined by a patriarchal society, that bullies, torments, at times "destroy" women who do not fall into the "normal" criterion of femininity defined by them. You can look at how women who are not straight are treated in almost all cultures, as such women no longer remain a 'commodity' to be owned by men, but independent identities, with their own "desire". Any discussion on gender discrimination is incomplete without having a few words on how religions across the globe generally are misogynistic. A point previously made in this ‘note’ about victim blaming has a lot to do with religions and religious morality. The idea that injustices against women happen only when they ‘transgress’ certain ‘boundaries’ set for them, comes heavily from religious scriptures. Even today, in the 21st century, we can easily find a consensus on the religious fundamentalists that women should be blamed and punished for crimes committed against them. Finally, the representation of women, in media and popular culture too, is at best “problematic”. Rampant sexual objectification, and representation of the “ideal” female body (slim, perfect, flawless) have been argued to have been behind from anorexia to psychological disorders in women. This gripping compilation of poems by 90 poets from 45 countries, worldwide, is a praiseworthy "collective tale" on gender discrimination. While many readers may well be aware of these issues, for those who might not, I hope this collection will be a starting point, from where they will educate themselves further and contribute to eradicate these injustices. Women are said to be "half of the sky", but it is high time for them to properly own their part. (Souren Mondal, India)

"Time To Show Up" is an evocative title for an anthology on democracy: it suggests answering a call to duty or to defense; there is the awareness that "Now My Country Needs Me," and it comes from that same source as true patriotism does –If your country is right, celebrate it. If it's wrong, reform it! * As Alexandra Alter wrote: "Like virtually everything else in the Trump era, poetry has gotten sharply political these days." * Indeed, as a matter of fact, the idea of a collection of poems about democracy came to me just because of Trump. The United States of America represent the most important democracy in the world. Yet, with the election of Donald Trump as its 45th President, America’s Democratic Values as well as America’s international leadership are at risk —and this means that international stability and global security are at risk as well. * 'United We Stand' – Poets Unite Wordlwide.