Minutes from the General Assembly of the Three Seas Writers’ and Translators’ Council Rhodes 24th-27th October 2002

DAY ONE: 6th of February 2009 (Friday)

First section: the meeting of the section has started at 16.30 with the following attendants:

1. Curman, Peter-Sweden
2. Dumbadze, Manana-Georgia
3. Exarchopoulou, Lily-Greece
4. Grzegorzevska, Barbara-Poland
5. Siropoulos, Spyros-Rhodes, Greece
6. Staponkute, Dalia-Lithuania, Cyprus
7. Torok, Imre-Germany

The participants have elected Manana Dumbadze as the chairperson of the meeting and Dalia Staponkute as the secretary.

I. 1) Mr. Spyros Siropoulos report on Center’s activities.

The meeting has started with Spyros Siropoulos’s report about the works that have been done by the Center in the past six months period of the last six months. He pointed out that in the last quarter especially the activities of the Center were more directed towards the needs of local population, and that the increasing integration with local people is one of the main aims of the Center today. Among the activities and the future plans of the Center Mrs. Siropoulos has mentioned the coming gathering of Dodecanese poets and writers, presently active workshops with children, an attempt to attract and find the theatrical scripts and create performances that already proved to be very effective. One kind of children’s workshops will be translation activities. Children will be given the opportunity to translate texts from Ancient to Modern Greek, and then—to English and German. The programme of the Center’s activities from now on will contain several main languages. In order to improve the work of the Center several more people have been hired to various positions.

Closing his report Spyros stressed the necessity to continue working on thematic arrangements for the international writers’ meeting in November. TSWTC was asked to make an official list of suggestions, that can be presented to the Board of the Center for consideration and approval. To host this conference is an event of a vital importance for the Center, he concluded.

2) Suggestions:
Dalia suggested arranging meetings of children with international writers-visitors of the Center who would tell them interesting stories about the life and literature of their home-countries.

Peter suggested approaching the Swedish family association in Rhodes.

Manana offered to bring her father’s- a profound Georgian writer’s, Nodar Dumbadze’s short story “Helados” (about the Greek community in Sukhumi, a city in Abkhazia) --to be read or introduced to Rhodean children.

Other suggestions: on rooms’ improvements.

Lily pointed out to unhandy showers,

Manana—on absence of computers in rooms.

3) Peter Curman’s remarks on the preparation of the international writers’ meeting:
Peter pointed out to the logical and unavoidable amalgamation of GA meeting and the international event in November. He urged to work on the programme of the international conference as efficiently as possible until the end of this extraordinary meeting.

4) Internal and the financial matter of the committee:
a) The TSWTC had to face expenses for Manana’s and Hanan Awwad’s (our guest from Palestine) visas. This time the solution was found by using Georgian writers’ union’s contributions for 2007 (250USD) and 2008 (250EUR) that Manana brought with her. Manana’s and Hanan’s visas cost was deducted from the total sum and the small remaining sum was given to Peter upon the formulated and signed letter between Manana and Peter.

b) The TSWTC has decided to cover some Peter Curman’s expenses that he had to face for the preparation of this extraordinary meeting and bringing the guests.

First, the committee has agreed to cover one of his several tickets, i.e. Larnaka-Rhodes-Larnaka in October, 2008 (391 EUR).
Second, Nikos’s tavern bill where he had an obligation to invite the guests one of the evenings (100 EUR).

c) Since the communication with the treasurer of TSWTC has been difficult- due to objective reasons-, the committee has decided to make a statement supporting the creation of a second account of TSWTC in Sweden –separate from the one already held in Denmark-and transfer to it 2500EUR. This statement will form an inseparable part of these Minutes.

Second section: The meeting resumed at 18.00 with the following attendants:

1. Awwad, Hanan-Palestine
2. Curman, Peter-Sweden
3. Dumbadze, Manana-Georgia
4. Exarchopoulou, Lily-Greece
5. Grzegorzewska, Barbara-Poland
6. Michael, Sami-Israel
7. Rachel-Israel
8. Staponkute, Dalia-Lithuania, Cyprus
9. Torok, Imre-Germany

Chair: Manana Dumbadze
Secretary: Dalia Staponkute

Manana has opened the afternoon session by giving the floor to the Chairman of TSWTC, Peter Curman, who spoke briefly about the possibility of contacting the Swedish Film Institute and ask them to film the event. Then Peter Curman gave the floor to the guests of the TSWTC:
Awwad, Hanan, a Palestinian poet and the president of the Palestinian PEN;
Michael, Sami, an Israeli author and a President of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

The aim of their introductory speeches was to explain the situation in Israel and Palestine in order to help the participants of the meeting to understand the political climate of the region and duly organize the upcoming event.

Some suggestions about the international conference:

Imre suggested to start thinking on the specific topics.
Dalia: while thinking of the topics let’s try to find as much matching points as possible between the two sides.
Manana: an exhibition of books during the conference would be interesting; the books of the participating authors, also presentations of the authors and their literary works.
Peter: planting the tree of peace; and offering the Center to introduce something like an “open doors” policy for Palestinian and Israeli writers.

Sami and Hanan were asked by the committee to think on the list of potential authors to be invited to the event.

The meeting of Day One ended at 20.00.

DAY TWO: 7th of February, 2009 (Saturday)

1. Awwad, Hanan-Palestine
2. Curman, Peter-Sweden
3. Dumbadze, Manana-Georgia
4. Exarchopoulou, Lily-Greece
5. Gahrton, Per-Sweden, a special guest, author and Swedish expert on the Palestinian question
6. Grzegorzewska, Barbara-Poland
7. Michael, Sami-Israel
8. Rachel-Israel
9. Staponkute, Dalia-Lithuania, Cyprus
10. Torok, Imre-Germany

The meeting started elaborating on the themes of the previous day: a general discussion on conference topics and various organizational proposals.

I. General discussion
Peter opened the discussion by mentioning that the Swedish Film Institute could come and film the conference. He also stressed that our aim is to end the conference (perhaps later on) with the cruise around the Mediterranean.
Imre stressed the importance of the exhibition of books and the possibility to hear ideas of the authors on the matters we have discussed.
Per made the point that this meeting is NOT a peace conference but, precisely, a writers’ meeting and it should keep its character as such. Peace is very much about symbols, he said. The main focus of the conference could be, for instance, how to restore the confidence between the two sides. The gap is widening, but the question is how to close it —and that is where writers can step in and elaborate on.
Manana: we have to demonstrate as many as possible sings of successful living together. Art works, movies, any material about successful living together would help.
Lily: It would be interesting to look at how Israelis depict Palestinians in literature and vice versa. Also – any signs of deep poisoning of the literature in both sides. Take the Zionists, for instance.
Per: Common level ground is the most important. Writers should work with imagination and try to attain some sort of vision of what can be done with the present situation.
Peter (remark): We should not forget the abstracts of the participants.
Per: Do you have Islamic authors in Palestine? It would be good to have one for the discussion, to listen to his point of view.
Per: But useful for discussion. Then Per suggested focusing on Israeli and Palestinian authors exclusively as participants of the conference, and deciding what form the event would take— seminar, conference, meeting etc.

II. The concept-invitation
1) The formulation of the text of the invitation took a long time. Hanan’s and Sami’s letters were used as a basis to produce the text of the invitation. After a long discussion the text was approved by the committee (and later given to Dalia for final corrections).

2) Along with the work on the Per raised the question: My questions is—does this conference has a specific goal? What will be the result of the conference –just a meeting and discussions? Or should it go further? Will this meeting lead somewhere? I believe that basic political worries and questions should be somehow answered by this conference. Using their imagination and mind writers can try and offer a vision: how will this conflict look in 5 years? A Visionary mind is important in this event.

3) Before lunch the participants of the meeting decided to call the event as follows:
International Writers’ Meeting in Defense of Justice and Human Dignity: The Role of the Writer in an Area of Conflict.

4) The preliminary dates of the event were set for 5-8 of November, 2009.

------------The first part of the meeting ended at 13.30-----------------------

The meeting restarted at 16.00 with the discussion about the specific timetable, possible topics and concept-invitation to the event.

Per: suggested also to invite researchers, local organization members, international observers.
Imre: invite five authors from each side and international writers.

III. The list of authors
It was decided that Sami and Hanan will mail to the TSWTC their list of suggested authors within 40 days from the date of this meeting:

Hanan—5 Palestinian writers;
Sami—5 Israeli writers.

IV. International observers.
Then the agenda proceeded with the issue of observers: how many and what kind of observers should we invite? It was suggested that they have to be respectful, internationally recognized observers; the number: not more than 5-7 observers. There is a need to clarify WHO is an international observer, and it was decided that it is up to TSWTC to do that job. No specific names were drawn yet. Peter and Imre are responsible for the list of observers (with the help of other members).
The list of suggested observers (10 names) has to be made within a month from the date of this meeting.
Veto right: if someone knows that the suggested observer is not suitable, s/he has a veto right to reject the observer.
Guarantees: Israelis and Palestinians should feel that they have full freedom of speech in the conference.

V. The programme of the event.
The programme of the conference was discussed: what it should include—seminars, round-table discussions, etc?
It was remarked that Day One will be devoted to Israeli and Palestinian writers’ speeches, and Day Two will be a seminar.
Lily supported round-table discussion that would touch upon such themes as:
-could the two communities coexist: similarities, common symbols in literature, fairy tales.
-the image of the other in Israeli and Palestinian literature.
-education: how Israelis and Palestinians are being educated.
-the question of religious fanaticism.

Peter: The center opened the doors to a very important event that will end with the ship of peace sailing from Gaza through Lebanon, Cyprus…, through the Mediterranean and the Aegean.

DAY THREE: 8th of February, 2009 (Sunday)

1. Curman, Peter-Sweden
2. Dumbadze, Manana-Georgia
3. Eksarchopoulou, Lily-Greece
4. Grzegorzewska, Barbara-Poland
5. Staponkute, Dalia-Lithuania, Cyprus
6. Torok, Imre-Germany

The meeting has started at 10.30 with the remaining agenda and internal matters of the TSWTC.

I. Outstanding financial matters and the opening of a second account for TSWTC.
1) After the discussion about outstanding financial matters, the present members of TSWTC have unanimously decided to open a second TSWTC account in Sweden ( see also above, the meeting of the Day One). If a treasurer is absent, ill, or cannot operate for other reasons the TSWTC account when money is needed for the aims of the committee, money should be available through the second account, the responsibility of which lies with the president and the vice-presidents of TSWTC. Every receipt for the amount to be drawn from the second account should be, first, scanned and send to the treasurer and to the president or one of the vice-presidents for approval. The second account is a temporary solution under extraordinary circumstances. Permanent solution will be reached after our treasurer Nina expresses her position in person during the next meeting of the TSWTC.

2) Part of the solution of outstanding financial matters was found by using Georgian writers’ union contributions for 2007 (250 USD) and 2008 (250 EUR) that Manana brought with her in cash. Manana’s and Hanan’s visas cost was deducted from that total sum and the small remaining sum was given to Peter on the basis of a letter formulated and signed between Manana and Peter.

II. Yearly magazine Helios.
Dalia made a short report on Helios. The magazine will consist of four parts: part I is dedicated to the Rhodean author Nikos Kasdaglis; part II to TSWTS’s news; part III consists of poems and short stories from the countries of the three seas; part IV contains the excerpts from the novels of two Greek authors translated into four European languages. The hardest work was to find stories and poems for the 3d part, but by the 30th of October the texts of well-known writers from Norway, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Russia and Georgia were duly received, translated, edited and the magazine is now ready to be printed. It is not known whether the Center managed to change the design and layout, since it is up to the full board of Helios to decide upon such changes--they have received Lily’s proposal on that.
Preliminary plans for the next Helios: Barbara promised to help Dalia with short stories from three countries--Sweden, Finland and Iceland. After the publication of this issue of Helios, Dalia shall discuss with the Center the contents of the next issue.

III. Outstanding matters.
Two outstanding matters still need to be discussed with the board of the Center:
-the electronic version of New Voices, the electronic anthology of the Three Seas’ countries literature (Dalia);
-find out Center’s position on the Nikos Kasdaglis prize (Peter).

21 February, 2009