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Day of the Dead Campaign 2011
PEN International | 16 October 2011
Dear colleagues,
Many of you will already have heard about PEN International’s upcoming Day of the Dead 2011 campaign on Mexico, which was presented at Congress in Belgrade last month. This campaign aims to focus public attention on the appalling violence and impunity affecting journalists and writers in Mexico and to mobilize pressure on the Mexican authorities to bring an end to it. On 2 November 2011, we hope that PEN members and writers worldwide will commemorate their fallen Mexican colleagues with traditional Day of the Dead activities such as special altars, as well as with public readings, editorials, interviews and talks, etc.
Mexico is one of the most dangerous places in the world in which to practise journalism. In the last five years, 35 journalists have been murdered and eight have gone missing. This year alone, nine journalists have been killed, four of whom were women. Most of the dead, such as La Opinión reporter Eliseo Barrón Hernández (see photo), murdered on 25 May 2009, were involved in investigating corruption or reporting on organised crime, and were likely targeted because of their work. The vast majority of these killings and disappearances have not been properly investigated or punished, creating a climate of impunity and fear.
We very much hope that your Centre will take part in this important campaign. So that you can plan your activities for 2 November, we have provided supporting materials which can be downloaded from the campaign page on our website. Please visit Day of the Dead 2011.
On our web site’s campaign page you will find the following materials:
- Action paper (available in English, Spanish and French)
- How to make a Day of the Dead altar (English, Spanish and French; see photo below)
- Poetry and prose which can be used as part of your campaign activities, including some verses written especially for the campaign by the eminent Mexican poets José Emilio Pacheco and Homero Aridjis as well as an article by Homero Aridjis (English, Spanish and French)
- List of writers killed and disappeared in Mexico since 2006 (English)
- Background information and additional resources (English)
- Campaign poster* (English, Spanish and French)
- Campaign logo*
*A note on the campaign logo: The image chosen to symbolize PEN International's Day of the Dead 2011 campaign in the campaign logo and poster is a slightly modified figure from one of numerous illustrations by José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913). Posada was a popular Mexican illustrator whose best-known images used motifs of death in striking and often satirical ways. He introduced the use of skeletons and skulls in satirical comments, especially around the occasion of the Day of the Dead, developing the Mexican tradition of using death to comment on life. His influence on Mexican art has been decisive and his images are an enduring part of Mexican culture. The illustration used in PEN’s campaign logo and poster was drawn by Maxine Young.
Many thanks to all those involved in the design of this campaign, in particular Jens Lohman of Danish PEN and Tony Cohen of San Miguel de Allende PEN, the illustrator Maxine Young and various translators, all of whom have generously donated their time and know-how.
Please let us know if and when your Centre will be taking part in this campaign, either on or before 2 November, or even later in November. We will be issuing a press release ahead of 2 November and we'd love to be able to include a list of all the Centres in the world that are participating, along with details of your events and activities.
For further information regarding the Day of the Dead campaign, please contact Cathal Sheerin (cathal.sheerin@pen-international.org). If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards,
Cathal
Cathal Sheerin | Africa and Americas Programmes PEN International t. +44 (0)20 7405 0338 | e. cathal.sheerin@pen-international.org | www.pen-international.org
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