When the pen is mightier than the sword

EDITOR’S NOTE

Starting on the third day of Hay Festival Dhaka 2014, we are positively buzzing with the effervescent exchange of views and all that is beautiful about The word, a Word, OUR word!
It seems only befitting thus that we shine a spotlight on the 'champion of the word' John Ralston Saul, President of PEN International. The short interview presented here offers a humble introduction to this enigmatic novelist and activist. Catch him in full action today at Hay Festival Dhaka where he will be talking about his commitment to freedom of speech, his championing of indigenous languages and writers in exile.
In between the animated discussions, attendees of Hay Festival Dhaka have been treated to some powerful poetry performances. Here is a representative collection of the international talent who have gathered this weekend. Enjoy the read. Then join us at Bangla Academy to hear them recite from their work. It will make you appreciate why Voltaire once said: “Poetry is the music of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls.”
Don't miss this final day of literary celebrations!

MUNIZE MANZUR

'PEN' was conceived as an acronym: 'Poets, Essayists, Novelists' (later broadened to 'Poets, Playwrights, Editors, Essayists, Novelists'). It was one of the world's first non-governmental organisations and amongst the first international bodies advocating for human rights. It is acclaimed as the first worldwide association of writers, and the first organisation to point out that freedom of expression and literature are inseparable.

In 2010, as part of a general rebranding, the organisation was renamed PEN International. It is now active in over 100 countries, and still echoes Dawson-Scott's and Galsworthy's original principles advocating freedom of expression, peace and friendship. It has responded to modern history's most dramatic turns, and its heroes have included the most celebrated intellectuals of each era as well as countless tireless and dedicated members fighting to ensure that the right to write, speak, read and publish is forever at the heart of world culture.

Hay Festival Dhaka 2014 is honoured to welcome John Ralston Saul, President of PEN International, to discuss about the importance of freedom of expression. He has had a growing impact on political and economic thought in many countries and is included in the prestigious Utne Reader's list of the world's 100 leading thinkers and visionaries.

Addressing questions put forward by freelance contributor Naushad Ali Husein, Saul confers on nationhood; the importance of minority cultures; and embracing imagination.

1) When you were writing Reflections of a Siamese Twin, Canada was known to the world as a progressive, liberal country, accepting of immigrants, and protecting the powerless with such social infrastructure as healthcare. How have these things changed after a decade of Conservative rule?

JRS: Canadians don't change because of one government.  This is the oldest, continuous democratic federation in the world. It will take a lot to knock it off track. In fact, healthcare hasn't been touched because citizens have made it clear that they would decimate any government that tries to undermine it. Other areas have been damaged, but I think the country will find its balance again. Remember, we have a 160-years-old experience of being governed by Conservatives, Progressive-conservatives and Liberals. There is no tradition of being governed by ideologues or the Right Wing or Neo-conservatives; none of whom are Conservatives.

Certainly, the population remains very pro-immigration. There have often been ups and downs in specific immigration policies. I certainly believe that we do best by accepting refugees and immigrants who come from very difficult circumstances and are seeking a better life. I certainly don't think that immigration should be a system to poach the educated future leaders of countries in difficulty.  One thing which is positive at the moment, is that we are once again increasing the number of immigrants. For years it has varied between 150,000 – 250,000 a year. Remember that 85% of these immigrants become citizens within 5 years. The word 'immigrant' is a noble word in the Canadian vocabulary. But I do feel that Canadians are tired of the neo-conservative discourse which attempts to frighten them and treat them as if they are tax payers rather than citizens. And because the country has such a complex make-up of regions and cultures, people are very loath to embrace Euro-American style patriotism and populism, no matter how hard the government tries.

2) How have your views of citizenship and nationhood changed with Canada's place in the world?

JRS: I've always been against the Euro-American model of the monolithic Nation State. People should not be obsessed by countries being made up of a single race or language or religion or mythology. That monolithic approach produced endless violence in Europe, culminating in the civil war of the 20th Century and 100 million dead. I believe that countries must embrace their own complexity, which means enthusiastically embracing minority cultures and languages.

As for Canada, I think the other essential element is the indigenous people, who were excluded and betrayed for about 100 years from the second half of 19th Century on. But now they are making an amazing comeback to power and influence, which I have written about in my newest book (The Comeback). This is obviously a matter of rights and justice owed to them. But I also think that they bring remarkable ideas which are not derivative of the narrow-linear Western approach. For example, their philosophical approach towards the place of humanism in the physical world could represent a very valuable strategy for dealing with today's environmental crisis.

3) Since you're from Canada, we have to ask, with reference to Toronto: how does an advanced democracy in an educated society elect a crack-head, and then continue to support him after he is exposed?

JRS: I wasn't particularly shocked that the Mayor of Toronto was a drug addict. Who cares, so long as he is able to do his job properly? But he wasn't. Of course it was deeply embarrassing to have a fool in an important public role. But what mattered was that he repeatedly lied as a public official, could not tell the difference between his personal interests and the public interest. He, or rather his brother, has now been defeated. Unless he had been charged by the police he could not be removed before the election. That is just part of constitutional democracy. The most worrying thing is that people who are classic populists only get to power when citizens no longer respect those in position of authority. When the populist arrives in office, it means that truth has lost its meaning. For example, Mr Ford was the son of a very rich man and himself lived off the family's money while pretending to be attacking the elites.

4) You've indicated, "the more we react to the financial crisis the more we will freeze ourselves into the old globalist system." What does a country like Bangladesh do, then, to respond to such a crisis?

JRS: It is difficult to me to give advice in Bangladesh. This will be my first visit. I certainly know about your country's challenges. What is clear is that the response of the West to the financial crisis was wrong. By embracing austerity for a long period of time they made things much worse. And the religious, if not, mystical, approach towards debt has blocked us and in the process blocked many countries with much more fragile economies. When you have a major financial collapse because of poor financial management and speculation, you fire those responsible and put policies in place which stabilize the disadvantaged. Instead, we promoted those who created the crisis, we did not profoundly reform the financial sector and we punished the disadvantaged by strictly enforcing impossible debt situations. There is little a country like Bangladesh can do about this on its own. But I do think that regions can have an effect on these policies by working together.  

5) In Voltaire's Bastards, you speak of the problem with the cult of expertise and professionalism – that it limits general, broad-based understanding of the world we live in. What advice would you give a young person entering university, and trying to juggle their curiosity to understand the world broadly, versus attaining professional expertise, and job security?

JRS: Because of the failure of the managerial elites we are seeing a real contradiction between what Western technocratic and business education promises and what it actually delivers. It is largely about a narrowing of the student's mindset and a discouraging of imagination. The people who will be the key players over the next 25 years, will be those who have embraced imagination and sought a broader education. There is no point in seeking a narrow, utilitarian career through university education. If you do, you will be quickly obsolescent and marginalized.