Translated with DeepL.
Original language: Deutsch
Andreas Damtoz
Visual artist from Indonesia (born in 1962). Together with his wife, the poet Dorothea Rosa Herliany, he founded the publishing house Indonesia Tera in 1995. Since then, he has designed and published almost 200 books. In 2001, he was awarded the Indonesian Publishers Association Prize for Design. He is the editor of the biannual cultural journal Kolong Budaya and has run Left Studios, a design, advertising and promotion company, since 2005. His work was exhibited at the national Borodur art exhibition in Java and at Burgau Castle in Düren in 2009.
Shadi Sadre
Journalist and lawyer from Iran (born 1974). As a prominent criminal defense lawyer and women's rights activist, she campaigns against discriminatory laws in Iran. She is co-founder of the campaign "Stop Stoning Forever", founded the internet portal "Zanan-e Iran" (Women in Iran) and runs the website Meydaan.net (Women's Field). As a lawyer, she has represented numerous women's rights activists and journalists, including the human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari. In July 2009, she was abducted and imprisoned in Tehran. She was released due to international pressure and was able to leave Iran.
Dorothea Rosa Herliany
Philologist and writer from Indonesia (born in 1963). Her first collection of poetry Nyany-ian Gaduh (Loud Song) was published in 1987. Since then, she has published over twenty books and has received several awards. Her poetry collection "Kill the Radio" (2001) has made her one of the most important representatives of contemporary Indonesian poetry. Her work is considered feminist and the literary quality of her texts has been unanimously praised by critics. Poems in German translation in : "ORIENTIERUNGEN: Zeitschrift zu Kultur Asiens" (2001) and "Schenk mir alles was die Männer nicht besitzen" (2009), bilingual and multimedia CD, ulme-mini-Verlag.
Pinar Selek
Author, sociologist and journalist from Istanbul/Turkey (born 1971). She co-founded the women's cooperative Amargi, organized women's meetings for dialogue and exchange in Kurdish cities and campaigned for victims of state violence. In 1999 she was accused in Turkey, tortured, imprisoned for two and a half years and finally acquitted. She writes for Turkish and Kurdish newspapers and has published four books to date. In 2004, Barismadik (We have not made peace) was published, in which she analyzes the peace movement and militarism in Turkey. Her most recent book, Sürüne sürüne erkek olmak ("Cuddled into manhood. Drilled into manhood"), about male identity in Turkey was published by Orlanda Verlag in Berlin in March 2010.
Babangoni Kubvala Chisale
Poet and performer from Malawi (born 1981). He performs his readings in traditional Malawian dress. In keeping with his tradition and culture, he aims to convey moral messages to the audience with his recitations. On his album Dale Zili Maliseche (Democracy is naked in Africa), Babangoni deals with the political situation in Malawi. In Berlin, he gave a highly acclaimed performance at the gala celebrating the 10th anniversary of the poetry platform "lyrikline".
Ajith Herath
Poet, journalist and cartoonist from Sri Lanka (born 1967). In 1989, he was arrested, tortured and imprisoned for four years for his participation in a demonstration critical of the government. After his release, he made a name for himself as an author, poet and cartoonist against racism and militarism. In 1995, he joined the editorial team of the weekly magazine "Hiru Group". A group of political activists formed around the editorial team, campaigning for peace with the Tamils and freedom of the press. In 2008, he was forced to leave his country due to death threats.
