I, however,
would like discuss about RAHA and the plans we have for and in
Afghanistan. For us Afghanistan is not just a geographical identity, but
that of a metaphysical one, and I hope you would understand that.
What we have in
mind is not just an Afghan writers' centre, an office or some chairs and
desks. Yes sir, you can establish an Afghan PEN Centre easily and you
can find members for that venture too. You had mentioned in your mail
that you have, in your roll, some writers in Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Europe and the United States.
May I inform
you that we have been in the vanguard of reviving the new Afghan
literature and culture. Our young organisation, RAHA, a global
independent writers' home, is trying to change the generation of
literature. Let me make you aware that classical literature had once
taken control of the Afghan literary space and most famous writers and
common reading public in Afghanistan are dependent on classical thinking
and literature. The classical literature and thinking in Afghanistan
helped military groups and is enriching egoistic thinking. Please read
Mario Vargas Lhosa again.
Are you aware
of the new generation of Afghan literature which RAHA is carrying and
the progressive route it has taken? If you want Afghan PEN Centre to
have classical writers and poets shoulder by shoulder, it would be
better to just sit in front of your desk and write your own novel. My
prognostic sense says that we should create a readable world-class
literature from Afghanistan. One of RAHA's goals is leading the
avant-garde, protest Afghan literature. Also I think limiting Afghan
writers in a packaged name called Afghan Writers' Centre is just right
out of a classical system. You should adopt an open-end look at Afghan
writers so that it would turn into a global movement. At least at those
places where Afghans are in exile and vagrancy. It's time for us to
contrive exile and vagrancy to create new literature for the new nation.
First of all we criticised ourselves and then ordered the new space
tantamount of world-class literature. Bring me, one by one, a poem,
fiction and or a novel of Afghan in the past generation so that to make
aware you how the classical literature kept our culture, speech and
literature in the period of suppression. Unfortunately most of our
writers' references in literature is from a book
(titled: المعجم في معايير الاشعار العجم ) and the poetic
technique adopted centuries ago. Most of these renewals are duplicate
of literature in Iran during 30 or 40 years ago. It's a warning for
you from supporting classical literature and ego thinking. We started
publishing several articles to criticise these kind of literature and
thinking in Afghanistan (http://rahapen.org).
I offer you to very well consider an Afghan writer's literature and then
try to establish an Afghan PEN Club. I'm not against you, dear sir; in
fact, we, as an organisation, want to support Afghan thinkers and
classical writers while establishing the Afghan PEN Centre. It will be
same with supporting Afghan military groups and ego thinkers by outside
governments and we will be doggedly against that.
RAHA's outlook
is not one-sided and our another goal is making a secure place inside
Afghanistan as the Independent Writers' Refuge. We have plans to bring
in Afghanistan's security and freedom which include profound reading and
writing. Afghan writers are free to make themselves available to this
centre and also we can help them to write progressive literature in the
language they write. We, RAHA writers, are not just from Afghanistan.
But we focus on Afghanistan to help independent, professional, new
talented writers and, of course, promoting reading and writing there.
Our two plans are mixed together to keep the metaphysical Afghanistan in
our outlook. Afghanistan is a multicultural country with multilateral
myths, imagination and a huge time-frame.
Yes, I know it
is a hard decision to make, but according to the RAHA charter we can
cooperate with any
individual, group, union or organisation with the above common
objectives. So if you want to help us writers, let's