PEN International Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee Annual Meeting

7th June 2024: Dialogues in Sápmi: “Making Indigenous Languages and Literature Visible”

Hosted by PEN Finland, PEN International’s Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee (TLRC) will hold its Annual Meeting in Inari, Sápmi, Finland, on 7th June 2024. The committee supports all languages and literatures, promoting interaction between cultures and aiding endangered languages.

The TLRC Annual Meeting 2024 will focus on Finno-Ugric languages and the linguistic rights of the Sámi people, discussing the challenges and opportunities for freedom of expression in this context. We will explore how the Sámi have revitalized their languages and address issues in writing, translating, and publishing in minority languages.

There are nine living Sámi languages: Northern, Inari, Skolt, Lule, Southern, Kildin, Ter, Ume, and Pite, with some, like Ume, Pite, and Ter Sámi, spoken by only a few dozen people. Akkala Sámi recently disappeared when its last native speaker died in the early 2000s. The Sámi languages face threats due to colonialism and stigma, though revitalization efforts have improved societal support. However, these languages remain under threat, especially in the Russian Federation.

The United Nations General Assembly declared 2022–2032 the decade of indigenous languages to highlight the critical status of many indigenous languages and to mobilize resources for their preservation and promotion.

PROGRAM

“FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE”

Hybrid session: Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos and Zoom

9.30–11.00 INTERNAL MEETING

·        Follow-up to Tuesday's discussion Resolutions

·        TLRC Future Plans

·        11.00–11.15 BREAK

11.15–12.30 MAKING INDIGENOUS LITERATURE VISIBLE

·        Introducing two Projects in Latin America

·        12:30–13:30 BREAK

13.30–15.00 ROUND TABLE: MINORITIES AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

·        15.00–15.30 BREAK

15.30–17.00 CONCLUDING REMARKS

·        Conclusions & follow-up actions

·        Thank you from Finnish PEN, Peter Mickwitz

·        Final words, Urtzi Urrutikoetxea