عفيف إسماعيل على جناح الصلصال

Quote: LOCAL POET AFEIF ISMAIL OFF TO EGYPT TO LAUNCH HIS NEW BOOK. Shenton Park poet and playwright Afeif Ismail is off to Egypt to launch his latest collection of poetry “it’s Your Bird’. Afeif, a Sudanese-Australian, is well-known in literary circles in Perth, and has published several collections of poetry in both his first language Arabic, and in English. His latest book will be launched during the Cairo International Book Festival in 24th January 2008 and Afeif will also give readings and give a talk about his experiences as a recent migrant artist to Australia his work in cross-cultural development. The flight to Egypt is supported by ArtsWA through their Artflight programme. Recently short-listed for the prestigious Kit Denton Fellowship – a $25,000 award for writers of courage started by TV personality Andrew Denton in memory of his father, Afeif brings experiences of his life and political exile from Africa, and his subsequent new life in WA, to both his poems and plays. Afeif was born in Elhassahisa, Sudan in 1962 and as well as being a published poet writer, playwright, and artist he is an activist for the cause of freedom throughout the world. He has lived in Australia since December 2003, where he founded the "Wings Organization for Cross-Cultural Development Inc"; and is currently Chairperson. Afeif also is an editor for Arabic publications, and currently an editorial member of "Almuhajir” Sudanese Newspaper in Victoria. His previous works in Arabic include "Traps & Some Tracks" (2001), and "Bet of the Argil" (2003), which was translated by Dr Aida Seif El-Dawla and published in English in 2005 by Samantha International & Multicultural Publishing. Afeif was a founding member of many literary and cultural clubs in Sudan and Egypt, and a member of many Human Rights organizations. He has written many works of poetry, including children poems, and would love to see them published in English. He has also had some of his poems translated into German and Japanese. He is also working on a new play for children for Barking Gecko Theatre Company for production in 2009. Afeif is aiming to ‘trans-create’ “It’s Your Bird” later this year. “Trans-creation is the process of me translating directly to English then working with other writers, such as Shelia Blundell-Wignall and Vivienne Glance, to enhance the poetry into English, he said. “Through trans-creating we can bring out the subtlety and beauty of the Arabic work and make it accessible to English readers. By removing the barrier of language we can open our minds to other cultures.” “I believe diversity creates dimension in our world,” said Afeif. “Writing is my mission in life. I see myself as a bridge between two cultures. I’m excited to visit the lands of my mother tongue and bring this experience of cultural diversity back to my new home, Australia.” Contact Afeif Ismail for more details or an interview on 0423 675 479