On July 5, news was reported in Japan that the Taliban, the Islamist group in power in Afghanistan, has decided to close beauty salons in the country. The business license of a beauty salon in the capital city of Kabul has already been revoked, depriving women working in the salon of employment. Despite international criticism, protests by women, and the voices of rights activists, women are only allowed to go to elementary school, are forced to wear clothes that show only their eyes, and must be accompanied by a male relative when traveling more than 72 kilometers. Since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan two years ago on August 15, women's rights are being taken away.
It was only in February that we heard that the Taliban regime had issued a verdict banning poetry in Afghanistan on January 15. Web Afghanistan editor-in-chief Juichi Noguchi sent a message from Somaia Ramish, a poet in exile in the Netherlands and a former member of the Herat Provincial Assembly, to poetry organizations in Japan. I could not believe it at first hand, so I called the Japan Association for Afghanistan and asked them about it. They told me that the order is true and that there is a protest movement in the area, but that the culture of poetry is different from that of Japan and that we cannot believe everything in the West or in Japanese media reports. I received a deep and careful guidance from Mr. Matsunami.
Somaia Ramish invited poets from around the world to send in their poems in solidarity with the resistance. We call on poets, writers, and literary and cultural organizations around the world committed to freedom of expression and equality to join the poets of Afghanistan in a movement of protest through artistic expression. Our movement aims to symbolize the solidarity of poets around the world and to demonstrate the immortality and eternity of poetry. It is also a humanistic action against all forms of oppression and injustice."
At the time, I had an old book of poems in my possession. It was an anthology published in 1965 called "Hokkaido-Vietnam Poetry Collection I." Edited by Kota Ehara, Itsuro Sasaki, and others, it was a legendary volume with the participation of eminent poets such as Genzo Sarashina, Takio Tomoda, Kohei Hanazaki, and Yoshimori Furukawa. I received this book from the late Shoichi Tomita, who presided over the poetry magazine "Seimei. Five years ago, we launched "Fragile," the successor to "Aome," a poetry magazine published by Mr. Tomita for seventy-two years, the longest period of time in Hokkaido, with the aim of creating a place for poets to find spiritual support after the war. Mr. Tomita, who valued the poet's will to create the most, studied under the poet Yoshihisa Koike, who was a close friend of Hideo Oguma. Asahikawa City in Hokkaido is home to a monument to Hideo Oguma's poetry. I am also a member of the Hideo Oguma Award Citizens Executive Committee. At university, I studied under Professor Toshimi Takano (the first director of the Ayako Miura Memorial Literature Museum), a literary critic who discussed Hideo Oguma, Mitsuharu Inoue, and Kobo Abe. Dr. Takano was a representative of the Asahikawa Beheiren. Why is there such a difference between the Japanese people's reaction to world developments around the time of the Vietnam War and their reaction to the current difficult situations in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and elsewhere? It is very interesting. Hideo Oguma was a poet who was always on the side of the weak side, resisting the situation in which the literati were gradually losing their voice due to the militarization of Japan. As someone involved in poetry here in Asahikawa, I felt compelled to do something in response to Somaia Ramish's appeal, so I offered to be the Japanese contact person for the Baamdad (House of Exiled Poets), which Somaia Ramish founded, and actively helped disseminate her message through SNS and other channels. I have been actively helping to spread the word through social networking sites and other means.
The poems submitted by poets from all over the world, including Japan, were originally scheduled to be published on the website on April 15, World Art Day, but due to the large number of wonderful poems submitted, we decided to publish a book, the French edition edited by the poet Cécile Oumhani, and the Japanese edition by myself. The French edition will be edited by the poet Cécile Oumhani, and the Japanese edition will be edited by myself. Thanks to your generous cooperation, we were able to successfully publish the book.
『 NO JAIL CAN CONFINE YOUR POEM 詩の檻はない ～アフガニスタンにおける検閲と芸術の弾圧に対する詩的抗議 』
（発行所：バームダード／デザインエッグ㈱）
販売価格１,８７０円（税込） ISBN 978-4-8150-3933-2 発行二〇二三年八月十五日
（販売による印税はすべてバームダードへ寄付されます。）
詩：
Somaia Ramish Yumiko AOKI Yoji Aoki Yoshiya Asato Koichi Uematsu Ｓ・Ｋ Hitsuji Endou Miwa OTA Akira OKAWADA Onaiita Kuno Takahiro SAGAWA AKI C Cecile Nozomu Shibata Sanmon Takashiba Goro Takano Takahoso Genichi Kurita Taniwaki Eriko Tsugawa ＴＯＸＩＣ Nowyoutow NIJO Cenka Nyanc Juichi Noguchi Paikaji Nina Miku HAYAMA Haruka Tunnel Fukudapero FUKUDA Yo Fuzuki Yumi Yuri Miki Murata Joe Motoyamasaki Mifuyu Tagayasu Mori Auko Yukiyanagi Sumire YUZURIHA Keisuke Yoshida Abhi Subedi Alshaad Kara Anne Vegter Cécile Oumhani Christopher Merrill David Bokolo Davide Minotti Fatemeh Ekhtesar Hafid Gafaïti Juan Tausk Kayes Syed Lidija Dimkovska Mette Moestrup Monique Emma Joannes BOL Neela Nath Das Kamani Jayasekera Shelly Bhoil Susan Alexander Tarık Günersel Thibault Jacquot-Paratte
cover photo：MASAHIKO TANIGUCHI translation：Atsushi Ando illustration：Akane Hino
Somaia Ramish mentions 'Liberty Rock Radio' in her poem included in the book. When I read it I thought of two musicians, David Bowie and Lou Reed.
Last year, the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) produced a documentary featuring David Bowie and Lou Reed. It showed how David Bowie's 1987 concert had a major impact on the fall of the Berlin Wall, and how Lou Reed's music he wrote early influenced the revolution in Czechoslovakia. I am happy that their achievements are talked on TV, but I feel uncomfortable that they are treated as heroes of the West during the Cold War.
David Bowie was an innovative expressionist who constantly challenged the establishment. He saw that all powers were using art to manipulate the public and cleverly accused them of doing so. This is evident in songs such as 'Fashion' in 1980. When he appeared at Live Aid in 1985, a major event watched on TV by some 1.9 billion people worldwide, Bowie chose the same outfit he wore in 1974 and appeared singing 'TVC15', a satire on television society. The Diamond Dogs Tour of 1974 was a show that recreated the world of George Orwell's novel 1984. His song, released shortly afterwards, was a song of rebellion called 'Rebel Rebel', which dealt with LGBT issues. The true meaning of Bowie's expression should be noted.
Lou Reed was a true poet. He explored areas of poetry that were far beyond the reach of conventional thinking. He dealt with LGBT issues more than fifty years ago. In Japan, The LGBT Bill was finally debated in the Diet, now in 2023. Jonathan Larson's 1996 musical Rent is about how marginalised people who do not fit into the system of capitalist society live, and infectious diseases and LGBT issues are also addressed there. Now is the time for serious discussion about what these works of art appeal to society and what they can teach us.
The power of poetry can be felt in currently flourishing genres of expression such as 'animation', 'cinema', 'games' and 'popular music'. However, 'contemporary poetry', a pure literary genre, unfortunately appears to be in decline compared to them. In capitalist societies, the power of art to move big money is greatly valued, while poetry, which does not, is less so.
There may be counter-arguments, but overall, unfortunately, contemporary Japanese poetry today is a docile genre, as if it has been put in a cage. The last time Japanese poetry was thriving was probably in the 1950s and 60s. More people were interested in Japanese poetry than now. At the turning point of the times, people seriously thought, discussed and acted on society, and wrote and read avant-garde poetry that had never been seen before.
The works of Japanese writer Kobo Abe, who philosophised about the turning points of the times, are read by people all over the world. Kobo Abe wrote novels about how people's values are collapsing and new values are becoming the norm. They pose fundamental questions about what we usually consider normal (fu-ts-u) in our daily lives and whether it is really normal.
Ninety years ago, Japan was a country where poetry could not be written freely. Literary figures were suppressed, tortured and killed by state authorities. During World War II, poems praising the country and supporting the troops were welcome, and writing the opposite was a crime. When a country loses a war, it is usually imbued with the culture of the side that won, and after Japan lost the war, exposure to western art increased rapidly.
The current Japanese Constitution states respect for fundamental human rights. There, freedom of expression is protected and the right to "express all views without censorship or restriction" is guaranteed. In Japan, there is no law punishing the artistic activity of writing poetry. There is no legal basis in Japan to punish me for writing a poetry I want to write and publishing books like this one. This is normal. For more than 70 years, the Japanese have lived accepting this situation as their common sense.
The idea of what a country should be varies from country to country. The answer to the question of what poetry is also differs from country to country. Everyone should have the right to think seriously about what poetry is, face that question with all their might, act on it and write poetry. We have learnt many times in our history that breaking down preconceptions and past norms is the way to evolve artistic expression. We must not create cages and abandon evolution.
Somaia Ramish's call reminded me of that. I was deeply moved by the fact that one poet made a call to poets around the world in this day and age. It was a question that resonated deeply with not only the nature of poetry, but also with the roots of human existence. I have never been to Afghanistan and the Afghanistan I imagine is different from the real Afghanistan. I think it is difficult for people in Afghanistan to understand the situation in Japan. This is because the common sense is different. Transcending such differences in values, the message arrived.
Moved by Somaia Ramish's stance on the situation in Afghanistan, many poets from around the world agreed with the message, responded to the call and sent their own poems. This is remarkable. I believe this is a sign of joy and support for one poet's willingness to express herself to the world.
The fact many poets' works were sent in such a short notice seems to be a result of the action propelled by the heartfelt decision of the sensibility nurtured through our common sense, kept alive within a certain social norm, rather than in solidarity with the resistance against the Taliban regime's policy. Then, what is the positive side to our common sense? I pray that many people in the world accept this as their common sense, and as their normal.
The intention to support a poet, motivated by her voice 'I won't stop writing poems', is a manifestation of human's desire which is pre-political and fundamental to our existence, and touching this area is the work of poetry. Believing this, I spread the message of Somaia Ramish through social media, etc. I would like to thank all the poets who responded to our call and sent their poems to Baamdaad.
I would like to thank Dr. Atsushi Ando, Professor Emeritus of Hokkaido University, who translated the book from English to Japanese; Dr. Atsushi Takahashi, Professor Emeritus of Otaru University of Commerce, who translated the French version;
Ms. Yumiko Aoki, Mr. Akira Okawada, Ms. NIJO Cenka, Mr. Jun Kigure, who helped proofread and revise the book; I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Juichi Noguchi, editor-in-chief of Web Afghanistan, Ms. Noriko Nagaya, Ms. Yuri Miki of KOTOBA Slam Japan, Ms. Hitsuji Endo, and all others who have helped us enormously to make the book available on August 15, a historic date for Afghanistan and Japan.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your generous support.
Thank you to Masahiko Taniguchi for the seaside photo on the cover. Japan is surrounded by the sea. For Japan, the sea is a border. The poet's message reached beyond the sea. May it spread like a circle of waves.
Nozomu Shibata
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