Why I write what I write, part 1, Iowa City Public Library, 2004

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Why I write what I write, part 1, Iowa City Public Library, 2004

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Title	Why I write what I write, part 1, Iowa City Public Library, 2004
Creator	Al Saidi, Asim Mohamed Tang, Ying Berdugo, Sami, 1970- Rurangwa, Jean-Marie V. (Jean-Marie Vianney), 1959-
Creator - Nationality	Omani Chinese Israeli Rwandan
Contributor	Merrill, Christoper
Date Original	2004
Description	Asim Mohamed Al Saidi of Oman begins the panel by stating that he writes to expand the mind as exercise does the body and to make the world a better place. He then attempts to answer the question of why he writes by considering different psychological perspectives. Al Saidi determines that writing answers a need on each level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and ultimately concludes that the reason he writes is a mystery. Tang Ying from China then describes the Shanghai “great escape” that occurred when China opened its doors in 1980. The “great escape” was a desire shared by many people from Shanghai to travel to other nations. She draws comparisons of the great escape with the Cultural Revolution, and describes the difficulties of Chinese people living abroad. Semi Berdugo from Israel says that he writes because it is part of who he is. He describes how his perception of writers has changed over the years as well as the subject matter he writes about. Berdugo describes the writing process as one of great catharsis, and describes how the death of his father when he was 13 shaped him as the writer he is today. Finally, Jean-Marie Rurangwa of Rwanda begins by telling of his birth and trying times as a child during a Hutu uprising against the Tutsis in Rwanda. He relates how his early plays were censured because they were viewed as posing a danger to the state. Rurangwa then describes the events leading up to the 1994 genocide and the writing he has done since then to raise awareness. He closes by stating that he writes in order to remind the world of the horrors of genocide, to fight against negationism and to encourage the survivors to go on living for those who were killed.
Venue	Iowa City Public Library
Topical Subject (LCTGM)	Authors Writing Immigrants Genocide
Topical Subject (LCSH)	Psychology Communism China
Personal Name Subject	Al Saidi, Asim Mohamed; Tang, Ying; Berdugo, Sami, 1970-; Rurangwa, Jean-Marie V. (Jean-Marie Vianney), 1959-
Geographic Subject	United States -- Iowa -- Iowa City
Chronological Subject	2000-2010
Related Works	Wife from America; No Love in Shanghai; The Girls in A-Fei Street; Black Girl; Say It to the Wind; Orphans; Heart of a Stateless Person; Voice of the Vulture; The Children of the Sun; Crossing the Desert; Poetry in Exile; Writing to Remember; The Genocide of the Tuti Explained to a Foreigner; Butera bwa Bugabo, the Son of a Survivor; Let Him Live; Africa, Who Are You?; On the Roads of Exile; The Dangerous Seducer; The Whims of Destiny; Bitter Souvenirs of the Terrible Year
Type (DCMIType)	Moving Image
Type (AAT)	Presentations (Communicative events)
Type (IMT)	mp4
Duration	01:27:13
Language	English
Digital Collection	Virtual Writing University Archive
Contributing Institution	Iowa City Public Library
Subcollection	International Writing Program Collection
Rights Management	Educational use only, no other rights given. U.S. and international copyright laws may protect this digital object. Commercial use or distribution of the object is not permitted without prior permission of the copyright holder.
Contact Information	Contact the VWU Webmaster: http://www.writinguniversity.org/index.php/main/info/25/
Date Digital	2004
File Name	iwp-icpl_whywritept1.mp4
Original File Name	iwp_whywritept1.mpg

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Why I write what I write, part 1, Iowa City Public Library, 2004

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