According to the Freedom to Read website: Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Freedom to Read Week is organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council.
Freedom to Read Week is February 26 - March 3, 2012.
Each year a Canadian author is awarded the Writers' Union of Canada's 2012 Freedom to Read Award. This year's recipient is Lawrence Hill who was honoured because of "his reasoned and eloquent response to the threat to burn his novel The Book of Negroes," according to Greg Hollingshead, chair of the Writers Union.
The full story was covered in a past entry about Lawrence Hill. A Dutch group called Foundation Honor and Restore Victims of Slavery in Suriname had planned to burn Hill's book to protest the use of the word "negro" in the title. Ironically, the Book of Negroes' title comes from an actual historical document which recorded the names of 3,000 African slaves who were moved from New York to Nova Scotia, then to Africa.
It is not the first time the title has stirred controversy. The Book of Negroes was called Someone Knows My Name in the US and Australia, while in Quebec, it was given the name of the main character and titled Aminata.
Freedom to Read Week is nearly upon us. The annual event that “encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom” kicks off on Sunday, February 20, 2011.
The importance of Freedom to Read Week is explained with a statement by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council.
“Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms . . . thought, belief, opinion, and expression.”
— Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right of all Canadians, and freedom to read is part of that precious heritage. Our Committee, representing member organizations and associations of the Book and Periodical Council, reaffirms its support of this vital principle and opposes all efforts to suppress writing and silence writers. Words and images in their myriad configurations are the substance of free expression.
The freedom to choose what we read does not, however, include the freedom to choose for others. We accept that courts alone have the authority to restrict reading material, a prerogative that cannot be delegated or appropriated. Prior restraint demeans individual responsibility; it is anathema to freedom and democracy.
As writers, editors, publishers, book manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and librarians, we abhor arbitrary interpretations of the law and other attempts to limit freedom of expression. We recognize court judgments; otherwise, we oppose the detention, seizure, destruction, or banning of books and periodicals – indeed, any effort to deny, repress, or sanitize. Censorship does not protect society; it smothers creativity and precludes open debate of controversial issues.
Freedom to Read Week is about giving a voice to the silenced. The Freedom of Expression Committee does just this with a week of activities and discussions geared towards greater communication and understanding of the issues at play.
Individuals interested in taking part can consult the calendar for events in their neighbourhood. I don’t think children will dismiss the opportunity to add their voice to the cause when they learn that J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is just one of many banned in Canada.
In the end, it’s all about choice. So, I pose this question: Do you want to be able to choose for yourself?
0 Comments on Freedom to Read Week as of 1/1/1900
A start to a new week and a great challenge. I have opened the pages to "The Kite Runner" and can't put it down
D
I loved "The Kite Runner" and I am reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" now and enjoying that just as much.