Trendsetting  Arts- Producer Thomas Block / IHRAF Team takes International Human Rights Art Festival beyond global podiums

Posted on by Mbizo Chirasha(AfricanWilliam Blake)

The IHRAF Festival that is fast growing into a world movement as we leap forward into 2023 was founded and is curated by Thomas Block (Tom Block) in New York, United States of America. The movement/festival has published mind-blowing books and folios of hybrid narratives on genital mutilation, wars, dictatorships, poverty, hunger and deficiency of democracy, resistance stories and underground poetry, heart- shattering essays on conflicts/political discord in USA (Black Lives Matter), Ukraine, Syria, Asia and the Persian Gulf Bamako, Kenya, the Americas Darfur, Zimbabwe, Congo, Moza, Nigeria and soul -torturing Xenophobic episodes of South Africa since its inception

IHRAF Movement has embarked on a massive – unrepentant and uncouthed drive on preserving human rights, human freedoms, freedom of expression and the right to human rights through various artistic interventions and persuasions that include Stand Up Theatre, Spoken Word, Dance, Stage music and films – this is usually as live art staging, hybrid/virtual performances symposia, live festival exhibition and more

The IHRAF is grounded on defending /protecting /supporting the lives of artists, activists, writers and human rights defenders in exile and in their countries is incredible

Skillful/ artistic/scholarly /creative young and middle-aged citizens of the world, from Africa, India, Asia into Europe have been archived unto the mesmerizing literary magazine IHRAF PUBLSHES as IHRAF continues to write many have found place in nooks and brooks of IHRAF Books that now read globally.  Young fellows and international fellows are drawn from across different countries especially from countries torn by war, ravaged by poverty, shriveled by dictatorial regimes, attacked by internal conflicts and prone to injustice- the IHRAF Team remains determined in the fight against injustices and abuse of human rights through creative activism

One land marking- highlight is that of IHRAF getting positive -dominance and as being fully represented in three powerful countries of Africa Eastern (Kenya) by Grace Suge, Southern (Zimbabwe) by Mbizo Chirasha, Western by Wole Odenyin (Nigeria). These prolific and iconic writers, poets, essayists and human rights defenders   make up the IHRAF African Secretariat and Africa has become part of the important daily, monthly and yearly programming routines of the IHRAF Movement

To sum up my update, I will insert underneath here a summarized 2022 Report of Success as presented by the IHRAF Founder/ Executive Director Thomas Block (Tom Block)

.
2022 


Another year of growth, outreach and support for international voices!

  • Published 70+ pieces on IHRAF Publishes and IHRAF Translates
  • Published 100+ more writers in four books, including an anthology of our best writing over the first three years, and Voices from Ukraine, Voices of Africa and beyond!
  • Opened two more African Secretariats, in Zimbabwe and Kenya, joining our office in Nigeria
  • Supported fellows in Kenya, Nigeria, Tunisia and Indiana (USA)
  • Published 50+ interviews with African creators
  • Published youth voices from around the world in online three literary anthologies
  • Expanded our reach to present work from 97 countries
  • Gave out twelve monetary awards and 30+ honourable mentions, from 500+ submissions around the world for the Art of Unity Creative Award and Creators of Justice Literary Award
  • Received two grants from the NY State Council in the Arts
  • Invited to present our work at the US State Department, with Partners Global international NGO, and with partners from Brussels, Paris and Zimbabwe to Queens, Manhattan and around NY
  • Expanded our individual and corporate donor base to 100+ supporters

And in 2023, we will become one of only 25% of literary magazines in the United States to pay our published writers, bringing our advocacy publishing arm into a new realm of professionalism!

Short Resume of Tom Bock, the Founder and Executive Director of the IHRAF Movement

Tom is a playwright, author of six books, and 25+ year exhibiting visual artist. He has shown his artwork and spoken about his ideas throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East. Tom founded the International Human Rights Art Festival at Dixon Place (NYC) in March 2017. tomblock.com

This article is written /curated by Mbizo Chirasha (AfricanWilliamBlake), 2019 IHRAF International Fellow ,2020-21 IHRAF Direct Award Recipient, 2022Pan WritivismLaureate/Editor of Voices of Africa: A Call for Freedom, a Pan African Ihraf based poetry anthology,2023 IHRAF Director of Zimbabwe (African Secretariat), the Founder of the Writing Ukraine Prize and the UNESCO-RILA Affiliate Artist at the University of Glasgow, School of Education.

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Published by Mbizo Chirasha(AfricanWilliam Blake)

Mbizo Chirasha is the Founder of the Writing Ukraine Prize (2022-23), UNESCO-RILA Affiliate Artist (University of Glasgow, School of Education, Scotland).2020 Poet of Residence at the Fictional Café (International literary culture Writers Space).2019 IHRAF Pan Writivism/African Fellow .2020 free-Speech Fellow at PEN -Germany Writers in Exile Program. Resident Coordinator at All Africa Live Poetry Symposium (100tpc, USA, global).2019 live literature hub Producer at Sotambe Film Arts Festival (Kitwe, Zambia). 2015Jury President at Shungunamutitima Film Festival (Livingstone, Zambia).2009 Poet in Residence at ICACD (Accra, Ghana). 2009 Fellow at UNESCO-Photo Novel Intensive Training (Tanzania).2011 United States Embassy, Harare Guest Poet at World Poetry Day (Harare, Zimbabwe).2007 Producer/Coordinator of This is Artist Artist in Residence Project (Goethe-Zentrum, Harare) 2006 United Nations Tribute to Kofi Annan Poet .2003 ZIBF ,100 Best Books Young literary/writing delegate to Goteborg Book Fair (Sweden). Chirasha is the Publisher of the Time of the Poet Republic.Curator of WOMAWORDS Literary Press. Editor in Chief at Brave Voices Poetry Journal. Chief Blogger at Porcupine-Quill blog(wixsite). Founder/Curator at AfricanWritersCaravan.Author of MbizoChirasha (AfricanWilliamBlake)blog journal. Mbizo Chirasha was the Creative Director of Girlchild Creativity Project and Urban Colleges Writers Prize. Author of A Letter to the President, Pilgrims of Zame. Co-Authored Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi, Co-Edited Corpses of Unity, Second Name of the Earth is Peace, Street Voices (all African, German and English Anthology), Edited Voices of Africa: A Call for freedom Anthology, African Contributor /African Writing Associate to more than 500 places(online/print) at Demer Press (Holland). World Poetry Almanac (Taiwan), Cultural Daily (USA), Monk Arts and Soul Mag (UK). Bezine.Com(USA). FamAsiaMag (UK), Blackwell Pamphlet of Poetry (Oxford school of poetry), Ditch Poetry (Canada), WordCityliteraryJournal (Canada, global), the Evergreen Review (USA). Ovi Mag( Finland),DiogenPlus( Turkey), Ink Sweat and Tears (UK), The Poet Mag (UK), Spill Words (USA), Litnet (South Africa), Slipnet literary journal (SouthAfrica). Sentinel (UK), Poetry London (UK), Poesis.si (Slovenia), Atunis galatika (Belgium), New Coin (South Africa), Ihraf Publishes (USA), Diasporan online (Spain), Poetry Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Zimbolicious (Zimbabwe), the Zimbabwean (Zimbabwe) and more Chirasha works as a Live Literature Producer, Arts for Human Rights and Free-Speech Fellowships Literary Arts Activism Diplomatie, Writivism Projects Curator, Visiting, Editor at Large, African Writing Associate, Visiting Writer and Poet in Residence. He is widely published in more than Hundred Journals, Magazines, and Anthologies around the world. He Co-edited Silent Voices Tribute to Achebe Poetry Anthology , Nigeria and the Breaking Silence Poetry anthology,Ghana.His Poetry collections include Good Morning President ,Diaspora Publishers , 2011 , United Kingdom and Whispering Woes of Ganges and Zambezi,Cyberwit Press ,India ,2010. He was the Poet-in-Residence from 2001-2004 for the Iranian embassy/UN Dialogue among Civilizations Project; Focal Poet for the United Nations Information Centre from 2001-2008; Convener/Event Consultant This Africa Poetry Night 2004 - 2006; Official Performance Poet Zimbabwe International Travel Expo in 2007; Poet in Residence of the International Conference of African Culture and Development/ ICACD 2009; and Official Poet Sadc Poetry Festival, Namibia 2009.In 2010 Chirasha was invited as an Official Poet in Residence of ISOLA Conference in Kenya. In 2003 Mbizo Chirasha was a Special Young Literary Arts Delegate of Zimbabwe International Book Fair to the Goteborg International Book Fair in Sweden. He performed at Sida/African Pavilion, Nordic African Institute and Swedish Writers Union. In 2006 was invited to be the only Poet /Artist in Residence at Atelier Art School in Alexandra Egypt. In 2009 was a Special participating Delegate representing Zebra Publishing House at the UNESCO Photo –Novel Writing Project in Tanzania..

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