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On February 1, 2024, the headquarters of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly in Moscow hosted a conference held in a hybrid format dedicated to the preparation of the “First World WOW Congress”. It will be held on April 4-6, 2024 in the capital of Nigeria, Abuja.
The Ganna-Abuja-Moscow teleconference was organized by the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, the World Organization of Writers WOW, and the Pan-African Writers Association PAWA.
Public figures, writers, poets, journalists, scientists and cultural figures, and entrepreneurs gathered at the headquarters of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly to discuss the formats of the future congress in Nigeria. The dialogue platform will be very rich - the plans include: official meetings, the First WOW Congress - “We are people of one planet”, the VII World Literary Festival WOW-LiffT, the cultural and educational forum “Contemporary Problems of Humanitarian Modernization”, the Business Forum “Eurasia + Africa” , Exhibition-performance “The Book of the Poet and Artist”, celebration of the XXV UNESCO World Poetry Day, holding press conferences.
The Head of the Department for the Preservation of Historical Memory of the Assembly, Igor Shpynov, opened the conference with a welcoming speech and the presentation of a certificate of membership in the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly to the writer Oksana Shusharina.
President of the World Organization of Writers WOW Margarita Al congratulated all those present on the first anniversary of the signing of the Memorandum of writers from 17 countries at the Cairo Literary Festival on the joint intention to create the “World Organization of Writers WOW”. As you know, on December 25, 2023, the organization was legally registered. The headquarters of the World WOW Organization is located in Moscow. Ms. Al noted that the events planned to be held in April in Nigeria, including the First WOW Congress, will be especially important for the further functioning of the WOW organization. The organizing committee, together with colleagues from Nigeria, developed a program of events and identified their moderators and coordinators.
The Secretary General of the Pan-African Writers Association, Wale Okediran, introduced his African colleagues who will participate in the events on April 4 - 6 in Abuja. He reported on the progress of preparations for the upcoming congress, on the invitation of writers from the African continent, government officials, and members of the diplomatic corps. In particular, the Vice President of Nigeria Hon Kashim Shettima, Nobel Prize winner in Literature Professor Wole Soyinka, Minister of Education of Nigeria Professor Tahir Mamman, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Minister of Culture Mrs. Hannatu Musawa are expected to be present at the opening of the WOW days in Abuja.
Alexander Ivanov, as moderator of the business forum, head of the Eurasian Investment Company and co-chairman of the Council on International Economic Activities of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, expressed his readiness to take part in the upcoming events in Nigeria, meet with partners in specialized areas from the countries of the African continent, and invite them to cooperation. He also turned to writers and journalists from various media outlets for support and help in attracting potential partners.
Coordinator of the cultural and educational forum at events in Abuja, head of the Department for the Development of International Education and Partnership of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly Alana Kochieva noted that the First WOW Congress will discuss the key, strategic for the whole world issues of human security and humanitarian modernization, which were developed by the Co-Chairman of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly’s General Council, , member of the State Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Alexandra Ochirova.
Eldar Akhadov, coordinator of the WOW Prize competition, honorary member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union, noted that for the first time in the history of literature, the competition will be held simultaneously in four languages - Russian, English, Arabic and Spanish. Books by well-known international writers from Mexico, India, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China, Denmark and other countries have already been submitted to the competition.
The coordinator also said that WOW events in Abuja are being welcomed by famous poets and writers such as:
- the legendary Bakhyt Kenzheev;
- co-chairman of the Writers' Union of Russia, member of the coordinating council of the International Poetry Movement (WPM) Vadim Terekhin;
- winner of more than 250 national and international literary awards, Italian poet and translator Claudia Piccinno;
- Colombian poet, professor at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Antioquia in Medellin Mauricio Arcila Arango.
The Aabs Publishing House and Reader's Choice magazine (Mumbai, India), International Center for Translation and Research of Poetry and Rendition of International Poetry Quarterly (People's Republic of China) are ready to send their greetings to the participants of the events.
President of the Asian Association of Journalists Ashraf Abul-Yazid, as a representative of the international information platform World Cooperation of Media, noted the exceptional role and importance of the media in covering upcoming events in Nigeria. Representatives of 25 different world media expressed their readiness to cooperate with us.
The co-chairman of the Literary Council of the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, the editor-in-chief of the Tajik newspaper Furgi Farang (Dawn of Culture), Abdukakhkhor Kosimov, and a member of the committee for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Vladimir Lishchuk addressed the conference participants with welcoming words.
The meeting was attended online and offline by:
- President of the World Organization of Writers (WOW), poet Margarita Al;
- Secretary General of PAWA Wale Okediran;
- President of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Usman Oladipo Akanbi;
- President of the Asian Association of Journalists - Ashraf Abul-Yazid;
- co-chairman of the Council on International Economic Activities of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, head of the Eurasian Investment Company Alexander Ivanov;
- Head of the Assembly Department for Development of International Education and Partnership Alana Kochieva;
- writer, culturologist, linguist, chairman of the Gumilyov Society Olga Medvedko;
- coordinator of the WOW award competition Eldar Akhadov;
- co-chairman of the Literary Council of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, editor-in-chief of the Tajik newspaper “Furgi Farang” (“Dawn of Culture”) Abdukakhkhor Kosimov;
- co-chairman of the Literary Council of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly, laureate of the national award “For the Good of the World” - for kindness in art, magazine editor, poet Ekaterina Volodina;
- member of the committee for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Vladimir Lishchuk;
- laureate of the Fazilya Iskander Award, magazine editor Vladimir Delba;
- People's Writer of the Republic of Bashkortostan, satirist, poet, publicist Marcel Salimov;
- Chairman of the Belarusian Literary Union "Polotsk Branch", poet and magazine editor Alexander Ratkevich;
- Derzhavin Prize laureate, poet and prose writer Olga Levadnaya; magazine editor, poet and traveler Elena Olzeeva;
- magazine editor, poet Liana Romanova;
- magazine editor, poet Natalya Nikulina;
- writer Oksana Shusharina;
- feminist writer and human rights activist Erelu Bisi Fayemi;
- PAWA program officer Reine Fioklou;
- PAWA program assistant specialist Abbas Mohammad.
