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Rise Up: Tiananmen’s Legacy of Freedom and Democracy

Thirty years ago, students marched, tanks rolled, and blood spilled in the center of Beijing. A passionate movement towards democracy, free expression, and peace was born in Tiananmen Square, before the rapt attention of audiences around the world. Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing efforts to erase this event from historical accounts, Tiananmen’s legacy echoes with activists and artists today, as young people demand truth and democracy in Brazil, Venezuela, Hungary, the United States, and beyond.

The PEN World Voices Festival, Humanitarian China, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine are proud to present a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the dauntless courage and youthful defiance that challenged China’s authoritarian establishment. This event will feature poet Liao Yiwu, novelist Ma Jian, and key student organizers of the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement who fight to preserve its memory against censorship, including Wang Dan, Zhou Fengsuo, and Fang Zheng. Join us for an unforgettable evening of poetry and song, with artists such as Martha Redbone, as we remember the dissidents who marched in 1989, and honor those who continue the fight around the world today. At a time when totalitarianism has extended into the digital realm, the struggle to protect freedom of expression remains as vital today as it was thirty years ago in Tiananmen Square.

Co-presented with PEN World Voices Festival and Humanitarian China, and in conjunction with The Value of Sanctuary: Building a House Without Walls.











When: Tue., May. 7, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: Cathedral of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave.
212-316-7540
Price: $35
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Thirty years ago, students marched, tanks rolled, and blood spilled in the center of Beijing. A passionate movement towards democracy, free expression, and peace was born in Tiananmen Square, before the rapt attention of audiences around the world. Despite the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing efforts to erase this event from historical accounts, Tiananmen’s legacy echoes with activists and artists today, as young people demand truth and democracy in Brazil, Venezuela, Hungary, the United States, and beyond.

The PEN World Voices Festival, Humanitarian China, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine are proud to present a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of the dauntless courage and youthful defiance that challenged China’s authoritarian establishment. This event will feature poet Liao Yiwu, novelist Ma Jian, and key student organizers of the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement who fight to preserve its memory against censorship, including Wang Dan, Zhou Fengsuo, and Fang Zheng. Join us for an unforgettable evening of poetry and song, with artists such as Martha Redbone, as we remember the dissidents who marched in 1989, and honor those who continue the fight around the world today. At a time when totalitarianism has extended into the digital realm, the struggle to protect freedom of expression remains as vital today as it was thirty years ago in Tiananmen Square.

Co-presented with PEN World Voices Festival and Humanitarian China, and in conjunction with The Value of Sanctuary: Building a House Without Walls.

Buy tickets/get more info now