By Alireza Bahrami
TEHRAN: The BRICS Writers Association in Iran has announced the launch of its activities at the Asre Rowshan magazine meeting at the Iranian Artists’ House.
In a speech at the meeting, Alireza Bahrami, a poet and editor-in-chief of ISNA (news agency) and editor-in-chief of Asre Rowshan (magazine), said that BRICS is the name of a global international organization, with the membership of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Bolivia, Nigeria and Iran.
“This organization was formed in 2009 to highlight investment opportunities, bilateral relations and mutual assistance by emerging economic powers, specifically Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Over time, other countries, including Iran (in 2024), joined it.
One of the interesting aspects of BRICS is the organization of competitive events in the field of poetry and writing of the member countries of the treaty, he added.
“In this regard, some international events have been held so far, and now an Iranian poet and writer has been introduced as one of the 10 finalists for the BRICS 2025 Prize at a press conference held at the H. B. Jasin Literary Documentation Center (TIM Complex, Jakarta).”
The message of Vadim Terekhin, the General Coordinator of the BRICS Writers’ Association and Co-Chair of the BRICS Literature Network, to the meeting was broadcast.
After the broadcast of the poet’s speech and a member of the Coordination Council and Continental Coordinator of the World Poetry Movement (WPM), Hamid Nazarkhah Alisaraei, the representative and deputy coordinator of the BRICS Writers’ Association in Iran, read the Persian text of Vadim Terekhin’s speech to the attendees.
In his message, Tarkhin welcomed the establishment of the Iranian branch and considered the opening of this center an important step to strengthen cultural interactions among the BRICS member countries.
“I hope this platform can introduce contemporary writers from different countries to each other’s works and allow them to evaluate their place in the global literary process. It also provides a platform for the exchange of literary achievements between nations,” he said.
“Writers can make a valuable contribution to world literature by benefiting from each other’s experiences and adapting them to the cultural context of their own lands.”
Terekhin considered presenting authentic experiences, national characteristics, and distinctive narratives of nations to readers around the world as one of the most important missions of this literary cooperation.
Nazarkhah Alisaraei also referred to the primary economic-commercial identity of the BRICS organization
“Today, this organization pays special attention to cultural and social fields and needs cultural diplomacy, especially through literature and poetry, for its sustainability,” he said.
Alisaraei described the BRICS Literary Festival as one of the most important platforms for cultural communication between member countries.
“Translating literary works of member countries into each other’s languages is one of the important cultural goals of BRICS. The term “writers” in the BRICS Writers’ Association encompasses all branches, including poetry, stories, screenplays, and plays,” he said.
Following the meeting announcing the launch of the Iran BRICS Non-Speakers Association, the poets and writers in the audience asked questions and shared opinions on the subject. Several poets also recited poems.
