Lemn Sissay: British poet on Pakistan and standing ovations

Published February 22, 2013
For more on Karachi Literature Festival, click on the link: http://dawn.com/karachi-literature-festival/

To watch the video on Youtube click here.

‘There is only one person named Lemn Sissay in the world’ reads a line in the ‘About’ section on Sissay’s website. The ‘n’ in Lemn is silent in Britain, in Ethiopia however, says Sissay, it is not.  Whether there are more Lemns in Ethopia or not, one can safely assume that on the weekend of February 17 there was only one person in Pakistan named Lemn Sissay.

Sissay is a poet, a playwright and radio personality.

Here, he talks to Dawn.com about why he writes poetry and what it was like being in Pakistan.

Thumbnail photo courtesy lemnsissay.com

Interview by Sara Faruqi/Dawn.com

Opinion

Editorial

Deadlocked
Updated 19 Apr, 2025

Deadlocked

Politicians’ refusal to talk to each other and resolve issues has created space for a different type of rulership to take over.
Trump vs Harvard
19 Apr, 2025

Trump vs Harvard

AMONGST the ‘enemies of the people’ in Trumpian America are elite universities seen as the bastions of liberal...
External account stability
19 Apr, 2025

External account stability

DRIVEN by a major spike in workers’ remittances last month, the country’s current account posted a record ...
Paying the price
Updated 18 Apr, 2025

Paying the price

Pakistan is trapped in a relentless cycle of climate volatility.
Political solution
18 Apr, 2025

Political solution

THOUGH the BNP-M may have ended its 20-day protest sit-in outside Quetta on Wednesday, the core issues affecting...
Grave desecration
18 Apr, 2025

Grave desecration

THE desecration of 85 Muslim graves at a cemetery in Hertfordshire in the UK is a distressing act that deserves the...