Writing poems, and waiting to be arrested
Tahir Izgil is a Uyghur poet from Western China. He lived for years under state surveillance.
Tahir Izgil is one of the most highly respected living Uyghur poets. Tahir was born near Kashgar, in Xinjiang province, and from an early age he was immersed in the poetry of his culture. When the Chinese state clamped down on the Uyghur community, he lived under constant threat of arrest, and says he couldn’t even perform his poems. So he decided to try and escape his homeland.
Tahir has a memoir out about his experiences called Waiting to Be Arrested at Night, translated by Joshua Freeman.
Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Tahir Hamut Izgil Credit: AsΓ©na Izgil)
Last on
![]()
My journey to become the first Native American US Poet Laureate
Joy Harjo survived prejudice and abuse to become one of America's most acclaimed poets
Broadcasts
- Tue 3 Oct 2023 11:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Tue 3 Oct 2023 17:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Tue 3 Oct 2023 21:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Wed 4 Oct 2023 02:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected