CULTURE — June 13, 2026
Ninth Salsal International Poetry Festival Opens in Uppsala Focusing on Mother Tongue and Free Thought
The event paid special tribute to Afghan writer Asef Soltanzadeh and featured poetry recitals by Jasim Mohammad and Lars Hager as well as lectures by academic speakers.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Amu TV — corroborated by Hasht-e Subh — 2 min read
The ninth Salsal International Poetry Festival opened on 13 June 2026 at the Uppsala Concert and Conference Hall in Sweden. Poets and thinkers from Europe, the United States, Canada and Sweden participated in the event.
The program focused on the themes of mother tongue and free thought. It included poetry readings and a lecture on the role of poetry in breaking cultural boundaries, along with discussions on freedom of expression and cultural pluralism.
A special tribute honored Afghan writer Asef Soltanzadeh for his literary contributions and his lifetime of writing in exile.
Poets Jasim Mohammad and Lars Hager recited poetry. Professor Marie-Christine Skuncke from Uppsala University spoke about poetry's role in breaking down borders. Mohammad Javad Khavari analyzed Asef Soltanzadeh's literary career.
The festival is organized by the Salsal Union, which has been active since 2012 to amplify the voices of the Persian-speaking diaspora.
Read the original reporting at Amu TV →
Reliability assessment
Two independent sources corroborate the core event of the festival occurring with consistent details on location, themes, tribute, and most participants; minor discrepancies are limited to additional speakers and name spellings
The source language reads straight.
Across the newsrooms
Where reports agree
- Festival held on Saturday in Uppsala, Sweden concert/congress hall
- Focus on mother tongue, free thought, freedom of expression and cultural diversity
- Tribute to Asef Soltanzadeh/Sultanzadeh's literary career
- Participation of poets Jasim Mohammad/Mohamed and Lars Hager
- Speech by Professor Marie-Christine Skunke/Skuncke on poetry breaking borders
- Analysis by Mohammad Javad/Jawad Khavari/Khawari of Soltanzadeh's work
- Organized by Salsal Union (operating since 2012) to amplify Persian-speaking diaspora voices
Where reports differ
- Presence of Terry Carlbom as speaker (reported only by Hasht-e Subh)
- Whether this was the first time honoring a writer (stated only by Amu TV)
- Minor spelling variations in names (Soltanzadeh vs Sultanzadeh, Mohammad vs Mohamed, Khavari vs Khawari, Skunke vs Skuncke)
- One source includes a quote about writing as survival (Hasht-e Subh only)
Filed by 2 outlets
Amu TV
Originating
Reported straight
Reported straight
Hasht-e Subh
Reported straight
Reported straight
Filed under
Culture — Salsal Festival, Asef Soltanzadeh, Afghan literature, Poetry festival, Uppsala
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