Dr. Rabigül Erkmen: The Voice of the Uyghurs and the Fight for Memory

Since September, Dr. Erkmen has actively engaged with both the local and international communities. She attended a conference for young Uyghurs in the diaspora, held in Paris, and has worked extensively across Poland- including in other ICORN Cities of Refuge, such as Kraków and Gdańsk. Additionally, she has contributed a text to an upcoming ICORN anthology, soon to be published by Villa Decius in Kraków.

In May 2025, Dr. Erkmen participated in a public event and appeared on a podcast hosted by the Gdańsk City of Literature project, part of the ‘Free Word’ series. The event explored the history and the current realities of Uyghur people living in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It highlighted the importance of preserving the Uyghur language and culture in the face of human rights violations and discussed how to support persecuted ethnic minorities. Dr. Erkmen was joined in the conversation by Anna Mikulska and David O’Brien, with moderation by Kamila Kowalska. Her visit to Gdańsk was organised by Aleksandra Stokowiec, the city’s ICORN coordinator. You can read an article about the event here and listen to the podcast episode here.

In addition, The Warsaw Observatory of Culture (WOK) published a deeply personal story by Dr. Rabigül Erkmen. The piece gives insight into the realities of being Ughyur in China- from the harsh restrictions on speaking the Ughyur language and practising Ughyur culture, to the surveilance and arbitary detention in interment camps- experiences which have shaped her path as an academic and activist. From her ICORN residency in Warsaw, Dr. Erkmen remains comitted to raising awareness of the ongoing situation in Xinjiang. You can read the full story here and listen to a podcast on the same topic here.

For more information, visit Dr. Rabigül Erkmen’s page on WOK’s website and read her ICORN resident profile here.