songs of solidarity

three-day book festival for all

who are we

sasha francis (she/her)

with over a decade of experience organizing events in te whanganui-a-tara, she has worked with 5ever Books, Rebel Press, and Wellington Zinefest, delivering high-quality events across diverse communities at the intersection of arts, literature, music, and activism.

from december 2024 to March 2025, she was a core organiser and facilitator of the Whatever Palace, a free community and arts space at 113/115 Taranaki Street, supported by 5ever Books. her work is guided by a commitment to fostering inclusive, creative, and community-led spaces that amplify voices of resistance and solidarity.

prayash gharti chhetri (he/him)

tāngata tiriti living in te whanganui-a-tara. one of the co-founders of other کتاب گھر (other kitaab ghar) – pop-up and third-space community learning/unlearning space (preferred not to call bookshop) dedicated to “other” literature. his ancestral ties are to tahoon (nepal) and india.

prayash and priyanka chettri (she/her) run other kitaab ghar. her ancestral linkage is to kalimpong (india) and nepal.

privilege : prayash acknowledges the privileges afforded to him by growing up in an upper-caste patriarchal family, attending a private boarding school, being cisgender, and working a full-time job in the public sector. he is committed to using these privileges to listen, support, and amplify indigenous and marginalised voices within the communities he works with.

the community support that made SOS possible

thank you for your aroha/love and tautāwhi/support. this is a long and growing list of tangata/people and hapori/community whose generous contributions have helped us to organise this do-it-ourselves (dio) festival.

aotearoa – tangata/people
aotearoa – hapori/community
global south – tangata/people
  • mirza tauseef baig (midland bookshop, delhi, india)
  • suvendu mallick (leftword books, delhi, india)
global south – hapori/community

story behind sos logo

designed by sasha francis– the logo embodies the spirit and vision of the festival – planting the seed of radical imagination. its form organically morphs into the shape of a seed.

the festival is a beginning for shared learning/unlearning, resilience, resistance, and transformation like the seed which is a symbol of growth and transformation.

sos – vision

create an intersectional community space for collective and sustainable action in the face of global struggles, including genocide, caste- and race-based violence, accelerating military investment, growing economic inequality, ecological collapse, and the ongoing theft of indigenous land.

collaborate with writers, poets, activists, community organisations from the Global South to build the transnational bridge of resistance.

foster intersectional solidarity and collective imagination of a just and liberated world through literature

amplify the voices of marginalised communities and resistance movements through literature, art, song, and shared storytelling.

acknowledge and address intersectional privileges within the organising space to share power and create ways for collective liberation.

 

“we imagine songs of solidarity (SOS) as the space for resistance, resilience, imagination, and coalition building. it is the collaborative space for dreamers – poets, writers, artists, activists, community healers, organisers, and children – who believe in learning/unlearning and collective transformation toward an alternative world – for all.”