Art and politics converge in this painting by South African painter Breyten Breytenbach. The work depicts an imprisoned writer longing for freedom. To the right of the prisoner is a list of names of poets imprisoned for their work. This painting is closely related to the Poetry International poetry festival. Every year, the Poetry International Foundation awards an honorary prize to a poet imprisoned for their literary activities. Their name is added to the ornamental frame and crossed out upon release. The year 1981, the year he received the prize, is written next to Breyten Breytenbach. He was released a year later after seven years in captivity in South Africa. The other poets are Abdellatif Laâbi ('79), Kim Chi-Ha ('80), Breytenbach ('81), Vasil Stus ('82), Jorge M Valls Arango ('83), Nizametdin Akhmetov ('84), Nguyễn Chí Thiện ('85), Irina Ratushinskaya ('86), Nevzat Çelik ('87), Jack Mapanje ('88), Mircea Dinescu ('89), Song Lin ('90), Muhammad Afifi Matar ('91), Park No-Hae ('92), Maria Elena Cruz Varela ('93) and Selvi ('94). At the bottom right are the names of Zhou Guoqiang ('95), Adnan Al-Sayigh ('96) and Ogaga Ifowodo ('98). At the bottom of the painting is the text: “Here is a forest – like eternity. Guard it…”. In May 2014 the mural was repainted by Atelier Leo Mineur.
