Opening remarks by Cato Litangen, Director of Mimeta, at World Freedom of Expression Forum (Wexfo), Workshop 23rd May
Solveig Korum Korum har tatt doktorgrad i bruk av musikk som verktøy i norsk utenriks- og bistandspolitikk ved Universitetet i Agder. I fagbladet for norsk bistandssektor, Panorama Nyheter, viser Solveig Korum til Mimeta som eksempel på norske organisasjoner som arbeider sammen med lokale partnere for å få frem en fungerende kultursektor i land der myndigheten ikke tar dette ansvaret.
Carving out a space for free expression has always been a high-cost fight for artists under autocratic rule. Today, that space is contested even in some established western democracies. This session will present you with real life models and experiences from Africa, the Middle East and Norway of those working effortlessly to salvage a space for free expression for artists. How can we ensure more international engagement in protecting the rights of artists at risk?
Velkommen til frokostseminar om kraften i historiefortelling og hvordan den kan brukes til å påvirke både individuelle ferdigheter og endringer av sosiale situasjoner. Arendal Voksenopplæring og Media Service AS, i samarbeid med Oslo Met og NLA-Høgskolen, bruker film i språkopplæring for innvandrere i Arendal. Prosjektet er finansiert av Imdi.
Basma El Husseiny er fra Egypt. Hun er en internasjonalt anerkjent kulturleder, og driver den arabiske organisasjonen Action for Hope som har filmskoler for unge syriske flyktninger i Libanon.
It is our pleasure to invite you to the roundtable “Artists at risk: Learning from the experience of journalists”, which will be hosted by UNESCO on Thursday 4 May 2023 from 13h00 to 13h30, in the framework of IFACCA’s 9th World Summit on Arts & Culture — Space A1 (Level 4), Waterfront Congress Centre, Stockholm, Sweden. The event will feature the launch of UNESCO’s new publication “Defending Creative Voices: Artists in emergencies – Learning from the safety of journalists” and the announcement of over US$ 1 million investment in artistic freedom through the UNESCO-Aschberg programme.
The roundtable, dedicated to the safety of artists, will be opened and moderated by Mr. Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture. It will include the participation of the following panellists:
Mr Shahidul Alam, Artist, photojournalist, educator and social activist
Ms Basma El Husseiny, Founder, Action for Hope
Ms Julie Trébault, Director, Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) - PEN America
Mimeta is organizing this panel in partnership with the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), as a side event to the World Expression Forum (WEXFO), taking place in Norway, Lillehammer 22-23 May - 9:30-12:30. WEXFO was launched last year with a mission to be a catalyst for freedom of expression defenders from around the world to unite them in a strong and active global community. Mimeta is a stakeholder in the WEXFO conference.
The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Ms. Alexandra Xanthaki, will continue to work on cultural rights in development for her next report to the General Assembly, examining more closely the global governance of development and its impact on cultural rights, and she asks for your input!
It is of urgency to invest in these structures as their foundations are crackling. The number of people that are involved concretely in the protective work globally is countable on few hands. The protective structures on ground are alarmingly scarce and not fully integrated in the international system of protection, according to head of Mimeta, Cato Litangen.
Authorities, philanthropy, cultural institutes, and key organizations and artists from vulnerable regions, took part in the first meeting of the Artist at Risk Funding Initiative. The aim is to strengthen the protection of artists at risk.
This Mimeta proposed initiative aims to mobilize resources for safeguarding artists at risk by facilitating a process for funder collaboration and exchange, leading to the establishment of a joint fund dedicated to supporting the artist protection field.
Mimeta would like to invite you as a funding partner to a meeting on Thursday 23rd March 11:30 – 16:00 (lunch included, venue tbc) to discuss this Artist at Risk funding Initiative, and confirm partnerships with those interested. The meeting will take place in cooperation with and around ICORN annual network meeting, 22-24 March in Brussels.