2023 was marked by severe conflicts, such as those in Sudan and Gaza, alongside political tensions fueled by extremism and threats. It was a perilous year for anyone voicing opinions on war, politics, challenging tradition, or critiquing the powerful—artists were no exception.
The State of Artistic Freedom 2024 report by Freemuse offers an in-depth look at this turbulent year. It reflects on the devastating impacts of the Sudan and Gaza conflicts on arts and culture, remembering the artists among the many civilians lost to bombings. The report also highlights a crisis of unprecedented proportions in freedom of expression across Germany, the UK, and the USA. Artists advocating for ceasefires found themselves blacklisted, their works removed from exhibitions, jobs lost, and arts venues attacked.
Suppression of creative freedom persisted globally, with artists facing imprisonment, trials, and fines for satirizing political and religious figures, including royalty. In countries like China, Thailand, and Jordan, religious "insult" laws were used to target artworks questioning religious norms. The report details incidents such as threats and legal action against a film in Malaysia and the trial of a comedian in Sri Lanka.
Filmmakers were particularly targeted, as described in the chapter on Türkiye, where censorship included bans, denial of certification, and the removal of works from festivals due to political scrutiny, Kurdish rights, or LGBTQI themes. Similar censorship occurred globally, with films in Cambodia criticized for portraying the country negatively and movies referencing Kosovo banned in Serbia for alleged discrimination.
Iran remains a stark reminder of the dangers artists face under extreme autocracies, with many imprisoned. Some are accused of insulting religion, while others were involved in protests against Mahsa Amini's death in police custody in 2020. A rapper was sentenced to death for "corruption on earth." In Nigeria, a singer is on death row for allegedly blasphemous lyrics. In Afghanistan, extreme fundamentalism has nearly erased women's participation in the arts.
LGBTQI artworks faced frequent lawsuits and violence, both physical and online. In 2023, films were banned or censored in the Middle East, particularly Hollywood blockbusters, for alleged LGBTQI content. Russia's identification of LGBTQI as an "international" movement has exacerbated existing threats, with foreign agent laws now extending to artists. Similar laws in other European countries, notably Georgia, have broadened the threat.
As artists increasingly rely on the internet to share and sell their work, the report discusses the impact of digital repression by private corporations. Algorithms and legislation on these platforms have led to censorship, especially of LGBTQI content. A similar trend in the USA, driven by anti-LGBTQI and religious fundamentalism, has led to the removal of books from school libraries for reasons ranging from obscenity to alleged anti-family values and satanism.
Women continue to face barriers in the arts, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where they are attacked for being "vulgar" or wearing revealing clothing. In northern Nigeria, women are restricted from participating in the arts without permission from male relatives.
The encroachment of populism in Europe has seen governments attempting to control or influence cultural institutions. In Eastern Europe, museum directors have been forced to resign, and budgets have been slashed for programs that do not align with government agendas.
The report also addresses the impact of organized crime in Latin America, where artists often require the patronage of criminal gangs to perform in public spaces, leaving them vulnerable to threats and violence.
Despite these challenges, there are glimmers of hope. Some governments are revising laws to protect freedom of expression and the arts. Malta has strengthened protections for satirical works, and Ireland has repealed an outdated obscenity law. Public resistance to censorship and support for embattled artworks have led to the reversal of bans and other attempts to stifle creativity.
Freemuse continues to play a vital role in monitoring, documenting, and advocating for artists' rights, working alongside arts freedom organizations. By doing so, Freemuse ensures that artists can continue to use their art to engage with audiences outside the mainstream political and academic discourse during these challenging times.
Contributing authors to The State of Artistic Freedom 2024 report was:
Sonay Ban
Sonay Ban has a PhD in cultural and visual anthropology from Temple University, USA. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses and has published in American Anthropologist and Visual Anthropology Review. She has two forthcoming book chapters, one on ethics in documentary cinema and another, co-authored with Dr. Emre Çetin Gürer, on Boğaziçi University Resistance as a case of academic freedom in Türkiye. She is also co-writing a textbook on the history of documentary cinema in Türkiye with Can Candan (MFA).
Don’t Delete Art
Don’t Delete Art (DDA) is an international collaboration between artist-activists and human rights organisations advocating for a more tolerant and inclusive digital environment for artists. They are dedicated to the protection and promotion of diverse forms of artistic expression on digital platforms. Through their advocacy, they call attention to the myriad forms of censorship confronting artists online, highlight the artists who face that censorship, and promote artistic freedom online.
Hossam Fazulla
Hossam Fazulla is a researcher, multimedia producer, and artist whose work focuses on arts, technology, and social justice. He has worked for several international media networks and NGOs, including the BBC World Service, PEN International, Counterpoints Arts, and Essex University's Department of Film, Literature and Theatre.
Małgorzata Kaźmierczak
Małgorzata Kaźmierczak holds a PhD in History. Since 2004, she has been an independent curator of art projects in Poland and USA, especially performance art events. She is a researcher and author of many essays and reviews. From 2014–2016 she was director of the City Art Gallery of Kalisz, Poland, and is currently Assistant Professor at the KEN University of Kraków, Poland and the President of AICA International.
Esilanna McMenamin
Esilanna McMenamin, an Assistant Researcher at Freemuse, is a dynamic multidisciplinary professional in the realm of human rights. Collaborating with various third-sector organizations, she concentrates on supporting at-risk groups. She has a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Speech Communications alongside a Master’s of Science in Human Rights and Politics, reflecting her dedication to advancing knowledge and advocating for justice.
Cecilia Noce
Cecilia Noce is a researcher and advocate for human rights and freedom of artistic expression, focused on Latin America. As head of CADAL's (Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina) Program for the Defense of Artistic Expression for the last five years, she has conducted media and social campaigns, has periodically written on Latin American outlets and has advocated at the Inter-America Court of Human Rights and at the UN level for the rights of artists and audiences. She now works as an independent consultant for NGOs, and as an expert on UNESCO's Aschberg Programme.
Zikri Rahman
Zikri Rahman is a cultural worker and collaborator with multiple socio-educational and cultural activists' groups. He is affiliated with Pusat Sejarah Rakyat, an independent archival and history research centre; Buku Jalanan, a network of street libraries and, LiteraCity, a Kuala Lumpur literary mapping project. His recent work spans topics such as critical and alternative pedagogy, inter-Asian theatre practitioner networks, protest movements and documenting the arts and cultural censorship (as part of ArtsEquator's Southeast Asian Censorship Database Project).
Lisa Sidambe
Lisa Sidambe is a consultant, human rights researcher and development practitioner, specialising in artistic freedom, governance and SDG localisation. She is currently heading Nhimbe Trust's artistic freedom programme. She holds an MA in Conflict Development and Security from the University of Leeds, an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and International Studies from Monash University and is currently studying towards a PhD in Political Studies at the University of Johannesburg.
Marianna Tzabiras (editor)
Marianna Tzabiras has been working as a researcher and advocate on social justice issues for over 20 years, with an initial focus on Latin America. She has had a long history with the IFEX free expression network and is on the board of Peace Brigades International, an organisation that supports threatened human rights defenders. She has been working with Freemuse since 2020, mainly as a reviewer of the annual State of Artistic Freedom report. She is passionate about non-violence, migrant rights, art for social change and the healing power of art.
Sara Whyatt (Lead author)
Sara Whyatt is a campaigner and researcher on freedom of artistic expression and human rights. She works on projects exploring the ways that artistic freedom is curtailed across the world, providing her expertise to a wide variety of organisations, including UNESCO, Council of Europe, International Federation of Arts Council and Cultural Associations, and the Swedish Arts Council, as well as Freemuse and other arts and human rights organisations working to support threatened artists. She is a member of the Expert Facility for UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Promotion and Protection of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and an advisor to the Council of Europe’s Free to Create|Create to be Free program.
Sources: The Freemuse introduction to the The State of Artistic Freedom 2024 report and the report itself.
