The core purpose of Sanad in the Digital Realm is to give safe exposure to artistic expressions created on free terms and presented by independent artists and producers, giving them guidance on IT tools and resources that protect them against recriminations and censorship, thus promoting platforms providing free expression. In 2023, five artists were platformed through ‘Sanad in the Digital Realm’, with 4700 people viewing the content of digital artworks.
The essence of Sanad, Ettijahat’s legal support programme, is the improvement of the artistic sector’s position on rights issues, helping art practitioners to understand their rights and how to solve legal issues related to their situation and artistic productions. The beneficiaries selected in the frame of Sanad and Sanad in the Digital Realm represent a broad range of profiles in the Syrian cultural scene that is affected by issues related to freedom of expression and human rights. The two programmes are essential for them to be able to create and express themselves in a free environment, without worrying about legal proceedings. In 2023, Sanad supported 36 artists threatened with imprisonment, deportation or other legal concerns in Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. The SANAD program evolved in 2023 in partnership with the Martin Roth Initiative to create MALAZ, a new framework for artists at risk living in Lebanon and Turkey meant to fill some of the existing gaps in the regional artists at risk sector.
The second edition of ‘’Sanad in the Digital Realm’’, whose main purpose is to protect and promote artistic works at risk and make them digitally available to the public, supported seven artistic projects in 2023. This new initiative has shown how existing programmes could lead to the design of new successful frameworks, benefitting from the lessons, experiences, and questions that have been raised since the inception of the Sanad programme, and increasing interest in issues related to freedom and protection while bringing new voices to the creative scene.
Through Sanad in the Digital realm and its selection of artistic projects, Ettijahat also stimulates discussions around human rights, freedom of expression, censorship, societal norms and stereotypes, thus advocating for policy changes in the region. In line with the above, Ettijahat organised two public talks on these issues in 2023:
A public talk entitled ‘The power of cultural rights for migrants: thoughts and challenges’ in July 2023 with Prof. Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights.
A panel discussion entitled ‘Let us tell you: is there a place for another narrative?’ in September 2023 with independent media and donors such as IRIS (International Resource for Impact and Storytelling. Also a former partner of Mimeta), Daraj Media, and Lina Sinjab (journalist and documentary filmmaker), in which they discussed exclusionary narratives essentially based on hate, rejection, legalisation of violence and practices that reject diversity.
Projects by Ettijahat
