Artists' voice

The right to freedom of assembly has been drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But what about when a global health issue becomes the means for misuse and silencing of oppositional voices? In this week's episode, we discuss the most recent incidents where the pandemic has been misused to silence artists and activists.

In this episode, we speak about arts freedom, religion and the state of artistic freedom for LGBTI artists and art. We discuss the human rights situation in Cuba and provide insight into the landscape for artists who are accused of offending religious sentiments. We also speak to the Director of Human Rights for Copenhagen 2021 World Pride & EuroGames on the challenges facing LGBTI persons around the world, and the difficulties of organising a global event during a pandemic. 

In this episode, we speak about political opposition and artivists. We discuss the imprisonment of Spanish rapper Pablo Hasél provide insight into the landscape for artists who with so express critique and dissent. We also speak to acclaimed Turkish playwright Ebru Celkan, and whats it's been like writing and directing plays during a pandemic. 

In this episode, we look into the continuing trend of political unrests. We are discussing stories of Ghanian fraud victims, of a theater that was shut down, and of a poet with a long running trial case. We also chat with Niels Bo Bojesen, a Danish editorial cartoonist and children's book illustrator, about the impact of COVID-19 on his art.

In our first episode, we talk about a peaceful protest that was met with violence by the authorities, a destroyed cultural center and a web series that caused social media backlash. Then, we speak with Sverre Pedersen, a Norwegian filmmaker, who is on the board of the European Filmmaker's Association. We chat about his body of work, about the social issues surrounding filmmaking, the changes occurring in the industry and the effects of COVID-19 on artists' work.

Follow us along the journey of discovering the impacts of COVID-19 on cultural life. Listen to the latest news on violations of artistic freedom and activism, and hear the perspective of different artists on the subject.