Fd-Stakeholders on freeDimensional

Malaysian cartoonist Zunar awarded the International Press Freedom Award

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

The personal slogan of Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, a Malaysian cartoonist who is better known by his penname “Zunar,” is: “How can I be neutral? Even my pen has a stand.”

Zunar is best known for his provocative cartoons that lampoon issues of high-level abuse of government power and corruption. His portraits are published both in books and on the Malaysiakini news website, one of the country’s few independent news publications. Malaysian police and authorities have claimed on several occasions that Zunar’s cartoons are “detrimental to public order” and run afoul of the country’s sedition law.

Mexican photojournalist Ruben Espinosa found murdered along with three women in Mexico City

Mon, 03 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A photojournalist who was found dead in Mexico City after he fled harassment in his home state appears to have been tortured before he was shot dead, the head of a free press advocacy group said on Sunday.

Ruben Espinosa sustained severe injuries to his face before he was killed, said Dario Ramirez, director of the Article 19 group.

Espinosa was found dead late on Friday in an apartment in Mexico City. Three women who lived in the apartment and their housekeeper also were killed. They appeared to have been tortured and sexually assaulted before being shot, Ramirez said.

fD joins international community in condemning the attacks on Charlie Hebdo

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0000

In the wake of the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris last week, we recognize more than ever the need to uphold the fundamental principles of free expression, open communication, and a respect for differing points of view by creating spaces for dialogue and deep reflection. We join our colleagues around the world in condemning the killing of these artists and in supporting their families. - the fD team

ARTSFEX statement on cancellation of Exhibit B at the Barbican Centre

Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

We the undersigned members of Artsfex condemn an alarming worldwide trend in which violent protest silences artistic expression that some groups claim is offensive. People have every right to object to art they find objectionable but no right whatsoever to have that work censored. Free expression, including work that others may find shocking or offensive, is a right that must be defended vigorously.

We call on artists, arts venues, protestors and the police to work together as a matter of urgency, to stand up for artistic free expression and to ensure that the right to protest does not override the right to free expression. This means that every possible step is taken to ensure that the art work remains open for all to see, while protesters voices are heard.

"Writing Exile" event - Tuesday, September 16 - 7PM

Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Words without Borders, in collaboration with freeDimensional and Verso Books, present a reading from WWB’s September issue, dedicated to writing exile. The reading aims to draw attention to the voices of writers forced from their homes, and will feature contributors and other special guests reading selections from the issue. To accompany the reading, freeDimensional will present an exhibition of work from contemporary visual artists who use creativity to fight injustice, and have experienced persecution and forced displacement as a result of their artistic practice.

Statement by Palestinian performing arts organizations

Sun, 20 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

17 July, 2014

We, cultural workers representing the majority of Palestinian performing art organizations, condemn the current Israeli attack and aggression on Gaza, and the indiscriminate killing and maiming of mainly civilians, among them many children and women.

As artists, the most powerful weapon we have is our ability to play, dream and imagine. The oppressive forces fear this weapon because as long as we are able to imagine another kind of reality, we have the power to pursue it – a free and just Palestine.

Letter to Moroccan Minister of Justice re: musician Mouad Belghouate

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Open Letter to the Moroccan Minister of Justice and Liberties El Mustapha Ramid on the Four-month Sentence Against Musician Mouad Belghouate (aka El Haqed)

7 July 2014
Mr El Mustapha Ramid
Minister of Justice and Liberties
Ministère de la Justice et des libertés Place El Mamounia – BP 1015
Rabat
Morocco
Fax:+212 537 73 47 25
We the undersigned organisations committed to the defence of the rights to freedom of expression, culture and the arts, condemn the four-month sentence served against musician Mouad Belghouate (aka El Haqed) following a trial that fell short of international standards. We are concerned that the sentence has been given in retribution for his involvement in Morocco’s pro-democracy movement, and specifically his condemnation of corruption and police violence through his music.

To send letters of support for Moroccan musician Mouad (El Haqed)

Mon, 07 Jul 2014 00:00:00 +0000

If you would like to send support letters to the Moroccan musician, Mouad Belghouate (aka El Haqed), please note:

- keep messages short with simple message wishing El Haqed well and that he will soon be free.
- no political or religious comment or images ( tourist cards are appreciated….)
- Give return address/email.

Send to:

Mouad Belghouate

Prison local Oukacha

Quartier Oukacha

20 580 Casablanca, Morocco

Press Release: Central America Forum on Art, Culture & Human Rights

Thu, 12 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The Central America Regional Forum on Arts, Culture and Human Rights takes place June 18-20 - Tegucigalpa, Honduras

freeDimensional (www.freedimensional.org), Colectivo Hormiga (http://colectivohormiga.com) HIVOS (www.hivos.nl) are pleased to announce the launch of the Central American Regional Forum on Arts, Culture and Human Rights, June 18-20 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

The Forum is the first-ever three-day participatory forum aiming to support, unite and inspire the arts & culture and human rights sectors in Central America to collaborate, uphold freedom of expression as a basic human right and acknowledge artists and culture workers as primary defenders of it. Approximately 50 Central American cultural and human rights organizations will participate.

Show on African homosexuality shut down after fundamentalist attack

Mon, 09 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Senegal exhibition, part of the Dak’Art Biennale, closed due to pressure from extremist Islamic groups.

By: Anny Shaw

The Senegalese government has shut down one of the first exhibitions in Africa to focus on homosexuality on the continent. The move comes several weeks after an attack on the Dakar gallery by Muslim fundamentalists, says the French-Algerian artist Kader Attia. “Precarious Imaging: Visibility and Media Surrounding African Queerness” opened at Raw Material Company on 11 May, but a day later, the non-profit art centre was vandalised and the building damaged, according to Attia, whose video about the lives of transsexuals in Algiers and Mumbai was included in the show. No one was hurt in the attack.

Ai Weiwei on Tiananmen Square

Thu, 05 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

China Loses by Forgetting about Tiananmen Square

by: Ai Weiwei

In the last month, in two separate cities, I was involved in events related to the rewriting of the history of Chinese contemporary art. In Shanghai, two of my works, “Stool” and “Sunflower Seeds,” were included in an exhibition commemorating the 15th year of the Chinese Contemporary Art Award. A half-hour before the show opened, local officials had my name erased from the exhibition’s wall text and barred the artworks from being displayed.

Learning from Experience

Fri, 09 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

By: Arahmaiani

In 1993, I was confronted by an improbable and inextricable problem. A group of people claiming to be pious Muslims “secured” 2 of my works (an installation and a painting) part of a solo exhibition titled “Sex, Religion & Coca -Cola”. They were adamant that I had committed blasphemy against Islam, because in my installation a copy of the Koran was presented next to a pack of condoms. While in the painting there were Arabic letters adjacent to the Lingga-Yoni, which was a picture of a phallus and a vagina. Their interpretation of the visualization or these works was so negative that they were compelled to without any hesitation, “secure” the works.

How I got back the energy and confidence to keep doing...

Tue, 06 May 2014 00:00:00 +0000

By: Chaw Ei Thein

In 2006, I came to New York for a yearlong artist residency program and during that time, I was warned that my safety could not be assured if I were to return to Burma. The reason I could not return was my artwork, interviews I had given with the international media and newspaper articles about my work as it related to a critique of the political situation in Burma at that time. Unable to return home, I was facing very difficult time settling in to life in New York; I was totally frustrated and very worried about how to live, find a way to survive and uncertain as to whether I could continue my career as an artist in this new place with its new challenges.

U Win Tin, Writer Jailed by Myanmar Junta, Dies

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 00:00:00 +0000

U Win Tin, a journalist, author and poet who became a leading opponent of the military rulers of Myanmar, where he was imprisoned and tortured for 19 years, died on Monday in Yangon, formerly Rangoon. Sources differ on whether he was 84 or 85.

The political party he helped found, the National League for Democracy, announced the death. Reports in the local news media said his kidneys and other organs had failed.

Arab Documentary Photography Programme launched: deadline 15 April 2014

Tue, 18 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

The Arab Fund for Art and Culture and the Prince Claus Fund in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in partnership with the Magnum Foundation in New York, USA, are launching the Arab Documentary Photography Programme (ADPP). The ADPP will run from 2014 to 2016, targeting creative documentary photographers in the Arab region. Up to 10 grantees will be selected to receive financial and professional support to complete their proposed photography projects.

Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish’s books removed from Riyadh International Book Fair

Sun, 16 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Just a few days after all the works by Saudi publisher Arab Network for Research and Publishing were removed from the Riyadh International Book Fair for violating the Kingdom’s laws, the works of globally celebrated Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish caused protests and have reportedly been withdrawn from the fair and are not to be sold:

Numerous news sources were reporting the removal of the books, while images and videos circulating on Twitter purported to show the protests against Darwish’s ouevre as well as the packing-up of Darwish’s books.

Kumbia Queers @ Queens Museum - March 6, 6-8PM

Thu, 27 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Queens Museum - Open A.I.R. & fD present Kumbia Queers with Que Bajo: Redefining Cumbia, Love and Latinamericanidad

Mar 6 2014, 6:00pm – 8:00pm

An open conversation with the members of Kumbia Queers and Que Bajo regarding cumbia, gender and love in Latin America. Followed by an acoustic set by the Kumbia Queers.

Guests: Kumbia Queers (Argentina-Mexico), Gecko Jones (NYC-Colombia-Puerto Rico), and Uproot Andy (NYC-Canada)

Moderated by: Santo Padre (Mexico-NYC)

Shahid Nadeem's THE ACQUITTAL reading - Friday, February 22

Thu, 20 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Castillo Theatre presents a play reading of:

The Acquittal by Shahid Nadeem // reading directed by Dan Friedman

Saturday, February 22 at 5:00pm // Admission is free. Reservation required. To make your reservation call 212-941-1234 or email boxoffice@allstars.org

The Castillo Theatre invites you to a reading of The Acquittal by the award-winning playwright, Shahid Nadeem, (translated from Urdu by Tahira Naqvi). The reading is being directed by Castillo’s artistic director Dan Friedman and will be held on Saturday, February 22 at 5:00 p.m.

Theatrum Mundi launches “Designing for Free Speech” challenge

Tue, 11 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Theatrum Mundi, in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, New York, has launched a “Designing for Free Speech” challenge. The challenge asks architects, designers, activists, artists — and anyone interested in imagining new spaces in the city for free expression — to identify public spaces in New York City and propose re-designs that transform them into places that activate the rights enshrined in the First Amendment.

Applicants will propose architectural or performative designs (temporary or permanent) that transform spaces in New York City into places for public “demonstration.” This challenge is about re-imagining and idealizing existing spaces that have the potential for animating the public, especially spaces that are not traditionally considered in this frame. Submissions will be accepted through March 31, 2014.

'The campaign "free Pussy Riot" is over'

Fri, 07 Feb 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Statement by the Anonymous members of Pussy Riot: Garadja, Fara, Shaiba, Cat, Seraphima and Schumacher

We, the anonymous members of Pussy Riot, would like to say many thanks to all the people who have supported us, those who demanded the release of our members, those who sympathised with us and sympathised with our ideology. We are very grateful to all of you; we deeply appreciate and respect everyone who has contributed to the Pussy Riot campaign.

'Public Secrets' - Performance & Screening - Saturday, January 11 6-9PM

Tue, 07 Jan 2014 00:00:00 +0000

‘Public Secrets’: Arts, Culture and Contemporary Indonesian Politics after the Fall of Suharto

Location: Project Reach NYC. 39 Eldridge Street, 4FL. New York NY, 10002

Performance by Arahmaiani /Screening of Erika Baglyas’s film Honestly featuring CM Rien Kuntari

Conversation with Arahmaiani & CM Rien Kuntari

1998, in the wake of the Asian financial crisis and the resignation of General Suharto after 32 years in power, was a tumultuous year for Indonesia. Promises of long-overdue democratic reform were quickly overshadowed by persistent political and economic instability, rampant corruption, civil unrest and terrorism. Performance artist Arahmaiani and war journalist Cordula Maria Rien Kuntari were witness to this important historical moment and its aftermath, both as insiders and outsiders. In addition to a shared national identity, both women share the common experience of being forced to leave their countries of origin as a result of their professional practice as it served to interrogate abuses of power and the hypocrisy of politics in their country.

Art and Activism on the World Stage @ Adelphi University

Mon, 02 Dec 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The Levermore Global Scholars Program is partnering with freeDimensional to bring guest speaker Ademola Bello, an international artist, to campus.

Thursday, December 5, 2:00–3:00 p.m

Location: Campbell Lounge, Room 1

About the Artist:

Ademola Bello is a Nigerian playwright, journalist, and novelist who has used his plays and dramatic writing to give a voice to oppressed communities and speak truth to power around the world. He will share his international journey, experiences, and struggles to use the arts as a tool for social change.

Mexico City Consultation on Free Expression and Cultural Rights - November 13 & 14

Wed, 13 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

On November 13 & 14, fD in partnership with El Centro Cultural de Espana in Mexico is hosting a two day consultation meeting on free expression and cultural rights in Mexico and Central America. 45 representatives from the arts, culture and human rights sectors will attend the consultation to exchange experiences, issues and problems, and mechanisms of support as they relate to different forms of creative activism.

What: 2-day consultation / workshop with artists, culture workers and activists from Mexico and Central America

Constitutional Court Admonishes Prosecutors Over Abuse Of Insult Laws As Visual Artist Maseko Wins In Court

Fri, 01 Nov 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Press Release: 30 October 2013

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is encouraged by the decisions passed on Wednesday 30 October 2013 by the Constitutional Court in two constitutional matters brought before it challenging the constitutionality of some offensive provisions of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

In the case of Mr Tendai Danga, the Constitutional Court struck off the matter from the court roll after the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) withdrew the charges preferred against the Bulawayo resident. Tendai Danga faced charges of undermining authority of or insulting President Robert Mugabe in contravention of Section 33 (2) (a) (ii) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23) in a matter that commenced more than two years ago.

Projects We Like: SITUATIONAL JUNTA @ Bowery Poetry Club - October 21, 2013

Sun, 20 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Emcee: Negin Farsad Main Dish: Alex White Mazzarella & Artefacting With: Caron Atlas, Stephanie Gooel, Brian Halloran, Niki Singleton, Lawman Lynch, Chloe Bass, Dave Ruder, Abigail Levine and Wen-shaun Yang

Location: Bowery Poetry Time: 6-8pm $10

{Each evening begins with a happy hour from 6pm to 7pm, and a live radio broadcast from 7-8pm.}

ABOUT THE SERIES

Dates: Mondays, Oct 21, Nov 18, Dec 16

The United States Department of Arts and Culture (USDAC) and the Associação Espaço Cultural Lanchonete (aka Lanchonete) are taking over Bowery Poetry for a series of evening encounters and exchanges, one part happy hour and the other part radio talk show… shaken, stirred, and served straight up on the airwaves! For three evenings this Fall, Situational Junta poses a simple question: If artists are empowered to innovate on a large enough scale to interrupt the status quo, what would that look like?

Presentation: The Right to Freedom of Artistic Expression & Creation

Tue, 01 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Arts/Rights/Justice Working Group presents UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights Report on The Right to Freedom of Artistic Expression & Creation - October 2 - Brussels

The presentation of the UN Report, “The Right to Freedom of Artistic Expression and Creation” at the European Parliament in Brussels on 2nd October 2013, from 11:30-14:30 in the Paul Henri Spaak Building, Room P5B001. Presenting the report will be its author, Mme Farida Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights.

Women’s survival strategies in Chechnya: from self-care to caring for each other

Wed, 11 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Luiza encounters regular violence and intimidation in her work helping women survivors of state-sponsored violence. Living under the Chechen regime, activist women need a combination of self and community care.

by Keely Tongate

Luiza has seen many attempts to silence Chechen human rights activists.

There was the car with tell-tale tinted windows and no number plates that tried to run over her sister, after she gave a speech attacking Chechnya’s poor human rights record. The constant emergency trips to neighboring republics with her children, having faced by threats from gangs on the government payroll. The drive-by paintball shootings. These were thugs trying to keep activists in check, part of a wider effort to enforce women’s compliance with a strict Islamic dress code.

A 'new poetry' emerges from Syria's civil war

Sun, 08 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Ghada al-Atrash, a Syrian-Canadian writer and translator, has been studying Syrian poetry for decades.

Yet in all her years of work, she says she has never encountered works of poetry such as the ones emerging today from the depths of a Syria in the throes of an increasingly deadly civil war.

“Today there is literature coming out of Syria that we could have never even dreamed of just a few years ago,” Atrash says.

Indian author shot dead in Afghanistan

Thu, 05 Sep 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Unidentified gunmen have shot dead an Indian author in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika, police say.

Sushmita Banerjee, the writer of a popular book about her dramatic escape from the Taliban in the 1990s, was shot dead on Wednesday night, police announced on Thursday.

“We found her bullet-riddled body near [a religious school] on the outskirts of Sharan city [Paktika’s provincial capital] this morning,” provincial police chief Dawlat Khan Zadran told the AFP news agency.

Call for Entries: CENSURADOS Film Festival - Lima, Peru

Fri, 23 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

“The story that is behind a censored film can help us to understand better our society”

CENSURADOS Film Festival will take place in Lima (Peru) on December 2013 with the aim to give voice to those fiction, documentary and animation films that have been censored in different countries for political, religious, sexual or environmental reasons, among others. The Festival wants to open a new space for directors and producers that their films have been prohibited and wants to know and talk about the story that is behind each censure. Since the beginning of cinema many films and scenes have been prohibited by different social, religious and political groups. Yet in 1894 we can find the first images censored in United States (“Carmencita”) that were prohibited by two local politicians because the scene shown the underskirt of the dancer. Others films such Clockwork Orange and The Great Dictator were also censored in the past and nowadays are some of the greatest films of cinema’s history. These are only some examples of how the censure has been very close to the history of the cinema and the documentary films.

Ukrainian Museum Director Destroys Critical Painting Ahead Of President's Visit

Fri, 02 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Natalia Zabolotna’s primary job as director of the Mystetskyi Arsenal art museum in Kyiv was to oversee the pieces under her roof.

But on July 25, the night before a visit by President Viktor Yanukovych and the opening of an exhibit meant to celebrate Ukrainian heritage, she took a can of black paint and doused a piece that she deemed “immoral.”

A day later, the destruction of artist Volodymyr Kuznetsov’s “Koliivschina: Judgment Day” has prompted the resignation of the museum’s deputy, helped fuel a street protest, and triggered alarm within the country’s artistic community.

The Gezi Park Experience

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

by Pelin Tan

“An event is political if its material is collective, or if the event can only be attributed to a collective multiplicity.” —Alain Badiou

Before the Turkish government brutally invaded Taksim Square and Gezi Park with water cannons and tear gas last Saturday, protesters held forums to discuss sustainable action that would continue the resistance beyond the park’s occupation. The Gezi Park experience is about collaboration, solidarity despite differences, voluntary shared labor, an agonistic democratic platform, and friendship. Whatever form of protest the next demonstrations take, they must contain these core aspects of the “Gezi Park Experience,” with art and its dissemination playing a crucial role.

Zunar vs. the police and Malaysian government

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Statement from Malaysia political cartoonist, Zunar. Zunar vs the police and the Malaysian government (Unlawful Detention under The Sedition Act): An appeal at the Appellate Court on the 18th June 2013

The Appellate Court has set 18th of June to hear my appeal on the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s ruling regarding detention of me under the Sedition Act three years ago.

In his ruling on July last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Justice Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera rules that the detention was lawful, even though in the other part of the judgment the court had instructed the police to return all my books and drawing and pay the damages.

Forced to Flee: Exiled Voices and Visions for Justice - 11 June 2013

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Forced to Flee: Exiled Voices and Visions of Justice

Tuesday, June 11 @ 12PM PST / 3PM EST

Greetings!

We are pleased to announce our upcoming conference call Forced to Flee: Exiled Voices and Visions for Justice, which we are presenting in collaboration with Arts & Democracy Project.

Emotions conveyed and evoked by art and culture can open hearts and minds, heal and transform, build community across difference, and promote peace, equality and justice, advancing positive social change. In Forced to Flee, we will hear refugee artists, artists forced into exile, cultural organizers and their allies talk about how they are using the power of art and culture to amplify the voices and visions of those forced to flee their countries of origin.

Attention! Turkish democracy needs you!

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

After a series of peaceful demonstrations for preserving a recreational area in Istanbul city centre, which is planned to be demolished for the construction of a shopping mall, Turkish police attacked the protesters at 05:00am on Friday morning violently with tear gas and water cannon, directly targeting their faces and bodies. Dozens of protesters are wounded and are being treated by doctors outside hospitals as they are not welcome there or are not able to reach the Emergency Rooms. Some are even reported dead.

2013 ART for HEALTH Benefit - May 24, 6:30-9:30PM @ Project Reach NYC

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Save the Date: Friday, May 24 6:30-9:30PM

Join us at Project Reach in Chinatown, New York City for an art exhibit, silent auction and performance to fund a mobile clinic this summer in rural villages in Cameroon.

Since 2009, the partnership between the U.S. charity organization Bush Medicine Partnership (Drexel University) and Hope International For Tikar People – a Cameroonian community based organization – have served more than 8000 people in the isolated communities in the rain forest of Cameroon.

fD selected as 2013 Grant Recipient by A Blade of Grass

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A Blade of Grass, established in 2011 as the first grant-making organization solely dedicated to socially engaged art, today announced its second round of organizational grantees. The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) and The Laundromat Project were selected to receive project support in the amount of $20,000 each, and freeDimensional has been selected to receive $20,000 in general operating support. A Blade of Grass will honor these grantees at a private reception in May.

'Winter of Discontent' screening @ 2013 Alwan Film Festival

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Winter of Discontent screening @ 2013 Alwan Film Festival Thursday May 2, 6:30 PM - Anthology Film Archives

Co-presented by freeDimensional

Ibrahim El-Batout, Egypt, 2012, 94 mins

Set against the momentous backdrop of the mass protests of Cairo’s Tahrir Square that began on January 25, 2011, this film takes us on a compellingly raw and moving journey into the lives of an activist, a journalist, and a state security officer. Winter of Discontent poetically explores the anguish of a victim of state terror in 2009, presaging and intertwining with the pivotal events in 2011 that changed the face of Egypt. As the stories of the characters unfold, we are propelled headlong into the heady, often surreal atmosphere of terror and uncertainty that characterized the last days of Mubarak’s rule.

SAVE THE DATE! APRIL 25 - fD Exhibition Fundraiser - FRAGILE STATES

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0000

freeDimensional in partnership with the Brian Morris Gallery invites you to attend a group exhibition launch and fundraiser, Fragile States, on April 25, from 6-9PM.

Fragile States is an exploration of the physical and psychological experiences of persecution and forced displacement. The artists featured in the exhibition share a common experience of having to leave their country of origin after facing threats, violent assault, imprisonment or torture as a result of using their creative practice to voice the concerns of their communities.

ARTRAKER AWARD 2013: Call for Submissions

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

DEADLINE: 1 May 2013

submissions@artraker.org

The Artraker Fund awards art that makes a direct positive change in countries that have experienced social upheaval and violent conflict. The Fund was created in 2012 by International Conflict and Security (INCAS) Consulting Ltd.

The prize of GBP2500 is awarded to the winning submission in London on International Peace Day (21 September) each year.

An international panel of judges from both the art and peace-building disciplines assesses submissions for the Artraker Award. They look for experimentation and engagement, audacity, change and capacity to inspire.

Belarus Free Theatre, Taking up the death penalty in ‘Trash Cuisine’

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Help Belarus Free Theatre tour an important piece of theatre, Trash Cuisine!

Click here to donate a few Pounds Sterling!

Trash Cuisine is a dynamic, affecting and innovative piece of theatre devised and developed from first degree research collected in Asia, Africa, U.S. and Europe by Belarus Free Theatre with the support of Amnesty International.

Hugely well received at its premiere in Stadsshouwberg, Amsterdam on 5 October 2012, supported by the European Cultural Foundation, Trash Cuisine explores issues behind imprisonment and torture with particular focus on the death penalty to create a challenging and nerve shredding performance.

A political refugee returns to his small village in West Africa to build a community radio station that educates and inspires

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Radio Taboo is a development project and documentary film about Issa Nyaphaga, a political journalist in exile returning to his small village in West Africa to build a community radio station to educate his community about subjects that are often too taboo to talk about. Issa was a journalist in Cameroon in the 1990s where he was jailed and tortured for his political cartoons. He is now heading back to his village in Cameroon to build a community radio station to educate villagers about Public health, environmental issues, women’s issues and rights of gay and HIV infected people. Nditam, his village, has no running water, no electricity, no schools or hospitals and no public news service. The film follows his struggle to raise funds, get the materials, gather manpower, build the station, train citizen journalists and make the station work for the betterment of his community. It will be an adventure to travel with Issa as he fights against all odds to create this amazing project. The radio station will run on renewable energy and will feature citizen journalists reporting on local issues to 1 million people in the remote rainforest of Cameroon.

Zunar in protest of draconian Malaysian printing act

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Zunar’s Press Release, 2nd January 2013

My latest cartoon book,“Lawak & Lawan” to protest Malaysian draconian printing act

My latest cartoon book, Lawak & Lawan (Fun & Fight) is produced to protest the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA). Among cited in this Act under section, 11 (2) requires the name of the printer to be printed in each publication. Failure to comply can be punished with imprisonment not exceeding one year and a fine not exceeding RM5000 ( about USD1800) or both.

Eight charged with Victor Jara's 1973 murder in Chile

Sun, 30 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

SANTIAGO, Chile — Eight retired army officers were charged on Friday with the murder of a popular songwriter and theater director, Víctor Jara, who was tortured and killed days after the 1973 military coup in a stadium that had been turned into a detention center.

Judge Miguel Vásquez charged two of the former officers, Pedro Barrientos and Hugo Sánchez, with committing the murder and six others as accomplices. Mr. Sánchez, a lieutenant colonel, was second in command at the stadium. Mr. Barrientos, a lieutenant from a Tejas Verdes army unit, currently lives in Deltona, a city southwest of Daytona Beach, Fla., and was interrogated by the F.B.I. earlier this year at the request of a Chilean court. Attempts to reach Mr. Barrientos for comment were unsuccessful; his two listed telephone numbers had been disconnected.

Dispatch: Mazen Maarouf on 'All that is banned is desired"

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

“All that is banned is desired”,

When art turns into a reflexive power, to get banned!

-1-

In the Norwegian capital sleeps on the shoulder of water Oslo opera house. It is a peaceful structure breathing below a changeable weather that displays simply the “unexpected”, the “percussive” and the “unrest”. The weather of Oslo resembles a state of instability. Political in the first sense and in a country somewhere, thousands of miles away from Oslo city. The “unexpected”, the “percussive” and the “unrest” are three vertices, each of particular dimension, that induce a temptation into the artist/writer/activist to move within and try to come up with a result. Yes, if these three vertices got joined together in a triangle, nothing can fit inside better than a chart of “politics of nowadays”. That may sort an elementary exercise in geometry. Is it easy to construct a triangle when the three points are located on the page? May be. A matter again to be thought about! Not that easy in fact. You have to cling in your neck a basket of requirements! Metaphorically speaking, to be able to connect the three vertices, you have to distinguish them first. And to be distinguished, an effort has to be done as they wouldn’t be located so clearly. And the medium that hosts them should be already existing, but either translucent, either turbid or dirty. However, you need also to track the “why” behind their location as well! Is that too complicated? The simplest way then, sounds to go backwards. If you know that the paper (the medium) we are talking about is nothing but the country, any country under political and military conflict, ethnic struggle, civil war, revolution, or any other kind of tension, then you can find your way to the “why” and you can understand how it means “translucent, turbid or dirty”. You will end up most probably pointing your finger to each of the vertices: the “unexpected”, the “percussive” and the “unstable”.

Bolivian journalist Fernando Vidal set alight on air

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A Bolivian radio journalist has been attacked while he was conducting a radio show in the southern city of Yacuiba.

Staff at Radio Popular said four masked men broke into the studio, poured petrol over presenter Fernando Vidal and set him alight.

Mr Vidal, 78, and another staff member are being treated for burns.

Relatives said Mr Vidal had been reporting on smuggling in the border area when the attack happened.

Celebrated Somali poet killed by gunmen

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Popular Somali poet, playwright and songwriter Warsame Shire Awale has been killed in the capital, Mogadishu.

He was shot by unknown gunmen near his home on Monday evening.

Mr. Awale wrote and acted in radio plays critical of the militant group, al-Shabab, who he accused of misleading people in the name of Islam.

According to information received by NUSOJ, Warsame Shire Awale, a renowned poet who worked for Radio Kulmiye, was attacked on the evening of 29 October 2012 near his house in the Waberi district. He was reportedly shot several times by unidentified gunmen and was immediately rushed to the Daru Shifa hospital, where he was declared dead.

MUSIC, TOLERANCE & DEFIANCE - October 19, 6:30 PM

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 00:00:00 +0000

MUSIC, TOLERANCE & DEFIANCE: An evening with Shahin Najafi & Mohsen Namjoo

Shahin Najafi and Mohsen Namjoo are among the leading Iranian musical artists working today.

Najafi is visiting the U.S. for the first time since the fatwa and death threats against him in May 2012 resulting from the release of his satirical rap, “Naghi.” His speaking tour includes Berkeley, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orlando. In 2009, Namjoo was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison for insulting religious sanctities by singing some Quranic verses to music in a private recording, which was later released without his authorization.

Nepali artist Manish Harijan faces death threats

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

UNESCO has expressed concern at the death threats to Manish Harijan, a Nepali painter whose works are on show at one of Kathmandu’s art galleries.

“The right to freedom of expression must also apply to artistic expression. Tension that may arise between artistic creation and religious and ethical values should be openly discussed instead of becoming subject of intimidation or even death threat to the artist”, a press statement issued by UNESCO on Wednesday quoted Axel Plathe, Head of the UNESCO Office in Kathmandu, as saying.

Host an Occupier Now !

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

fD Board members Martin Rosengaard and Todd Lester have partnered with the S17 Support Group to set up a hosting system in New York city for Occupy Wall Street’s one-year anniversary weekend: Host an Occupier.

The Anniversary of Occupy Wall Street is upon us. Organizing work is nearly complete as cities across the country and the world prepare to celebrate the progress of our first year in the fight for economic justice. A “Festival des Indignées” is being planned in Paris. An “Open Knowledge Festival” kicks off in Helsinki, Finland.

Uganda jails British producer David Cecil over play about homosexuality

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Activists on Friday slammed Uganda for arresting a British theatre producer who staged a play about a gay man in defiance of a ban by the country’s media authorities.

Producer David Cecil was charged in court Thursday with two counts including one of “disobeying legal orders” and sent to prison pending a bail hearing next week. He faces up to two years in jail if found guilty, his lawyer said.

Urgent Call to Action: Free Zakaria Zubeidi !

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

On the 9th of September Zakaria Zubeidi announced that he will embark on a death fast, a complete food and fluid strike, in response to the continuous postponement of his release from Palestinian Authority prison. This effectively means that unless the Palestinian Authority releases Zakaria he will most probably not make it through the week.

Zubeidi, co-founder of The Freedom Theatre and former leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, has been imprisoned by the Palestinian Authority for close to four months. No charges have been made against him, no evidence presented and throughout his imprisonment his rights have been severely violated, as described by among others Human Rights Watch (http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/27/israelpalestinian-authority-theater-group-hit-both-sides).

As fighting rages, four political satirists find themselves swept up in the debates that divide Syria's revolutionaries.

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Witness:

In November 2011, as armed conflict raged in Syria, a young acting troupe called Masasit Mati launched a ground-breaking, finger-puppet show: Top Goon: Diaries of a Little Dictator, which mocks the Syrian regime in ways never seen in public before.

Living in exile, the four actors in Masasit Mati broadcast their show online, attracting a growing audience and positive reviews around the world.

But Top Goon’s success puts the actors themselves in danger and the widening split in Syria between those who favour a peaceful resolution and those prepared to use armed force mirrors that within the troupe itself.

Call for the release of filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia by the Syrian authorities

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Syrian filmmaker and producer Orwa Nyrabia was arrested in Damascus International Airport while traveling to Cairo at noon on Thursday, August 23rd, 2012. Nyrabia’s family still have no information about the reasons for his detention and his whereabouts are still unknown. freeDimensional joins the Nyrabia family and the international community calling for the immediate release of our friend and colleague Orwa Nyrabia.

Nyrabia graduated from the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Damascus in 1999. He participated at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 for his lead-role in the film “The Gate of the Sun” by Yousry Nasrallah which was based on the Lebanese Elias Khoury’s novel.

Malaysian High Court rules against political cartoonist Zunar

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

A statement by Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar in response to the court ruling regarding his detention - 1 st August 2012

I am extremely disappointed with the Malaysian High Court’s ruling that my detention under the Sedition Act in September 2010 was according to the law.

On the 24th of September 2010, I was arrested and jailed for two days just a few hours before the launching of my new comic book, Cartoon-O-Phobia.

Statement by Malaysian Political Cartoonist, Zunar: "MALAYSIA BANS CARTOONS DURING THE ELECTION, BUT I WILL DEFY THE RULING!"

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

STATEMENT:

I would like to refer to the ruling made by the Election Commission of Malaysia which bans the use of cartoons in the campaigns for the up-coming General Election. (General election’s date in Malaysia can only be decided by the Prime Minister, but must be called before the current term ends in March 2013).

The banning of cartoons during the election is comical and ludicrous. This is because cartooning is a legally-practiced medium in Malaysia and therefore the Commission does not have the right to forbid its use. Moreover, this is contradicting to the freedom of expression as provided to all citizens in Malaysian Constitution.

Artistic Director of the Jenin Freedom Theatre taken by Israeli Army

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Press Release by The Freedom Theatre, June 6, 2012

At approximately 03:15 am this morning the Israeli army entered the home of Nabil Al-Raee, Artistic Director of The Freedom Theatre, and took him to an unknown location.

Nabil’s wife, Micaela Miranda explains what happened: “The dog started barking so I went outside and saw soldiers jumping over the gate and come into the yard of the house. They asked for my husband and I asked what for, that it’s my right to know and it’s my house. The soldiers replied that they were not going to tell me. They then took Nabil, brought him to an army jeep and drove off. We are very worried because we don’t know where they took him and why.”

Burmese artists detained in Mandalay

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Seven Burmese performance artists will face charges in a Mandalay court on Thursday after they allegedly broke an obscure law last week by performing in public with five foreigners who were subsequently deported.

Officials from Mandalay’s Police Station No. 2 charged the seven artists on Tuesday with violating Section 11 of the 1964 Library, Museum and Exhibition Monitoring Act for performing near the north side of Mandalay’s moat on May 24.

1ST BREAK OUT : Exhibition by Kyaw Thu - 25-27 May - New York City

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

First Breakout – Artistic Expressions from the Heart – Exhibition by Kyaw Thu

“I have been denied all rights to artistic creation in Myanmar since September 2007, when I offered alms and water to monks walking in peaceful protest and reciting prayers of love during the Saffron Revolution, all the way to my current visit to the United States. I would like to call it the first breakout, the first artistic expressions from the heart, to be able to publicly exhibit the heartfelt works I have painted during my visit to America.” - Kyaw Thu (film actor, director, producer, painter, undertaker)

freeDimensional @ the ICORN General Assembly - Stockholm, Sweden. 9-11 May 2012

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0000

fD Director, Sidd Joag joins more than 100 delegates, guest writers and observers from as many as 32 different countries heading to Stockholm Wednesday 9-Friday 11 May, to take part in the 2012 International Cities Of Refuge Network General Assembly. Established as an independent, international organisation since 2010, more than 30 ICORN member cities from all over Europe and beyond will be represented when it all breaks loose at Kulturhuset in Stockholm.

CROSSFIRE - Photographs by Shahidul Alam @ QMA - Sunday, April 15

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Forum & Opening Reception for Partnership Gallery Exhibition in Collaboration with Drik Picture Library, Dhaka.

Bangladeshi photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam’s Crossfire exhibition will open in the Partnership Gallery at the Queens Museum of Art on 15th April, 2012 and run until May 6th, 2012. The exhibition aims to gather international support for a campaign to end extra-judicial killings in Bangladesh by state forces, usually called “crossfire.”

In 2004, responding to a perceived law and order “crisis” the Bangladesh government created a new, armed enforcement agency, called Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The agency was formed by taking officers from the Bangladesh Police, Army, Navy and Air Force. Over time, the agency’s budget and power grew until today it is one of the largest and most feared groups inside Bangladesh. From the very early days, RAB became notorious for killing people it was trying to capture, often during gun battles, which the government always claims is due to “crossfire.”

Art For Health @ Project Reach NYC - 31 March 2012

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Art for Health is a charity event that is hosted every spring to support innovative medical projects in Cameroon, Africa. Through art exhibitions, performance, live music, body painting, as well as slam and spoken word poetry, the artist’s creative energy is channeled towards supporting health projects for indigenous communities in Sub-Saharan Africa as well as towards promoting the message of social justice and free expression for people world-wide.

Since 2009, Hope International for Tikar People, founded by Cameroonian native and activist Issa Nyaphaga and the Bush Medicine Partnership, founded by students from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia have been working together to improve the quality of life in the Tikar villages in Eastern Cameroon as well as other marginalized communities with no access to medical care. Thus far, the partnership has served the urgent health needs of over 8,000 people in the isolated tribal communities of Cameroon.

Chaw Ei Thein featured in NYFA's Immigrant Artist Project Newsletter

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Chaw Ei Thein (2011 Mentee Alum, Burma), is a painter and performance artist whose work stems from her contrasting experiences of growing up in a politically oppressive Burma and then shifting to a very different landscape in the United States. Chaw Ei’s emotionally charged work of addressing these conflicts in her native country has earned her critical acclaim, awards, and residencies in the U.S. and abroad. However, it has also forced her to live in political exile in which returning to her native country could mean reprisal from the Burmese government. Between her experiences in the U.S. and her desire to return home, Chaw Ei balances multiple tensions in her work. She shares how she deals with her experience and how she has found her Mentorship with Alexandra Pacula in the NYFA Mentoring Program helpful to her artistic career and personal pursuits. The Mentoring Program collaborated with freeDimensional to pair Chaw Ei with her Mentor.

Press alert: Music Freedom Day - Saturday 3 March

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Press alert: Music Freedom Day - a global manifestation for freedom of expression for musicians on Saturday 3 March

In 48 hours, on this Saturday, the annual Music Freedom Day is marked with events, seminars, exhibitions, film shows, radio programmes and news paper articles on freedom of expression for musicians and composers all over the world.

List and programmes of events Events are currently being prepared in 19 countries: Activities on Music Freedom Day 2012

Malaysia deports Saudi journalist accused of insulting prophet in a tweet

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The Malaysian government has defended its deportation of a Saudi journalist accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a tweet

Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said the deportation to Saudi Arabia was legal and that Malaysia cannot be seen as a safe haven.

Hamza Kashgari, 23, was sent back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Mr Kashgari’s controversial tweet last week sparked more than 30,000 responses and several death threats. Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and can be punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.

Urgent Petition: Justice for Victor Leiva !

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Dear friends,

On the 2nd February 2011 our friend Víctor Leiva, known as “el Mono”, left the cultural center where he was taking dance classes. Moments later a firearm cut his life short.

Víctor was 24 years old when he was murdered. He was an http://www.gooakley.com/ artist and human rights defender, focusing particularly on the rights of young people, with whom he also worked.

This deplorable act of violence was condemned by civil society and national and international human rights organizations. A letter sent to Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor on the 2nd August 2011, marking six months since his death and requesting the prompt investigation of his murder, was signed by 44 organizations and over 400 individuals from 26 countries.

Malaysia: Political satirist takes government to court over ‘Cartoon-O-Phobia’

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

****Kuala Lumpur 18.01.12: Celebrated Malaysian political cartoonist Zunar (née Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque) appeared at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today for the first hearing of a civil suit brought by himself against the government and the police, in which he challenges them for his wrongful arrest and detention in September 2010.

Represented by the group Lawyers for Liberty, Zunar is seeking the return of confiscated property as well as aggravated losses and damages incurred in the incident which took place on 24 September 2010. That night, hours before the launch of http://www.troakley.com/ Zunar’s latest compilation of political cartoons titled ‘Cartoon-O-Phobia’, the police raided the artist’s office in Kuala Lumpur, seized all copies of the book and arrested him for sedition.

Jenin Freedom Theatre Director Zakaria Zubeidi back on Israel's wanted list

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Zakaria Zbeidi, the former commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin who was pardoned by Israel two years ago, has been added to Israel’s wanted list again.

In recent days, Palestinian security services informed Zbeidi that upon Israel’s request, he must remain in the Palestinian Authority’s detention facilities during all hours of the day and night, otherwise Israel will arrest him.

Zbeidi confirmed the report to Haaretz, yet cheap oakley said he did not know why the pardon was rescinded. Last week, Palestinian security forces arrested one of Zbeidi’s brothers, along with one of the workers at Jenin’s Freedom Theater, which Zbeidi directs.

Vaclav Havel, Dissident Playwright Who Led Czechoslovakia, Dead at 75

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Vaclav Havel, the writer and dissident whose eloquent dissections of Communist rule helped to destroy it in revolutions that brought down the Berlin Wall and swept Havel himself into power, died on Sunday. He was 75.

A shy yet resilient, unfailingly polite but dogged man Oakley Sunglasses cheap who articulated the power of the powerless, Mr. Havel spent five years in and out of Communist prisons, lived for two decades under close secret-police surveillance and endured the suppression of his plays and essays. He served 14 years as president, wrote 19 plays, inspired a film and a rap song and remained one of his generation’s most seductively nonconformist writers.

fD @ Artsfex - Copenhagen Summit on Artistic Freedom of Expression, 9-11 December

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

fD joins the Artsfex summit in Copenhagen on 9-11 December 2011 along with several prominent national and international artists’ networks, and freedom of expression organisations. The summit is organised by Freemuse and Danish PEN, and funded by the Danish Ministry of Culture. Participants will present http://www.raybani.com/ recent examples of censorship of the arts, and discuss the effects of censorship and repression of artists. Featured presenters include founding members of the Belarus Free Theatre, currently living in exile.

Stop the persecution of Bahraini artists and intellectuals!

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

fD joins Trans Europe Halles, Freemuse and the International Coalition of Arts, Human Rights and Social Justice in denouncing the continued persecution of Bahraini artists and intellectuals. Since the popular uprisings began this past spring, several hundred culture workers have faced threats, harassment, loss of job, torture and imprisonment.

Several weeks ago we submitted a letter in support of Bahraini culture workers to the Ministry of Culture, to which we have received no response. In our letter, we expressed concern “that some artists and intellectuals in Bahrain may be in danger of losing their capacity to foster healthy and http://www.usofacomputers.com productive international exchange between Bahrain and other countries, due to recent infringement of human and cultural rights in Bahrain.” We further admonished that in light of Manama being named 2012 Arab Capital of Culture, continued persecution of artists and intellectuals would garner significant, negative international attention.

VI. Festival Against Censorship honors fD stakeholder ZUNAR with the 2011 "Courage to Fight Censorship" award

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

BILBAO, Spain. November 10, 2011 -

ZUNAR a.k.a. Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, who has been drawing editorial cartoons for the past 20 years in Malaysia, was awarded the “Courage To Fight Censorship” Award at the VI. Festival Against Censorship.

ZUNAR uses his drawing pen as a weapon to fight state corruption and abuse of power. He has turned the spotlight on local public-interest issues such as the politically explosive (literally!) and unsolved murder of a Mongolian woman, the political conspiracy against the former-deputy-prime-minister- turned-Opposition-Leader Anwar Ibrahim, the domineering wife of the present prime minister, and the shady Scorpene submarine purchases that are now being investigated in France.

fD participates in VI. Festival Against Censorship - November 7-11

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

fD program coordinator Sidd Joag joins a roundtable discussion at the VI. Festival Against Censorship in Bilbao, Spain. Now in its 6th year, the Festival is organized by the Basque production company Serrano in collaboration with FREEMUSE and in 2010 honored fD with its annual No Censorship award.

Highlights of this year’s Festival program include fD stakeholders: Malaysian cartoonist ZUNAR, and Zimbabwean artist Owen Maseko.

“Zunar has been drawing editorial cartoons for the past 20 years in malaysia. Zunar uses his drawing pen as a weapon to fight state corruption and abuse of power. seven of his books are banned by the malaysian government.”

'Cultures of Resistance' - Artists on Art and Activism

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

fD program coordinator and visual artist Sidd Joag joins a panel with poet Suheir Hammad, filmmaker Iara Lee and Paul D. Miller a.k.a D.J. Spooky, to explore the role of the artist in a global society, including that of the diasporic artist. The panel will be moderated by http://www.raybandasoleit.com/ NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Arts and Public Policy Chair Randy Martin. 7-9PM @ NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò

As part of the program, fD and Residency Unlimited will facilitate a working session on a new residency and resource mapping initiative for artists-in-exile in New York City, including invited guests and open to the public. 3-5PM. @ NYU Institute for Public Knowledge

Iranian actress, Marzieh Vafamehr, sentenced to 90 lashes and one year in jail

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

According to an opposition website [www.kalameh.com] and as reported on 10 October 2011 by the Associated Press, Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr, wife of film director and screenwriter Nasser Taghvai, has been sentenced to one year in jail and 90 lashes for Ray Ban outlet appearing in a movie critical of the Islamic republic’s hard-line policies.

Vafamehr was arrested the first week of July 2011 in Tehran and was held in detention until 25 July 2011 when she was released on bail.

fD participates in Creative Time's 'Living as Form' exhibition - Friday, September 30 @ Essex Street Market

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On Friday, September 30, from 4pm to 8pm, performance artist and painter Chaw Ei Thein and radio journalist Lawman Lynch will create “social space” in Creative Time’s ‘Living as Form’ exhibition at the Essex Street Market. [www.creativetime.org/livingasform]

Transit Lounge/Waiting Room captures the experiences of fD’s New York stakeholders (artists displaced from their home countries as a result of their artistic activism) through http://www.gooakley.com/ performance, visual art, and video interviews. Transit Lounge/Waiting Room will highlight the situation in Burma, in particular the continual attacks on free expression. It explores the experience of displacement and acclimatization to a new environment when an artist is forced to depart their home country.

Hadi al-Medhi, Iraqi journalist and theater director, killed on September 8

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Hadi al-Medhi, one of the main organizers of a mass demonstration on September 9, was found assassinated in his home one day prior. Hadi, an outspoken critic of government corruption and the denial of basic rights, had experienced threats, kidnapping and torture earlier this year. On February 25, after participating in the ‘Day of Rage’ protests in Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Hadi along with three of his friends were beaten and kidnapped by nearly 15 soldiers. He told Amnesty International that he was taken to a detention center located in a former building of the defense cheap oakley ministry, where he was beaten, electrocuted and threatened with rape. He was released in the early morning hours of February 26.

Artists speak out on conditions in Belarus & Iran

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Chronicler of Iran’s Green Movement, cartoonist Kianoush Ramezani speaks out on the hunger strike by political prisoners in Iran (see video), and Nikolai Khalezin, co-founder of Belarus Free Theater writes The Last Letter to Sasha, an open letter to President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

Border Statements & the Regional Triage Team Model

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Border Statements is a community arts initiative and artist residency in Ruili City, Yunnan province, on the China-Burma (Myanmar) border, which uses arts and cultural programs to counteract the adverse effects of the Golden Triangle drug trade, human trafficking and HIV/AIDS on ethnic http://www.raybani.com/ minority youth. Launched in 2007 by Zero Capital Arts, the project relies on a network of international and local artists, educators, volunteers, and businesses to provide artists, culture-bearers, community members, students and youth with opportunities to collaborate and develop strategies for cultural preservation.

{MANAGUA, NICARAGUA} EspIRA / La Espora art space holds community forum

Fri, 27 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Arts Collaboratory and the Triangle Arts Trust invited fD founder, Todd Lester for a Knowledge & Skills Sharing Residency at one of the few artist residency programs in Central America, Espira / La Espora. One of the outcomes is a community forum on Friday, May 27, 2011.

fD founder participates in Aesthetic Justice seminar (May 14) in NYC

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Provisions Learning Project and Lambent Foundation invite you to the Aesthetic Justice Seminar, curated by Thomas Keenan and Niels Van Tomme. The seminar is organized within the framework of Provisions’s current Aesthetic Justice exhibition at Lambent Foundation, which features the works of Alyse Emdur, Rajkamal Kahlon, Carlos Motta, and Larissa Sansour. This daylong seminar will stage a number of http://www.troakley.com/ thought-provoking dialogues between the artist in the exhibition and renowned human rights practitioners, scholars, writers, and journalists. The aim is to explore the intersections between artistic practices and the field of human rights, and to discuss implications for the notion and practice of justice. Saturday, May 14, program runs from 10 AM to 6 PM – RSVP for the seminar and learn more about the exhibit.

Estonia & NYC: Sharing the Model of Critical Hosting

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

From April 14-17, freeDimensional’s program coordinator Sidd Joag was invited to present Art Spaces Hosting Activism and Strengthening Community Engagement at the Trans Europe Halles Meeting 71, titled ‘Shifting Gears’ in Tartu, Estonia. The meeting brought together representatives from nearly fifty of Europe’s leading independent cultural institutions and was an exciting opportunity for fD to present its Creative Safe Haven model to a wider European audience. Special thanks to Lemmitt Kaplinski for joining fD’s workshop and discussing his process and challenges in providing safe haven for cheap oakley Georgian poet Zurab Rtveliashvili, adding the necessary personalized perspective. ‘Shifting Gears’ included several performances, short presentations, workshops and discussions investigating the potentials for creative collaboration, artist mobility, resource exchange and capacity building between TEH member organizations. Congratulations to the Creative Center Carnation for hosting an exciting and productive meeting. As Tartu’s first full engagement with the international arts community, Meeting 71 was an important moment in the history of that city’s growing art and culture scene.

World Press Freedom Day (May 3) & the 'Exile' International cartoon exposition

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd), La Maison des journalistes in Paris hosts the ‘Exile’ International cartoon exposition. ‘Exile’ is the brainchild of La Maison des journalistes resident, fD partner, and renowned Iranian cartoonist, Kianoush Ramezani. The international expo, will take place on May 3rd 2011, and bring together a hundred cartoons by some of the most talented cartoonists in the world. A touring exhibition will start in the building of La Maison des journalistes in Paris and will then move to Ray Ban outlet several cities in France and Europe. The main goal of the expo is to attract the media and public attention to the critical work performed by La Maison des journalistes, in helping exiled journalists who were forced to leave their home countries to escape persecution. La Maison des journalistes provides them with a housing solution and helps them through the many difficulties they face at the time of their arrival in France. Posters, postcards and a catalog of all the ‘Exile’ cartoons will be created and sold to support La Maison Des Journalistes.

CHINA - Ai Weiwei imprisoned

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Some weeks ago, we broadcast news of well-known artist and activist, Ai Weiwei’s studio being demolished. Fearing an uprising like those sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, the Chinese government Ray Ban outlet recently detained Ai Weiwei and now the government has virtually deleted him from the Chinese internet. AccessNow is building up a petition on his behalf; click here to sign the petition and learn about other steps you can take to let the Chinese government know that we are watching their actions.

LIMA, PERU: Presentation of Spanish-language guide for Art Spaces Hosting Activism

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

From March 22-27, 2011, freeDimensional director, Todd Lester was invited to present the publication Art Spaces Hosting Activism & Strengthening Community Engagement - a Tactical Notebook made in collaboration with New Tactics in Human Rights - at two venues in Lima, Peru. This was the second meeting of Residencias en Red [iberoamérica]. R_en_R [i] was founded in November 2008 at a meeting organized by the Cultural Center of Spain in Sao Paulo. The initiative supports the creation of a network intended to strengthen the organizational capacities of residency programs and to generate a space for dialogue between art spaces at the regional level, as well as promoting artist Gafas Ray Ban outlet mobility. There were over 20 artist residency programs in attendance at the encounter, which gave freeDimensional a wonderful opportunity to share its model of Creative Safe Haven more broadly in the region.

Makan(dot)NOW, Featured MidEast Art Space + Arts & Democracy transcript on the role of Culture in Revolutionary Times

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Makan(dot)NOW at Makan House in Amman, Jordan – In response to these electrifying historical days in the region, Makan opens its doors wide inviting you to meet, chat, collaborate and make artwork. Imagine Makan as a podium, a theater, a screen, a lab, a friend. Come meet in Makan, on the balcony when it is sunny, on the couch to keep warm, we have chairs, tables, internet and tea. Bring your maglie calcio poco prezzo conversation, your blog, dreams, ideas, your worries; bring food and friends. Suggest a poetry reading session, a cultural dialogue, a film screening, a mural, or … or …

Singer & Kurdish spokesperson Ferhat Tunç gets 25 day prison sentence just before Music Freedom Day '11

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Turkey continues to prosecute its intellectuals and artists. At a concert in 2006 Ferhat Tunç praised 17 people who died in a military operation against the illegal Ray Ban outlet Maoist Communist Party two years earlier in 2004. Some of those killed were friends of the singer, who frequently talks about the necessity of creating peace and granting Turkish minorities equal cultural and political rights. The Public Prosecutor claimed that the song entitled “17 lives” performed by the singer “praised crime and a criminal”. While Tunç did not attend the hearing on Thursday (27 January 2011), his lawyer Osman Süzen claimed that the speech and the song performed at the Nazımiye Düzgün Baba Festival did not constitute any criminal offence. Tunç commented, “It is rather thought-provoking that an artistis punished because of his speeches and that a folk song he performed is used as evidence against him in a country that is said to be democratic”. He added that he was going to apply to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) with this “document of shame”. To learn more about this case, visit FREEMUSE, the world’s leading organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians. Also, don’t forget Ferhat and other musicians taking a stand for marginalized communities on March 3, Music Freedom Day, a time to celebrate musical expression worldwide.

Egypt, the Distance between Populism & Revolt

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

It is 2200 kilometers from Cairo to Budapest; 2090 kilometers from Cairo to Tunis; and only 1396 kilometers from Tunis to Budapest. Whereas the revolt in Tunis has inspired other North African uprisings, it is fair to ask why the the media played an Ray Ban outlet enabler for Tunisia while being collectively ambivalent on similar conditions in Egypt. A friend of freeDimensional and artist in Cairo wrote to say that ‘yesterday was the most significant day of my life’ referring to a street protest (pictured in at bottom right) he participated in on Tuesday, January 25. Twitter is down reports Laura Flanders and we’re all wondering why Obama didn’t add the word Egypt when he spoke of the fight for democracy in Tunisia in his State of the Union address. Is Tunisia - smaller, not as strategically-situated, and practically jutting across Europe’s frontier - a safer expenditure of newsprint and airwaves? Take Hungary for example - the current seat of the European Union presidency - where the “national public media is being concentrated, slimmed down and is now managed by government appointees.” The same BBC article reports that “Prime Minister Viktor Orban has sought to defuse the crisis by accepting that EU legal experts will now go through the new legislation with a fine-toothed comb.” Can the west’s support of Tunisia hold water if support is not also given to the protestors in Egypt. When the EU shows signs of tolerating rightwing populism (e.g. Hungary) – and with a new enough legal system that related populism across Europe can inform interpretation at the macro-level – can we also expect that Europe’s immigration concerns and their depiction in the http://www.raybanoutletit.com/ media will take primacy over aspirations for democracy just across the Mediterranean?

Chobi Mela in Dhaka this week // Founder Shahidul Alam joins fD Advocates

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Chobi Mela VI - International Festival of Photography will be held from 21 January to 3 February, 2011 in Dhaka Bangladesh and will present the work of creative artists participating from 30 countries. The festival with its theme “Dreams” is designed to be a birthplace of ideas, and a crossover meeting point for many artists. It will open http://www.raybandasoleit.com/ a portal to a mystical world of images showcasing new trends in photography and bringing to the fore issues of our troubled world. In congruence with the exhibitions there will be 8 workshops, 2 portfolio reviews and a week-long discussions, seminars and lectures at Goethe-Institut Auditorium that will initiate debates and discussions on issues central to contemporary photographic practice. The main attraction on the 22 January at Goethe-Institut will be a video conference with Dr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor, International Criminal Court. In this position, his mandate is to select and trigger investigations and prosecutions of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely genocide, crimes against Ray Ban outlet humanity and war crimes. The Inaugural ceremony and the evening presentations will also be broadcast live on the internet and you can read the festival blog here.

Belarus Free Theatre in New York

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Belarus Free Theatre is performing at the Under the Radar festival this week in New York. fD joined Trans Europe Halles to launch a solidarity fund for Belarus Free Theatre back after the December 19th elections when their members were either in hiding or in jail. freeDimensional worked with Arts & Democracy to publish a Bridge Conversation with Natalia and Nikolai, co-founders of the Theatre, drawn from our October 2010 Political Salon hosted by the World Policy Institute. Mischief + Mayhem Books continued their readings around the US in support of the Belarus Free Theatre, and on Wednesday, January 19th - the day before they travel back to Belarus - PEN American Center is hosting a celebrity reading on their behalves at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC.

Against Oppression—Kianoush Ramezani’s Drawings {World Policy Blog #5}

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Dear fD friend****: Can you make a donation of $10-25 so we can continue supporting courageous artists like Kianoush in 2011?

A green ribbon tied to a forlorn tree stump, its shadow creating an outline of a human hand. The index and middle finger are raised—a peace sign. This cartoon, by exiled Iranian artist Kianoush Ramezani, comments on Iran’s budding Green Movement. The movement, and the cartoon, has stirred up controversy.

Director's Note - Belarus Free Theatre Activist Jailed & Opposition Candidate Disappeared

Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

You have seen a series of events, collaborations and blog posts on Belarus from freeDimensional in the past months. I might ask, “what good did they do?” Yesterday - December 19th - witnessed a violent crackdown as thousands of people gathered in the center of Minsk to protest electoral fraud after the cheap oakley polls closed. This includes the detainment of our colleague Natalia Koliada, General Producer of Belarus Free Theatre. Back in October when Natalia and her husband Nikolai Khalezin were speaking in New York, they explained the complications of protest in Minsk: that for every person brave enough to march on the square, there would be an equal number of armed police … making Belarus a veritable police state. This morning on National Public Radio, I listened to the wife of Vladimir Neklyayev explain how her husband was beaten and then snatched from the hospital by masked thugs. She still doesn’t know where he is and based on her account of events, the hospital where he was kidnapped seemed culpable for the breach of his safety and care . This sounded all to familiar to the account our friends at Belarus Free Theatre gave of a few months ago when a friend and colleague active in the opposition was found hung in his home and the coroner bungled the autopsy report, omitting details that suggested his death was a political http://www.oakleyonorder.com/ assassination. We also just learned that free expression website, Charter 97 was stormed by police overnight. When artists, such as Natalia and Nikolia, are doing the work of activists we must listen to them. When we have every indicator that the rule of law has broken down and the protective layers of civil society stripped away … when we know that journalists have become fearful to give literal accounts of the impunity faced by the people they represent, then we also know that artists who bear witness to the societal condition will face danger. Here is another account of the the election protests and crackdown from Global Voices, and the World Policy Journal has blogged about the situation here.

Fund Creative Resistance!

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

You can have an immediate impact on the safety and freedom of those who are using art to change the world. With your year-end donation, support cheap oakley freeDimensional’s Creative Resistance Fund, which provides small distress grants to people in danger due to their use of creativity to fight injustice. Click here to contribute.

Being (T)here: Creating in the Borderlands

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Last night (6 Dec 2010) at the historic Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, writer/painter Breyten Breytenbach (South Africa), poet/painter Huang Xiang (China), and performance artists Chaw Ei Thein and Ye Taik (Burma) explored the concept of Art in Exile via text, conversation, and live performances. freeDimensional has been working with Chaw ei Thein over the last year as she filed for political asylum in the US and acclimates to the New York City art scene. For her performance last night, she provided the following note:

Zimbabwe Artist Maseko Finalist for Freedom to Create Prize

Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Zim Artist Owen Maseko expresses the atrocities of the Gukurahundi (5th Brigade) through his painting, graffiti and 3D installations, with the hope that greater cheap oakley openness about the massacres will lead to reconciliation and national healing. freeDimensional recently provided Maseko a Creative Safe Haven residency in Bilbao, Spain, and we just learned that he is a finalist for the Freedom to Create Prize, which will be awarded at the Citadel in Cairo in December. Read more about Owen’s ordeal in this Guardian article.