The SDC magazine for
development and cooperation
DEZA
Dossier Culture
Text: Samuel SchlaefliIssue: 04/2020

The freedom of artistic expression and to practise one's own culture is under threat worldwide. Yet this very freedom has tremendous potential to bring about social change, pluralistic societies and sustainable development.

Artist with his Tingatinga style paintings in Zanzibar, Tanzania.  © Yadid Levy/robertharding/laif
Artist with his Tingatinga style paintings in Zanzibar, Tanzania. © Yadid Levy/robertharding/laif

On the evening of 29 June 2020, the 33-year-old singer and civil rights activist Hachalu Hundessa was gunned down in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa. The next morning, hundreds of young men took to the streets, many of them armed with wooden sticks. The protests quickly spread to other regions. Roadblocks were set up, the internet was shut down for a short while and smoke from burned tyres hung in the air. Hundreds lost their lives in the clashes that followed.

Hundessa was a star to the Oromo ethnic group in Ethiopia. His songs were about government suppression and lack of freedom. He was an icon and the voice of a young generation of Ethiopians who are increasingly giving vent to their frustration, rage and hopes. His art touched thousands and acted as a lubricant for the political and social change that appeared within grasp with the election of Abiy Ahmed in 2018.

Suppression of artistic freedom

"Hundessa's murder led to a political crisis, so it was widely reported by the media. But almost every day an artist somewhere is attacked, arrested or murdered," says Srirak Plipat, the executive director of Freemuse, an NGO headquartered in Denmark that advocates for the rights of artists. Freemuse invokes human rights in its advocacy work. Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that, "Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits."

Artistic freedom is also reaffirmed in the UNESCO Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted in 2005. Countries consequently have the right and the obligation to take measures to protect the diversity of cultural forms of expression, especially when this is under threat. Switzerland ratified the convention in 2008 and committed to publishing a report every four years on progress achieved towards protecting and promoting the diversity of cultural forms of expression within and outside the country.

Yet creative freedom continues to languish, notwithstanding the international convention and being recognised as a human right. On its website, Freemuse documents new violations of Article 27 practically on a daily basis: Egyptian film producer Moataz Abdel Wahab was arrested and put in jail on flimsy terror charges. Pussy Riot member Peter Verzilov was sentenced to 15 days administrative detention in Moscow for using "obscene language"; Iranian actor Taraneh Alidoosti was given a prison sentence for "propaganda against the state". This is just a small selection of cases in July this year. "Shockingly, most violations of artistic freedom are committed by governments," says Plipat. This is true not just of Africa, Russia and the Middle East but is increasingly happening in Europe too. He recently visited artists in Poland and Hungary whose governments now only promote art that is nationalist and serves state objectives. Artists have started practising self-censorship to continue receiving public funding when "in fact, articulating critical issues and reflecting critically on political and social concerns is precisely what an artist does."

State of artistic freedom

Every year, Freemuse publishes its State of Artistic Freedom report. In 2019, it documented over 700 violations of the right to artistic freedom in 93 countries. The most frequent violation is politically motivated censorship of creative content by governments as well as by political and religious groups. Artists who engage with the rights of migrants, women and LGBT+ are especially hard hit. Freemuse has identified 13 countries where developments are particularly worrying: Brazil, China, Egypt, Indonesia, India, Iran, Lebanon, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, the USA and France. In France, the bastion of culture, political polarisation and restrictions on liberties due to the fight against terrorism have led to greater censorship and to shrinking the freedom of artistic expression.

Articulating popular concerns

Honey Al-Sayed was forced to flee because she questioned her country's policies and norms. The nationally popular radio jockey fled Syria in 2012 after repression against journalists and artists became life-threatening. Al-Sayed grew up in Kuwait and Egypt. She subsequently did a course in media studies in civil war-torn Lebanon. In 2001, she moved to Syria – the country of her parents – and started her radio show 'Good morning Syria'. The three-hour live show soon had up to seven million listeners a week. In her show she spoke about all the things for which there was no public space – trauma, sexual violence, women's rights and cultural heritage – in a way that was far removed from misconstrued traditionalism and religious fundamentalism.

Dance drama about the neglected victims of forced marriages during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. © Nobuyuki Arai
Dance drama about the neglected victims of forced marriages during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. © Nobuyuki Arai

In exile in the US, she was forced to reinvent herself but she drew inspiration from her untiring commitment to cultural diversity and freedom of the media. She co-founded the Arabic internet radio station SouriaLi together with three other Syrian refugees. Today it is run by 27 Syrians in exile in 17 countries and has half a million followers. "What we're doing with SouriaLi is edutainment for social change," says Al-Sayed. She mentions a cooking show, which offers an alternative portrayal of Syria and its society; one that corresponds neither to government propaganda nor the victim narrative in Western media coverage.

Al-Sayed considers media, culture and art to be intimately connected. "Culture moves people and the media reinforce this movement," she says. Storytelling is the quintessential form of all cultural expression. "Right from the first cave drawings all the way to social media – we just cannot help but tell one another stories." Literature, theatre and music are necessary to imbue our experiences with meaning. "In Lebanon it was theatre that kept my hopes alive during the devastating civil war," she recalls. "In fact, during wars and crises we need culture more than ever."

Empathy through art

Based on her own experiences and with the backing of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Al-Sayed founded Media and Arts for Peace (MAP) in 2018. The organisation supports artists in challenging contexts, mainly in the Arab world. She is simultaneously a trainer and speaker on the role of culture and the media in bringing about peace and social change. MAP even uses performance art itself to create affinity and empathy. "Art can humanise the way in which we see people."

Art exhibition at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano in Havana, Cuba. © Paul Hennessy/Polaris/laif
Art exhibition at the Fabrica de Arte Cubano in Havana, Cuba. © Paul Hennessy/Polaris/laif

She cites an instance from her current work. At a CEO retreat, migration was one of the topics of discussion. MAP organised a half-hour performance on the topic: an opera singer, an oud player and a painter – all of whom had fled to the US from Syria – presented their country to the CEOs from an artist's perspective. "Some of them had tears in their eyes, they were so touched," says Al-Sayed. "The discussion that followed was informal and revolved around the oud, Syrian music and painting – and not forced migration or what it means to be a refugee." Al-Sayed is convinced that no panel discussion, no workshop and no PowerPoint presentation can create that kind of connection.

The SDC's cultural activities in Switzerland

Besides supporting culture in other countries, the SDC also helps professional artists from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe to access Swiss audiences as well as the country's cultural market and professional networks. To that end, it has entered into long-term partnerships with professional associations in the Swiss cultural sector, such as the film foundation trigon film, which has been selecting and showing films from Latin America, Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe in Swiss cinemas since 1988. The foundation also operates its own DVD edition and a streaming platform called filmingo.ch to make such films available in the long term. The Visions Sud Est fund also promotes film productions from the South and East. Apart from providing financial support, the fund provides visibility to these works and facilitates their distribution in Switzerland. Culture institutions in Switzerland can also apply to the SüdKulturFonds to obtain shortfall guarantees and financial assistance for projects involving productions and events featuring artists from Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.


For more information visit: artlink.ch; trigon-film.org and visionssudest.ch

Rooted in real life

Nici Dahrendorf has had similar experiences. "Dance and music are often far more powerful than words," says the eminent human rights expert, "especially in traumatic situations that are usually difficult to express in words." When she headed a UN programme in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to protect women against rape by soldiers, she worked closely with Congolese musicians and theatre groups. Music, dance and theatre are an integral part of life in the Congo, and are therefore a powerful instrument to reinforce messages among the population. "Artists know their audience. They know the taboos and social norms and are able to fine-tune their message to specific contexts."

Murals at the open-air museum Museo a Cielo Abierto in the San Miguel neighbourhood in Santiago, Chile.  © Jose Giribas/SZ Photo/laif
Murals at the open-air museum Museo a Cielo Abierto in the San Miguel neighbourhood in Santiago, Chile. © Jose Giribas/SZ Photo/laif

During the project, the female artists themselves pushed the boundaries of performance with a theatrical recreation of a rape to convey the terrible pain and anguish it causes. But there can be risks to this approach. There is a danger of development organisations instrumentalising artists for their own ends, says Dahrendorf, especially in contexts where artists have few alternatives. Artists need space to be able to work freely and this must not be curtailed by the donors' agenda. It is therefore important to listen to partners and constantly ask, "Is our message also really their message?"

Lifeline for refugees: song and dance

Plipat from Freemuse advocates a holistic approach and greater boldness in development cooperation. North-South cultural exchanges, workshops, debates and support for individual artists and art projects are important, but they are by no means sufficient. "We must create an enabling political and economic environment in which artists are safe and can develop freely." Plipat expects donor countries such as Switzerland to also step up political support for the human right to cultural freedom and artistic expression. Norway, Sweden and Finland are at the forefront in this regard. He also stresses the importance of strong interdisciplinary and transboundary global networks for sharing experiences. Artists need to be trained so that they can lobby for their rights and exert political pressure. Plipat is convinced that it would be worth the effort because artists are experts in creating a culture of free and peaceful dialogue. "This is a precondition for any development to take place."

The 2005 UNESCO convention provides for culture to be integrated in development strategies and for support to developing countries in promoting culture. Although art and culture are not listed as independent goals in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, they are mentioned as key drivers for achieving many of the 17 SDGs. Despite this, promoting culture as part of development cooperation continues to be difficult. "Our work is often marginalised," says Al-Sayed. Art and culture are considered 'soft' and of secondary importance compared to topics such as humanitarian aid, peacebuilding and health. "Most governments today still do not appreciate that war refugees do not just need blankets and running water to survive; it is equally important that they have opportunities to dance and sing."

In-depth reflections

In August, the SDC published a report with several reflection papers on culture and development. These examine the question of how culture and classic development cooperation are linked. Through theoretical discussions and practical examples from different regions, the publication brings out the potential and the impact of cultural creativity on social transformation.

The reflection papers are available in several languages and can be freely downloaded at the following link: www.deza.admin.ch/Publikationen

Come with us. From April 2024, you will find all the stories about Swiss humanitarian aid and international cooperation at sdc.admin.ch/stories.

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