FairPlanet.Support
| tags: | #artistic freedom, #freedom of speech |
|---|---|
| located: | Denmark |
| by: | Lev Nordstrom |
Born out of the very first World Conference on Music and censorship back in 1998, Freemuse, "an independent international membership organisation advocating and defending freedom of expression" in music across the globe, continues to play a major role in exposing worldwide inequalities. Their regular newsletter keeps subscribers up to date on current affairs, namely transgressions or encroachments on artistic freedom and basic human rights.
In early July, Freemuse made the news, when it announced that the renowned Danish Roskilde Festival had donated 1,500,000 Danish Crowns (which corresponds to approximately 200,000 Euros) to ensure that the organisation can pursue its invaluable activities in the artistic realm. In fact, the Roskilde team published an official statement on the festival's website, sharing its motivation to partner with Freemuse for the next three years in the "fight for the global right to artistic and creative freedom of speech."
The statement reads: "Everyone should have the right to express oneself creatively and artistically. But we know this isn't the case. It's a fundamental human right, and yet it's challenged in many countries. Roskilde Festival believes in communities, and we believe in the role of art in the community. Art and music create communities, move people, show new ways."
At this year's Roskilde Festival, Freemuse launched a call-to-membership for its Artistic Freedom Defenders Network (abbr. AFDN), conceived as a global network tasked with doing as its name implies. The AFDN is an ambassador programme to create "a community of artists, activists, NGO's, professionals, students and everyone who is interested in – and supports – artistic freedom. It's an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas and help make the world a safer space to express oneself."
The Freemuse-Roskilde partnership comes at a time, when censorship remains a critical issue for many individuals around the world. These are times to build like-minded alliances, but also to call attention and lend a voice to those, whose freedom and most fundamental human rights continue to be violated. It's a pressing call for solidarity in an age of increasing division and alienation and a world steadily building walls rather than tearing them down. But more importantly, "it's an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas and help make the world a safer space to express oneself," the festival declares.
We at Greedy for Best Music and our colleagues at FairPlanet are proud to support and encourage you to join the cause at artisticfreedomdefenders.org.
Image credit: Flemming Bo Jensen
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