Conference updates
Download and distribute the conference report
Written by Robin Denselow, a British writer, journalist and broadcaster who reports for The Guardian, BBC tv and radio, this report is a catching, touching and enlightening publication about the current state of freedom of expression among artists around the world. It reflects on the numerous accounts and incidents of censorship, persecution and imprisonment of artists, [...]
Violations of artistic freedom of expression in 2012
Violations of artistic freedom of expression was monitored and documented by Freemuse on this website as part of the world conference ‘All that is Banned is Desired’. The documentation found the basis for a statistical compilation presenting a glimpse of the situation for artists worldwide in 2012 and includes cases in more than 50 countries [...]
Conference videos online now
The video material from the first world conference on artistic freedom of expression, ‘All that is banned is desired’, held in Oslo, Norway, in October 2012, is now available online – whole sessions as well as interviews with some of the artists and speakers. So this is the moment when the conference attendees can now [...]
The conference is over – but this is only the beginning
More than 40 artists and speakers from all over the world came, spoke, performed, listened and shared experiences with colleagues and an audience from more than 20 countries thus making ‘All that is banned is desired’ the melting pot we had hoped it would become. Around 300 people attended. They came from artists’ organisations, human [...]
Censored and imprisoned artists speak out
PRESS RELEASE – sent to Danish press (in Danish language) on 23 October 2012 The “brain” behind the Russian Pussy Riot campaign and experts from a wide range of freedom of expression organisations arrive these days to Oslo to meet with persecuted and censored artists from around the world. Because on Thursday opens the first [...]
Deeyah speaks out at the Oslo Opera House
Music has stopped in Northern Mali due to attacks from religious extremists. But even in Europe singers have been threatened and silenced. In 1996 Norwegian born Deeyah moved from Oslo to London after threats. Continuing her career in the UK, her performances however led to difficult confrontations with orthodox Muslims, whose threats eventually made it [...]
Preliminary conference programme out
The preliminary programme for ‘All That is Banned is Desired’ – the World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression at the Oslo Opera House on 25–26 October was published today, and the conference is now open for registration. The world conference, organised by the Fritt Ord Foundation and Freemuse, is the first of its kind. [...]
Adam Fischer joins the World Conference in Oslo
The acclaimed Hungarian-born conductor Adam Fischer will be speaking at ‘All That is Banned is Desired’ – the World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression at the Oslo Opera House on 25-26 October 2012. At the end of 2010, Fischer resigned as Music Director of the Hungarian State Opera in protest against the controversial media [...]
Religious and political conflicts leave their stamp
Rape, killings and arrests. The conference ‘All That is Banned is Desired’ gives a voice to artists who express themselves about controversial or sensitive topics and in return get either attacked, persecuted or censored. Over the past months, here on artsfreedom.org we have documented several controversial stories of censorship and attacks on artistic expression. Religious [...]
Press release: World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression in Oslo
FREEMUSE PRESS RELEASE ON 18 JUNE 2012: ALL THAT IS BANNED IS DESIRED World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression in Oslo Artists who have received death threats, experienced imprisonment, abduction or censorship because of their artistic work will enter the stage when the first ever World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression is held [...]
