Freemuse

Webinar: Advancing Artistic Freedom

Join Chapter54 and Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for a free information session on artistic freedom and how UN human rights and UNESCO mechanisms can support artists and cultural practitioners across Africa.

Guest Speakers: Minjae Lee, OHCHR; Lisa Sidambe, Freemuse; Ioana-Maria Tamas, UNESCO; and Javan The Poet.

📅 June 23, 2026

⏰ 10:00am GMT

🔗 Register free: https://tally.so/r/5BE6bd

In Malta there is “… an environment where artistic freedom isn’t directly censored, but rather shaped through subtler mechanisms: who gets invited, who gets funded, and who doesn’t. It’s not always about the quality of work, but about alignment, reputation, and tone.”

Freemuse Research Director, Sara Whyatt, interviewed Maltese artist Rachelle Bezzina on how freedom of artistic expression functions within a small state where the distance between central government and individuals is short, where there is little space for anonymity. How effective is ‘arm’s length’ policy in these countries, where funders and sponsors often closely connected with the political classes decide who does and who doesn’t get support.

She calls for artists to foster greater freedom by creating independent spaces and alternative networks outside of the traditional structures.

Read more here: https://www.freemuse.org/rachelle-bezzina-artistic-freedom-exists-in-the-spaces-we-carve-out-for-ourselves

Photo: Kels Camera

Ahead of Tanzania’s UN Human Rights Council review on 5 November 2026, Freemuse and Selam have submitted a joint Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report on artistic freedom in the country. The UPR process of every UN member State takes place every four and a half years.

While noting progress since 2021, including reduced artist fees and commitments to support the arts, the report raises serious concerns about censorship, restrictive permit systems, repression of dissenting artists, and shrinking civic space.

Freemuse and Selam call for legal reform, independent regulatory bodies, and an end to censorship mechanisms that undermine artistic freedom.

Read the UPR report here:

Minimal reforms are inadequate: Artistic and artists’ rights continue to be repressed in Tanzania - Freemuse Ahead of the United Republic of Tanzania’s appearance before the UN Human Rights Council on 5 November 2026, Freemuse and Selam have submitted a joint Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report commenting on the state of artistic freedom in Tanzania. The UPR process of every UN member State is conduct...