 |
 |
|
Welcome
August 2023
Dear Friends of Peacebuilding and the Arts Now,
The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect produces a weekly “Atrocity Alert” that focuses on mass atrocity crimes around the world (or the imminent danger of such crimes being committed) from which the wider international community might have turned away, or to which it still has yet to pay sufficient attention. The Centre has identified dozens of populations at risk; we open this issue of Peacebuilding and the Arts Now by highlighting two – in Sudan and in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh in Armenian). We share links to articles about the impact of these conflict situations on artists, and their creative actions to counter the violence and displacement.
Since April of this year, the raging conflict in Sudan has led to the deaths of thousands, and millions have been forced from their homes. Below you’ll find links to information about how, as in the past, Sudanese artists continue to be at the forefront of efforts to document the crisis while also creating systems of support for one another and for peace. Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), a self-proclaimed state with an Armenian population, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. A recent blockade of the road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia has, according to Amnesty International, “left some 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents… without access to essential goods and services, including life-saving medication and health care.” We’ve included links to a photo essay that chronicles the direct impact of the blockade on one family, and to articles about the inventive ways artists are responding.
Other pressing news focuses on debates about the repatriation of cultural objects (originally from parts of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East) housed for decades in museums in the west or in the homes of wealthy collectors. The links below take you to stories about some of these cherished items – often taken illegally during eras of colonial rule or in times of heightened vulnerability, including war – being respectfully and rightfully returned, while others remain in collections far from their home communities. Negotiations about such repatriations remain complicated and fraught.
Our artist spotlight shines on Cambodian dancer Mea Lath. Ms. Lath participated in the creation and performance of a world-premiere production this past April that foregrounds the centrality of cultural expression to the rebuilding of community for Cambodians in the diaspora, most of whom fled starvation and ongoing war following the Khmer Rouge genocide in the 1970s. We’re also pleased to present a report by Dr. Cynthia Cohen on a convening about the contributions of arts and culture to the anti-authoritarian/pro-democracy movements followed by an essay about cultural producer and U.S. civil rights activist Jane Wilburn Sapp. In the latter, you will find links to her podcast and a song collectively created through her facilitation at that same anti-authoritarian/pro-democracy movements conference.
Just before our list of resources, reports, opportunities and announcements of upcoming events, we offer an essay about a wonderfully innovative “Sustainability Walking Tour” held in Bangalore, India, conceived of and produced by the Bangalore Creative Circus and Chandra Harsha Bhamidipati, which aimed to inspire constructive action related to the health of local waters.
We recognize the precarity of waters everywhere, along with that of their attendant ecosystems. We hope that those of you in areas experiencing severe heat are able to find relief.
Toni Shapiro-Phim and Armine Avetisyan
| |
|  |
Image source: INSPIRE Project
|
|
War in Sudan
It's Been More Than 40 Days and Sunday Never Came
INSPIRE Project/Peace Research Institute Oslo
“This article explores the experiences of Sudanese artists who have been affected by the violent conflict in their country that erupted in April of this year. In this piece, a group of contributors, including researchers Katarzyna Grabska and Azza Ahmed Abdel Aziz and artists Alaa Sherif, Yasmin Abdallah, Galala Yousif, Reem Aljeally, amongst others, provide firsthand accounts and reflections on the impact of the ongoing conflict on the emerging art scene.”
“As fighting between rival military factions intensifies in Sudan, a report published at the end of last month by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) raises alarm that the country’s cultural institutions and their extensive collections are at risk of irreparable damage.”
Sponsor a Sudanese Artist
INSPIRE Project/Peace Research Institute Oslo
“The ‘Sponsor a Sudanese Artist’ campaign is a grassroots initiative aimed at supporting and empowering talented artists from Sudan in the midst of political and economic turmoil. This campaign recognizes the immense artistic potential present in Sudan and seeks to support artists’ work and survival by offering an avenue through which they can continue to develop their work, skills, and connect with global networks.”
The Sudan Artist Fund
“At SAF, we wholeheartedly believe in the power of art and artists to chronicle the history of the Sudanese people’s unwavering fight for democracy… With your support, SAF strives to award $500 (or whatever we can collect monthly) to one Sudanese artist. The award is not to fund a project. But to invest in the artist to keep working.”
| |
|  |
Vanik Meljumyan, an ariists from Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo by the artist
|
|
Blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh): the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
Sunrise Stepanakert Art Festival
“In times of tragedy, we are thrust into darkness. Our emotions, sentiments, and perceptions grow dull. Our souls get trapped in the dusk. We remain caught between the past and the present, grappling with loss and grief. Yet, times of tragedy also bring to light our resolve and our resilience, our voice and our valor… We rediscover what binds us to our community, our nation, and our land. We find purpose in love, hope, and light. We find sunrise.” Sunrise Stepanakert - a multimedia art festival involving photography, digital art, film, and music - used to be held in Stepanakert, but because of Azerbaijan’s blockade, organizers found creative ways to address the situation. The 2023 festival programs have taken place at multiple venues, including some in Armenia proper.
Read Astrig Agopian’s interview with one of the young festival artists from Stepanakert - Vanik Meljumyan.
Beyond the Blockade
Knar Babayan, Chai Khana
Photos of and by Knar Babayan and her family. “For over four months my 3.5-year-old niece has been asking me ‘Hibs ton kilakan?’ (When are you coming home?). I have no answer to the question. I can only see my family in Artsakh (Karabakh) online, and I don't know when I will be able to return to my home. The road has been blocked by Azerbaijani ‘eco-activists’ for more than four months.”
Defending Armenia through Art: Fifteen-Year-Old Shakeh Hagopian awarded Congressional art prize
Ruby Topalian, The Armenian Weekly
“Many may find my painting visually pleasing, but I did not paint this to win or to have a beautiful piece of art to decorate a wall. I painted this to get an important message across – and it’s up to the average citizen to help accomplish this. Your tax money funds Azerbaijan and Turkey’s military, and it’s contributing to the ethnic cleansing of indigenous Armenians.” – Shakeh Hagopian
| |
|  |
Dan Kitwood/ Getty Images. Source: Town & County
|
|
Repatriation of Looted Art and Antiquities
Is 2023 the Year Looted Art Returns Home?
Emily Burack, Town & Country
“In this timeline, Town & Country documents repatriation news in 2023—covering stolen antiquities, war crimes, and disputed archeological finds. Repatriated objects and artwork can originate from a wide variety of sources, ranging from private collections to national museums. In addition, repatriation doesn't just mean returning to a country—it can be artwork returning to families, or remains returning to ancestral burial grounds.”
Netherlands to return treasures looted from Indonesia and Sri Lanka in colonial era
Philip Oltermann and Senay Boztas, The Guardian
“The Netherlands is handing back hundreds of valuable artefacts it removed from Indonesia and Sri Lanka during the colonial period, including the cache of precious stones, gold and silver jewellery looted by Dutch troops from a Balinese royal palace.”
How Germany Changed Its Mind, and Gave the Benin Bronzes Back
Thomas Rogers, Rahila Lassa and Alex Marshall, The New York Times
“A ceremony in Nigeria [at the end of 2022] was the culmination of a yearslong process that upended Germany’s approach to museum items looted during the colonial era.”
1,000+ Objects at The Met Linked to Antiquities Smugglers
Rhea Nayyar, Hyperallergic
“New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art holds over 1,000 objects that once belonged to people who have been accused of or convicted of antiquities crimes, according to a report published today by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). Of the 1,109 objects in question, 309 of them are currently on display throughout the museum, including artifacts linked to disgraced art dealers such as Subhash Kapoor and Douglas Latchford.”
Read more stories.
| |
|  |
KHMERASPORA performers on stage before the final bow. Long Beach, California, April 2023. Photo by Toni Shapiro-Phim
|
|
Artist Spotlight: Mea Lath
By Dr. Toni Shapiro-Phim, Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts
Renowned Cambodian American rapper praCh Ly has written and directed a performance piece that shines a light on experiences of Cambodian American communities through instrumental music, song, and dance. KHMERASPORA premiered in April of this year in Long Beach, California, which is home to the largest community of Cambodians outside of Southeast Asia. Most Cambodians there arrived as refugees in the aftermath of a genocide in the 1970s, followed by a decade of violent conflict when many ran for safety and sustenance to refugee camps along Cambodia’s western border with Thailand. More than 100,000 Cambodian refugees settled in the United States in the 1980s and early 1990s, most in California.
praCH Ly took on a daunting task this year: sharing elements of what it means to survive violence, displacement and loss on a grand scale, and then to re-create community and culture on the other side of the world. A collaboration between Long Beach Symphony members, under the baton of music director Eckart Preu, and singers, dancers, and Cambodian pin peat musicians (the pin peat ensemble accompanies classical dance, shadow puppetry and Buddhist ceremonies), this event under praCH Ly’s direction included three world premieres by internationally-celebrated Cambodian composer Dr. Chinary Ung. I attended the show whose two performances (in a venue seating 3,000) were presented to a full house each time. I had a chance to speak with one of the artists central to the production -- Mea Lath, choreographer and performer of Khmer (Cambodian) classical dance -- about this artistic endeavor, and the communities for which it was created.
| |
|  |
Zoom still from the session
|
|
The Contributions of Arts and Culture to Pro-Democracy, Anti-Authoritarian Movements: A report on sessions of the 22nd Century Conference: Forging a People-Powered Democracy
by Dr. Cynthia Cohen, IMPACT Senior Fellow
- How are artists and cultural workers contributing to strengthening just and vibrant democracies and opposing rising authoritarianism in the US and around the world?
- What approaches have been effective and in what contexts?
- How have artists and cultural workers minimized risks of harm to themselves and others?
- How could experiences of friends and colleagues from around the world be of help to artists and cultural workers aligning with the emerging multi-sectoral anti-authoritarian movement in the United States?
These were among the questions that framed three sessions at the 22nd Century Conference held in the U.S. city of Minneapolis from July 6 – 9, 2023: 1) a presentation and conversation led by Cindy Cohen (oral historian, educator, IMPACT Senior Fellow) and Bonface Beti (Kenyan theater artist, student of conflict transformation, and member of IMPACT Inc’s board); and two song-writing workshops led by Jane Wilburn Sapp. The workshops illustrated the effectiveness of cultural work, and led to the collective composition and performance of a powerful song “This is Real”.
We, Bonface and Cindy, had been asked by the conference organizer to bring international voices into the conversation. To prepare, we conducted online interviews and discussions with members of our global networks.
Read the full story.
| |
| Imagination and Agency
by Dr. Cynthia Cohen, IMPACT Senior Fellow
A first step in advancing social justice is to imagine the better world we hope to create. The significance of imagination – especially the crafting of collective imagination – is central to the work of Jane Wilburn Sapp, the noted African American cultural worker, performer, educator and activist. “If you can get people to create together,” Jane says, “people can see what beautiful and powerful things they can make together, and maybe they can see themselves making a world together.” Here, we continue our series highlighting episodes of Jane Sapp’s podcast.
The relationship between imagination and agency, and some of the songs that have emerged from Jane’s song-writing cultural work practice, are explored in the first episode of her Let’s Make a Better World podcast.
Recently, Jane led a song-writing workshop at the 22ndCentury Conference: Forging a People-Powered Democracy, convened in early July in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Participants in her session Developing a Collective Poetic Voice to Address Authoritarianism Thru Songwriting produced and performed an energetic call for relentless, courageous work to build a multisectoral, feminist, inclusive “democracy for all.”
| |
|  |
A mural from the walking tour, referencing how water is inextricably linked to women's livelihood. Artists: Madhuri Umashankar and Girija Hariharan. Photo by Chandra Harsha Bhamidipati
|
|
“Stories of Water” A Sustainability Walking Tour in Bangalore, India
by Chandra Harsha Bhamidipati, MA in Sustainable International Development and Conflict Resolution and Coexistence, Brandeis University '23
As a proud resident of Bangalore, India, I felt a pressing need to explore the topic of "Bangalore's waters" and raise awareness about water accessibility and associated injustices. Taking inspiration from a previous project in which I had participated while a graduate student, and delving into possibilities through conversation with Dr. Cynthia Cohen, who had been my professor, the idea of "Stories of Water" was born—an immersive self-guided walking tour/exhibition intertwined with mesmerizing art installations.
That earlier project was called the "Culture of Sustainability Walking Tour." Alongside my fellow Brandeis University classmates, we embarked on a journey to inspire individuals to imagine and cultivate sustainable cultures. Guided by the wisdom of Dr. Cynthia Cohen and Dr. Polly Walker, Senior Fellows at IMPACT, Inc. - a diverse global organization advocating for the field of arts, culture and conflict trasformation - we explored the transformative power of ethical arts and cultural practices outlined in the IMPACT initiative's report - an exploration that laid the foundation for our creative endeavor.
Little did we know that within a year, not just one, but two walking tours would come to life. The Brandeis University community eagerly embraced our project in May 2022, while in Bangalore, my hometown, another tour blossomed. These endeavors became possible through the generous grants received from IMPACT, Inc. and the Maurice J. and Fay B. Karpf and Ari Hahn Peace Award.
In this article, we, the creators of "Stories of Water," share our reflections, hoping to ignite a spark of interest in those who wish to embark on similar ventures. Join us as we take you on a literary journey through the process, successes, and lessons learned from our walking tour in Bangalore.
| |
|
Upcoming Events
The Clear Blue Skies: Diaries from Ukraine
1 October
A play that shares the words and experiences of Ukrainian youth as they navigate the chaos and catastrophe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will be presented in Spingold Theater at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, on October 1. Through heartbreak, fear, and compassion for one another, we learn of separation and loss, of violence and cruelty, and of kindness and dreams. The Clear Blue Skies was created by Oleksandra Oliinyk, of Kyiv, and Scott Illingworth, of New York. Information about tickets and resources for learning and action will be posted online soon. For immediate inquiries, contact Toni Shapiro-Phim.
Online discussion with Cambodian theater artist Morm Sokly
October 2023 (Check website soon for day and time)
Morm Sokly has been nominated for the 2023 Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award by her collaborator, playwright Catherine Filloux, and will participate in an online panel in mid-October 2023 about her important theater work and that of other nominated artists. The discussion will be moderated by Catherine Filloux. A video of Morm Sokly’s theater work in Cambodia will also be featured. The only award of its kind, the GCITA honors the exceptional work of theater women around the world who are making a difference in their communities and in the lives of women.
Conference: Othering & Belonging 2023
26-27 October, Berlin
"A dynamic gathering of changemakers, scholars, and artists committed to building inclusive and democratic futures in Europe, the US, and around the world. Share and learn new ideas and practices to strengthen democracy and belonging —with the urgency this moment requires, and the joy and hope our movements need."
Find out more details and register.
| |
|  |
Image source: INSPIRE Project
|
|
Opportunities, Announcements and Resources
INSPIRE Art Award Nominees Selected
The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and the INSPIRE Project are proud to present the five nominees for the first edition of the INSPIRE Art Award. Close to 100 applications were received and 35 countries represented.
Report – Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile
Artists at Risk Connection
“Método Cuba: Independent Artists’ Testimonies of Forced Exile, amplifies the stories of artists who have suffered repression due to their artivism firsthand. ARC, PEN International, and Cubalex, share the testimonies of 17 exiled artists, documenting the repressive and sometimes violent tactics employed by the Cuban state to force them out of the country.”
Report - Seeds in our Pockets: How can funders nurture thriving social justice movements by and for people on the move
The Porticus Foundation
“People with personal experience of migration and forced displacement across different migration contexts contribute diverse strengths, expertise and wisdom to their new countries and communities. In other words, they bring seeds in their pockets – seeds planted with great determination and resilience, in the hope of a better, safer future… In this report, we [at Porticus] are sharing key learnings and recommendations from the pilot and our resulting reflections and commitments as a funder in this space.”
Open Call: Mentorship Award Moving Narratives
Deadline: 10 August
Prince Claus Fund and British Council
“Moving Narratives amplifies artistic and creative practices that move our understanding of the past and drive our visions of the future in new directions through the affective, discursive, and transformative power of culture.”
Open call: Culture of Solidarity – EUNIC Ukraine Fund, second partnership edition
Deadline: 5 September
European Cultural Foundation
“Following on the success of last year’s edition, the Culture of Solidarity Fund is now launching another special call looking to promote the visibility and embeddedness of Ukrainian culture across Europe, in partnership with EUNIC (the network of EU National Institutes for Culture)...”
Open call: Culture of Solidarity Fund – Just Transition
Deadline: 11 September
European Cultural Foundation
“The new edition of the Culture of Solidarity Fund welcomes European transnational collaborative initiatives that address the theme of just transition and environmental sustainability from a specific cultural angle.”
Open call: The European Pavilion 2024 – Curatorial Proposals
Deadline: 14 SeptemberEuropean Cultural Foundation
“ECF invites legal entities from all cultural and creative fields in Europe and neighbouring countries to submit an ambitious curatorial proposal that will ensure the visibility, accessibility and positioning of the European Pavilion as a major European cultural event in 2024. We are looking for proposals that explore, discuss, interpret and visualise Europe in fresh and imaginative ways: cutting-edge concepts and programming that encourage transnational collaborations between creators, thinkers, doers and communities, leading to a large-scale public event in 2024. Through the creative outcomes of these collaborations, we hope to inspire Europeans to envision a forward-looking Europe, one that contributes to building fairer, more sustainable societies for all.”
Explore more opportunities and resources.
| |
|
View our privacy policy. Opt out at any time by clicking the "opt out" link below.
| |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts
International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life
Brandeis University
415 South Street | MS 086 | Waltham, MA 02454-9110
To comment on "Peacebuilding and the Arts Now"
or to join the listserv, send a message here. |
|
|
|
