African artists and human rights defenders face a troubling rise in restrictions on artistic freedom, exacerbated by recent military coups, political crises, flawed elections, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these and other serious threats to African artists and their freedom, in mid-November 2021 PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) and the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SouthernDefenders) conducted a four-day closed virtual workshop titled “Artistic Freedom in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities." The final report is now available online.

https://artistsatriskconnection.org/story/we-have-always-had-to-fight-african-artists-on-human-rights-and-artistic-freedom