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. Artists who have faced censorship, imprisonment or even abduction will talk about their experiences and struggle for freedom of artistic expression.

The list of artists on stage includes chief conductor Adam Fischer, playwright Gurpreet Kaur, poet and activist Outspoken, and film director and comedian Zarganar.

For more information, visit the conference website: www.artsfreedom.org

PROGRAMME AND REGISTRATION

PRESS ACCREDITATION: www.artsfreedom.org/accreditation

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME

THURSDAY, 25 OCTOBER 2012

09:00: Registration – 09:40: Doors open 10:00: Doors close

10:00: BEAUTY UNDER PRESSURE

ZARGANAR, Comedian, Actor, and Film Director (Burma)
WIN MAW, Musician and Composer (Burma)

10:40: RELIGION AND ARTISTIC FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

SVETLANA MINTCHEVA, Director of Programmes, National Coalition Against Censorship (USA)
GURPREET KAUR BHATTI, Playwright and Screenwriter (UK)
AZHAR USMAN, Comedian, Activist and Lawyer (USA)

11:40: MORAL PANICS – SEXUALITY AND ART

ZANELE MUHOLI, Visual Artist (South Africa)
PANG KHEE TEIK, Arts Consultant and Human Rights Activist (Malaysia)
ROBERT SEMBER, Artist and Researcher (South Africa/USA)

12:30: LUNCH

13:45: CORPORATE CENSORSHIP

LARISSA SANSOUR, Visual Artist (Palestine/UK)
NADIA PLESNER, Visual Artist (Denmark)
FREDRIK GERTTEN, Film Director (Sweden)

14:30: HUNGARY – ARTISTIC FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY IN THE AGE OF XENOPHOBIA

ADAM FISCHER, Chief Conductor (Hungary)

14:45: PUBLIC SPACE AND ART CLASHES

MUSTAPHA BENFODIL, Writer and Visual Artist (Algeria)
LARS Ø. RAMBERG, Artist (Norway)
ALESSANDRO PETTI, Architect and Researche (Italy/Palestine)

15:30: COFFEE BREAK

16:00: TIBET – ARTIST IN EXILE

TENZING RIGDOL, Visual Artist (Tibet/USA)
TENZIN GÖNPO, Musician (Tibet/France)

16:30: MANOEUVRING CHINESE ARTS CENSORSHIP

SI HAN, Curator (China/Sweden)

17:00: STAGE PERFORMANCE (tbc)

FRIDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2012

08:45: Doors open – 09:00: Doors close

09:00: OVERCOMING – WOMEN, ART AND EGYPT

SHERINE AMR, Singer (Egypt)
SONDOS SHABAYEK, Writer, Theatre Director and Actress (Egypt
PETR LOM, Filmmaker (Czech Republic/Canada)

09:45: STOP THIS FILTH – ARTISTS UNDER THREAT

DEEYAH, Music Producer (Norway/UK)
ARSHAD HUSSAIN, Actor and Culture Activist (Pakistan)

10:05: DEFYING CULTURAL TABOOS AND THE NO JOY LAWS IN TRIBAL PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN

GEORGE GITTOES, Painter, Photographer and Filmmaker (Australia)
FOUZIA SAEED, Social Scientist (Pakistan)

10:50: COFFEE BREAK

11:30: SYRIA & TUNISIA: ARTS IN RESISTANCE – RESISTANCE IN ART

RACHIDA TRIKI, Film Director and Researcher (Tunisia)
DONATELLA DELLA RATTA, PhD Fellow (Italy)

12:10: RUSSIA

NIKOLAY OLEYNIKOV, Visual Artist (Russia)

12:25: FREEDOM THEATRE: WHAT KIND OF FREEDOM?

JONATHAN STANCZAK, Co-Founder and Administrative Manager, The Freedom Theatre (Sweden/Palestine)

12:40: MEXICO (tbc)

13:00: LUNCH

14:00: STAGE PERFORMANCE (tbc)

14:15: GLORIFYING THROUGH ART

14:35: THE LASTING IMPACT OF THE RUSHDIE CASE

WILLIAM NYGAARD, Publisher and Defender of Freedom of Expression (Norway)

14:45: TURKEY – WRITERS IN PRISON

ASLI ERDOĞAN, Writer (Turkey/Austria)

15:10: THE ARTIST VS. THE STATE: THE CASE OF LAPIRO DE MBANGA

MARAN TURNER, Executive Director, Freedom Now (USA)

15:20: PERFORMANCE

OUTSPOKEN, Spoken Word Artist (Zimbabwe)

MODERATORS – ‘All That is Banned is Desired’ – World Conference on Artistic Freedom of Expression:

ALESSANDRO PETTI, Architect and Researcher (Italy/Palestine)

FRANCES HARRISON, Journalist (UK)

KENAN MALIK, Writer, Lecturer and Broadcaster (England)

OLE REITOV, Program Manager, Freemuse (Denmark)

More moderators will be announced later on.

MEDIA CONTACTS

MARIE KORPE, executive director, Freemuse:
mobile: +45 2944 4280, office: +45 3332 1017, e-mail: marie.korpe@freemuse.org

BENTE ROALSVIG, project director, Fritt Ord Foundation:
mobile: +47 9161 3340, office: +47 2301 4643, e-mail: bente.roalsvig@fritt-ord.no

Press release September 6, 2012

Verdenskonferanse om kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet til Oslo