Concert – Safemuse

“Qaf” – New album release from Ghawgha

Akari — Sun, 10 Nov 2024 06:05:36 +0000

"Qaf" - Ghawgha releases new album

November 10, 2024

On the 12th of November, Ghawgha will release her album “Qaf” at Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene in Oslo. “Qaf” can be translated as a place of refuge, or an inner home where one meets one’s true self.

The album is produced by OK World in cooperation with LIDIO/Safemuse. The founder and former general manager in Safemuse, Jan Lothe Eriksen, has since its inception, been passionately involved in the project. With a dedicated and talented group of artists and production team, this beautiful and important album is finally ready to be shared with the world.

The artists Anja Lauvdal and Marianna Sangita A Røe, who feature on the album, will be joining Ghawgha on stage for the release concert.

— Ultimately, “Qaf” is a quest for finding home, identity, and humanity; perhaps the place we all belong to and are seeking the peace hidden within these sounds and experiences.

Ghawgha

Here are Ghawgha’s reflections on “Qaf” and the background for the album:

— The album “Qaf” is not just a musical work for me; it reflects years of search, observation, and experience. A journey that took me from my hometown to unfamiliar lands, traversing the streets where I grew up to the new borders I had to cross in search of a new identity. This album began as a personal journey but ultimately became the voice of those who share a similar experience; those who have faced loss and displacement in their quest for a home, and who continue to seek a new meaning for themselves.

— In this journey, I have often encountered the harsh realities of migration, displacement, and the endless search for a place called “home.” Each piece in “Qaf” reflects not only the moments experienced during my travels through Iran, Turkey, Greece, and Afghanistan, but also the stories of those who have lived through similar struggles and hopes. In tracks like “Sing for Me” and “Boat,” I revisit my memories; memories that have accompanied me from the streets of my hometown to the unfamiliar shores of the sea. “Sing for Me” evokes the longing for my childhood days and the feeling of being cast away from the environments that once were my home, while “Boat” portrays an eternal farewell in the heart of the night, an experience I have often heard through the voices of migrants and refugees, and has now become part of my own story.

— However, “Qaf” is not just my story. In fact, this voice goes beyond my personal experience. This album reflects lives and stories that we hear in every corner of the world; the stories of individuals who view the world through a similar lens and share the feeling of loss with me. Each piece, from “Kabul Beauty” to “Here,” is a collective voice; a voice I want to be heard, a voice for those like me, seeking a place they can call home.

— Ultimately, “Qaf” is a quest for finding home, identity, and humanity; perhaps the place we all belong to and are seeking the peace hidden within these sounds and experiences.

For more information about Ghawgha and her work, visit her website:

https://ghawgha.com

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Fri Kunst dagskonferanse 2024 / Artistic Freedom Conference 2024

Akari — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 07:42:57 +0000

FRI KUNST DAGSKONFERANSE 2024 / ARTISTIC FREEDOM CONFERENCE 2024

February 16, 2024

Fri Kunst konferanse, 1. mars på Riksscenen, Oslo

For tredje året på rad arrangerer Safemuse en dagskonferanse på Riksscenen under Fri Kunst-uken i begynnelsen av mars. Dagen byr på samtaler som setter søkelys på den frie kunsten og kunstneres endringskraft og rolle i samfunnet, i tillegg til kunstneriske innlegg fra en rekke norske og internasjonale kunstnere.

Dagskonferansen fredag 1. mars er åpen og gratis, men krever påmelding innen 26. february 2024. Påmeldingslenke her.

PROGRAM:

11:30 Dørene åpner
12:00 – 12:10 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Mahsa Vahdat og Marjan Vahdat
12:10 – 12:20 Velkomst
12:25 – 12:35 Åpningstale: sametingspresident Silje Karine Muotka
12:35 – 12:45 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Don Martin
12:45 – 12:55 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Varun Narain
13:00 – 13:50 Panelsamtale I: Kunstens kraft og rolle som samfunnsendrer i Norge og verden (samtalen vil foregå på norsk)
– Øystein Strand, avdelingsdirektør for Kunstnerisk produksjon og formidling, Kulturdirektoratet
– Silje Karine Muotka, president, Sámediggi / Sametinget
– Cliff Moustache, kunstnerisk leder, Nordic Black Theatre
– Moderator: Yohan Shanmugaratnam, journalist og forfatter
13:50 – 14:10 Pause
14:10 – 14:20 Kunstnerisk innlegg: Viktor Bomstad
14:20 – 15:10 Panelsamtale II: Kunstnersamtale om kunst og endringskraft (samtalen vil foregå på engelsk)
– Masha Vahdat, sanger og komponist
– Varun Narain, dukkemaker/dukkefører og Safemuse residenskunstner
– Viktor Bomstad, landsdelsjoiker for Troms og Finnmark
– Jannik Abel, fotograf og billedkunstner
– Moderator: Nosizwe Baqwa, artist, aktivist og styremedlem i Safemuse
15:15 – 15:30 Presentasjon: Safemuse Art Havens
15:30 – 15:40 Kort oppsummering
15:40 – 16:00 Pause / omrigg
16:00 – 16:30 Tverrkunstnerisk mini-forestilling: Hooman Sharifi og Arash Moradi
16:30 – 17:30 Sosialt samvær med bevertning

VELKOMMEN

————————

Artistic Freedom Week Conference, 1st of March at Riksscenen in Oslo

For the third year in a row, Safemuse organises a full-day conference at Riksscenen during Artistic Freedom Week in the beginning of March. The program includes talks that focus on art and artists’ roles and power to change society, in addition to artistic interventions from a number of Norwegian and international artists.

The conference is an open event and free of charge, but requires registration by 26 February 2024. Registration link here.

PROGRAM:

11:30 The doors open
12:00 – 12:10 Artistic intervention: Mahsa Vahdat and Marjan Vahdat
12:10 – 12:20 Welcome
12:25 – 12:35 Opening speech: President of the Sámi Parliament Silje Karine Muotka
12:35 – 12:45 Artistic intervention: Don Martin
12:45 – 12:55 Artistic intervention: Varun Narain
13:00 – 13:50 Panel discussion I: The power of art and its capacity for change, in Norway and the world (the conversation will take place in Norwegian)
– Øystein Strand, department director for artistic production and communication
– Silje Karine Muotka, president, Sámediggi / Sámi Parliament
– Cliff Mustache, artistic director, Nordic Black Theatre
– Moderator: Yohan Shanmugaratnam, journalist and author
13:50 – 14:10 Break
14:10 – 14:20 Artistic intervention: Viktor Bomstad
14:20 – 15:10 Panel conversation II: Artist conversation about art and its power to bring about change (the conversation will take place in English)
– Masha Vahdat, singer and composer
– Varun Narain, puppeteer and Safemuse artist-in-residence
– Viktor Bomstad, regional joiker for Troms and Finnmark
– Jannik Abel, photographer and visual artist
– Moderator: Nosizwe Baqwa, artist, activist and board member of Safemuse
15:15 – 15:30 Presentation: Safemuse Art Havens
15:30 – 15:40 Closing remarks
15:40 – 16:00 Break / rearrangement
16:00 – 16:30 Mini-performance: Hooman Sharifi and Arash Moradi
16:30 – 17:30 Social gathering with refreshments

WELCOME

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

More important than ever: Artistic freedom and mobility

Akari — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 09:21:28 +0000

More important than ever: Artistic freedom and mobility

March 31, 2022

Written by Akari Izumi Kvamme

As March comes to a close, Safemuse looks back at a month where artistic freedom has been celebrated and promoted. A mere week after the violent conflict in Ukraine was evoked, Safemuse organised the Artistic Freedom-week 2022 in order to raise the theme of artistic freedom of expression and free mobility of artists onto the public agenda.

Free Art – Free Movement

On the 4th of March, dozens of Norwegian organisations, institutions, cultural initiatives and artists gathered for the one-day conference “Free Art – Free Movement” (Fri Kunst – Fri Bevegelse) at Riksscenen in Oslo. In their welcoming speech, Riksscenen’s CEO / Artistic Director, Ane Carmen Roggen, and Safemuse’s General Manager, Jan Lothe Eriksen, underscored how deeply and disturbingly relevant the discussion of artistic freedom and mobility have become in light of the meaningless atrocities unfolding before the world’s eyes and the all too evident risks and barriers that confront many artists in Eastern Europe and beyond.

A committed Minister of Culture

In the opening speech, the Norwegian Minister of Culture, Anette Trettebergstuen, spoke of the necessity for artistic freedom of expression in democratic societies today and shared her unwavering support for Safemuse’s efforts:

“I cannot think of anything more important than to promote the importance of artistic freedom and to defend artists’ right to move and express themselves. It is simply a matter of democracy, the most fundamental thing we have to fight for.”

The minister also expressed her ambitions for Norway to take the lead.

– We must look at how we can make the conditions for development and cooperation across national borders in the world of art and culture even better. Norway to the world and the world to Norway. The world community is fragile [and] this makes it even more important to stand up and work for increased cooperation and contact.

Norway, Trettebergstuen pointed out, is one of the world’s best countries to live in, also for artists.

– We have good frameworks, good support schemes and we value artistic freedom. And so, allowing international artists to come here to exchange knowledge and experience security, is perhaps more important than ever, she said.

In her closing statement, Trettebergstuen reaffirmed the Norwegian government’s continued commitment to promote artistic freedom and mobility:

– While it is easy to experience discouragement when the world is fragile, this is an effort we must never give up. There is no alternative. Thank you so much for the work you do, it is more important than ever, and I promise on behalf of the government we will support you and work together with you.

The impossible task

The South African-Norwegian artist Nosizwe Baqwa moved the entire audience at the conference. In a powerful spoken-word performance that sent shivers down the audiences’ spines, she underlined the indispensable societal contribution of artists, and delivered an emotional appeal for the pressing need to protect and enhance artists’ freedoms:

“…What I know for sure is that artists are best at impossible tasks.
Artists continue to create because they have to, because they exist in a belief and truth that what they deliver to the world is more important and greater than themselves, that one must not be stopped, one must not be silenced, that which has accompanied humanity since the beginnings, are the rhythms, are the heartbeat, our pulsating inner percussion, it is the tones that hold us together, that created a we, a us, an idea, a thought, a dream, you can not be part of the system who refuse the dreamers to come together, especially not those who are already suffering from the violence of those who want to silence them, silence them to death, you must keep the dreams and dreams alive, because it is we who keep you alive.”

– Excerpt from Nosizwe Baqwas piece. (Translated from Norwegian. Read the entire, original text here).

Inconsistent visa practice

The conference included two panel discussions moderated by Ingeborg Moa (Norwegian Human Rights Fund). The first conversation was with Alexandra Archetti Stølen (Oslo World) and Per-Idar Almås (The Førde Traditional and World Music Festival) who shared their reflections and experiences as festival organisers. Thereafter Moa spoke with Ole Reitov (Unesco adviser and founder of Freemuse) and Celina Bright Jerman-Taylor (Safemuse) about the challenges and opportunities with regards to the 2005 Unesco convention on artistic diversity, which Norway has ratified together with 150 other countries as well as the EU.

The discussions were followed by a performance by an anonymous Afghan singer and a mini-concert by the Malmø-based ICORN guest artist, Egyptian oud player and sound-artist Yasmine El Baramawy together with Danish tuba player Rasmus Svale Kjærgård Lund. The conference closed off with an artist talk, organised in collaboration with Riksscenen, Ballade and SalsaNor’s initiative Ella, whereby Guro Kleveland, editor of the web-magazine Ballade, interviewed Ayhvin Bruno from Venezuela, Dayami Ross from Cuba and Yasmine El Baramawy.

—

Thank you to our supporters

Artistic Freedom Week 2022 and conference was organised with support from the Fritt Ord Foundation (Stiftelsen Fritt Ord) and the Norwegian Culture Council (Kulturrådet).

We extend a special thanks to all the participants, the engaged audience – both physical and digital -, and our partners Riksscenen, Ballade and SalsaNor.

© Safemuse Organisation - Oslo/Norway

Safemuse inviterer til Fri Kunst 2022

Akari — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 09:32:44 +0000

SAFEMUSE INVITERER TIL MARKERING AV KUNSTNERISK YTRINGSFRIHET

February 15, 2022

Følg live-stream fra konferansen via denne lenken. Start: 13:00.

Watch the live-stream from the conference via this link. Start: 13:00.

FRI KUNST 2022

Safemuse arrangerer Fri Kunst-uken den 1. – 7. mars 2022 for å sette temaet kunstnerisk ytringsfrihet og fri bevegelse av kunstnere på dagsorden. Vi inviterer til dagkonferanse, løfter saken i norske medier og sprer budskapet via nettbaserte kanaler. Bli med å markere uken!

VELKOMMEN TIL DAGKONFERANSE

Bli med på dagkonferansen “Fri Kunst – Fri Bevegelse” på Riksscenen den 4. mars 2022. Her samles relevante aktører fra organisasjoner, festivaler og andre arrangører, samt institusjoner som arbeider med kunst og kultur.

Dagkonferansen er åpen og gratis, men krever påmelding.

Meld deg på arrangementet via lenken: https://forms.office.com/r/jteb8MDm81

ÅRETS TEMA

Årets tema er fri bevegelse av kunst og kunstnere, og hvordan vi kan bidra til at Norge oppfyller UNESCO-konvensjonen om kulturelt mangfold (2005) art.16, Preferansebehandling (eller fordelsbehandling) av utviklingsland: Industriland skal legge til rette for kulturutveksling med utviklingsland ved å tilstå, gjennom hensiktsmessige institusjonelle og juridiske rammeverk, fortrinnsbehandling av kunstnere, andre kulturarbeidere og utøvere, så vel som av kulturvarer og -tjenester fra utviklingsland.

Vi ønsker å sikre at kunstnere og kulturarbeidere internasjonalt har mulighet til å forflytte seg fritt og mulighet til å samarbeide på tvers av grenser. En rekke aktører i kunst og kulturverdenen opplever store utfordringer med visum når artister og kulturarbeidere skal inviteres både ved kortere og lengre opphold. Det at kunstnere og andre kulturarbeidere ikke får visum hindrer den kunstneriske friheten, utveksling av ideer og hindrer kunsten i å utvikle seg og bli sett, hørt og opplevd også utenfor sin egen kulturelle kontekst. Spesielt er det viktig at kunstnere fra land i sør i økt grad får delta i utveksling, utviklet sitt arbeidsmarked og vist sin kunst i Norge, i Europa og resten av den vestlige verden.

PROGRAM

12:45 Dørene åpner

13:00 – 13:10 Velkomst og kort introduksjon om Fri Kunst v/ Ane Carmen Roggen, Riksscenen og Jan Lothe Eriksen, Safemuse.

13:10 – 13:25 Åpningstale v/ Kulturminister Anette Trettebergstuen.

13:30 – 14:30 Panelsamtale: “Samarbeid på tvers”. Deltakere: Per Idar Almås, Førdefestivalen, Alexandra Archetti Stølen, Oslo World, Marthe Valle, artist. Moderator: Ingeborg Moa, direktør i Menneskerettighetsfondet.

14:30 – 14:45 Pause

14:45 – 14:55 “Fri kunst – fri bevegelse – fri utveksling”, innlegg v/ Nosizwe Lise Baqwa, artist.

15:00 – 16:00 Panelsamtale: “Inkonsekvent visumpraksis”. Deltakere: Ole Reitov, grunnlegger/ tidligere direktør i Freemuse og UNESCO rådgiver og Celina Jerman Bright-Taylor, rådgiver, Safemuse. Politisk ledelse fra Justisdepartementet er invitert. Moderator: Ingeborg Moa, direktør i Menneskerettighetsfondet.

16:00 – 16:30 Pause

16:00 Dørene åpner til konsert / kunstnersamtale

16:30 – 17:30

DEL I: Konsert med Yasmine El Baramawy, egyptisk oudspiller, lydkunstner og fribymusiker i Malmö & Rasmus Svale Kjærgård Lund, tuba, og Inkognito, Afghansk sanger.

DEL II: Kunstnersamtale i samarbeid med Riksscenen, Ballade og SalsaNor med initiativet Ella. Deltakere: Ahyvin Bruno, venezuelansk vokalist, Las Karamba; Yasmine El Baramawy og Daiami Ross, leder, Cuba Cambia. Moderator: Guro Klevland, redaktør, Ballade.

Fri Kunst-konferansen arrangeres med støtte fra Stiftelsen Fritt Ord og Norsk Kulturråd.

—

English summary:

In connection with the annual celebration of Music Freedom Day, Safemuse is organising Artistic Freedom-week 2022 on the 1st – 7th of March to place the theme of artistic freedom of expression and free movement of artists on the agenda.

The week will include a one-day-conference on Friday the 4th of March at Riksscenen, as well as a campaign to raise the issue in the Norwegian media and spread the message via online channels.

The panel discussions will take place in Norwegian, but English-speakers are welcome to join us at 16:30 for the concert and artist talk. Seating is limited and all participants are asked to register their attendance: https://forms.office.com/r/jteb8MDm81

16:00 The doors open for a concert / artist talk

16:30 – 17:30

PART I: Concert with Yasmine El Baramawy, Egyptian oud player and sound artist based in Malmö & Rasmus Svale Kjærgård Lund, tuba, and Inkognito, Afghan singer.

PART II: Artist talk in collaboration with Riksscenen, Ballade and SalsaNor with the initiative Ella. Participants: Ahyvin Bruno, Venezuelan singer in Las Karamba; Yasmine El Baramawy and Daiami Ross, leader of Cuba Cambia. Moderator: Guro Klevland, editor of Ballade.

A CELEBRATION OF ARRESTING MUSIC

sina@upnorthfilm.no — Thu, 21 Feb 2019 08:20:29 +0000

Music Freedom Day 2019: A CELEBRATION OF ARRESTING MUSIC

February 21, 2019

SafeMUSE is joining forces with Freemuse for the Music Freedom Day event in Oslo 3 March, and together we are inviting for a full afternoon/ evening program at Kulturhuset and Rock In, Oslo, celebrating artistic freedom.

The artistic program includes the major Afghan Hazara artist Hamid Sakhizada and the Oslo based North Indian classical violinist Harpeet Bansal together on stage for the very first time; Sudanese peace singer Abazar Hamid and legendary Norwegian blues guitarist Knut Reiersrud presenting music from the LIDIO-release We Need Peace; and Libyan visual artist and curator Tewa Barnosa presenting her work live.

Seminar: In addition Srirak Plipat, Executive Director, Freemuse will present some major finds in the upcoming Freemuse report ‘The Status of Artistic Freedom 2019’ and also facts from the report published last autumn, ‘Creativety Wronged: How women’s right to artistic freedom is denied and marginalised’. This will be followed by a panel discussion on WOMAN’S RIGHTS & LGBT RIGHTS ARE JUST HUMAN RIGHTS. The panel: Dounia Benslimane, Director of Development & Partnerships, Racines (the Moroccan NGO ordered by court to dissolute); Tewa Barnosa, artist, curator and gallerist; Alexandra Archetti Stølen, Festival Director, Oslo World; and Jude Dibia, Nigerian author and former ICORN writer-in-residence in Malmö City; in addition to Freemuse’s Srirak Plipat.

.SAFE: The event concludes the SAFE video-series with the launch of SAFE video #5, and presentations of the other videos as well.

The afterparty at the club Rock In presents Iranian black metal artist and former SafeMUSE residence artist Sina and his band From the Vastland.

More information and full program at www.musicfreedomday.no

Organized by SafeMUSE and Freemuse. Supported by Fritt Ord, Bergesenstiftelsen, CREO, NOPA and The Norwegian Society of Composers. The afterparty is organized in cooperation with Inferno Metal Festival.

MAI KHOI CHEM GIO AT SAFE HAVENS

sina@upnorthfilm.no — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 07:34:41 +0000

Mai Khôi Chém Gió live in Malmö - 4 May

April 18, 2018

Mai Khoi will be back in Malmö, Sweden after her special guest appearance at the Save Havens Malmö conference last December. May 4th she will be playing with her band Mai Khôi Chém Gió at Kuben, Malmö Live – the only concert so fare planned in Europe with the group this year.

“If music alone could break chains, this would be the music to do it.”
(The Economist)

“The fury behind the album is real…”
(The Sydney Morning Herald)

The Vietnamese pop star, singer musician and human rights activist May Khoi plays a wide variety of traditional Vietnamese folk to blues, soul and rock, and blends disparate styles and rhythms. She was newly declared one of 12 inspiring human rights activists to follow in 2018 by Amnesty International. Mai Khoi broke international headlines in 2016 after she became the first Vietnamese celebrity in history to nominate herself for the National Assembly (equivalent to parliament) on a pro-democracy platform.

Mai Khoi’s trio, Mai Khôi Chém Gió, released their first album “Dissent” outside Vietnam 3 March this year with LIDIO.

The concert i organized by The City of Malmö and ICORN in cooperation with SafeMUSE, and is organized in connection with the The ICORN General Assembly 2-4 May held in Malmö. The concert is open for the general public, and tickets – free of charge, can be obtained on the link below.

Mai Khoi: singer, guitar, goong
Quyen Thien Dac: saxophones
Nguyen Duc Minh: traditonal flute, percussion
TIME: Friday 4 May 2018, 20:00 CET
VENUE: KUBEN, Malmö Live, Malmö/ Sweden
TICKETS (free) under “KJÖP BILLETT” at malmolive.se