Lack of Artistic Freedom – or rather the freedom for artists to create their works without fear of censorship, retribution or being at odds with the law – is an emerging issue in Africa that has the potential to stifle the growth of not only the Culture and Creative Sector, but society at large, if not addressed. Through the second edition of the PANAF summit, which was held in Zanzibar from the 14th – 16th of February 2025, culture practitioners were given the opportunity to meet policymakers, regional institutions, and donors to deliberate on how actors across Africa can ensure that artists have the right to express themselves freely.
This year’s Summit, being an annual Pan African platform, explored the theme ‘Art, Civic Engagement and Movement Building’ and brought together more than 50 stakeholders from over 10 African countries, representing artists, government, civil society and donor organisations. Over the course of three days, the rich mixture of delegates listened to keynote speeches, engaged in panel discussions, and took part in group discussions meant to shape concrete action points to advance artistic freedom across the African continent. Some of the key topics that were explored included the Role of Artists in Movement Building Across the Continent, Challenges and Roles of Government in Advancing Artistic Freedom, Artistic Freedom Regulation in the era of Digital Media, Strategies for Regional Artistic Solidarity and Strategies for Funding Arts and Creative Civil Society Organizations.
Highlights from the summit included an intervention from Sharon Liboi, Artist from Kenya, who asked Government stakeholders who attended the summit to explain why they are quick to support artists when they help advance Government agendas but are aggressive to artists who criticize and hold them accountable for their actions. Another highlight came from Nicholas Moyo, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture in Zimbabwe, who highlighted the importance of artists to be accountable to the public by disclosing their donors and making clear who sets the agenda for their creative works. Finally, a critical contribution came from Ouafa Belgacem, CEO at Culture Funding Watch, who called on artists and creatives to build economic solidarity networks and promote alternative funding models as a way of enhancing the sustainability of art spaces.
Based on the fruitful discussions, the summit culminated in the participants agreeing on concrete actions that if implemented will advance the state of artistic freedom across the continent. The key priority areas agreed upon included:
- Education/Knowledge – There is a need to equip creatives with skills to professionalize their art.
- Artistic Spaces – There is a need for creating and expanding platforms for artists to create and showcase their work.
- Documentation – The sector needs to prioritize and strengthen data collection as one way of bolstering the sectors’ ability to advocate for increased funding and investment.
- Resource Mobilization – The sector needs to fashion new ways of attracting investment and there is need to transition from being largely dependent on funding to being more investment driven for long term sustainability.
To conclude, the summit provided a conducive atmosphere for creatives in Africa and provided an opportunity to delve into issues that seek to stifle the freedom of artists, and by extension the growth of the culture sector across the continent. Selam and its partners will make sure to follow up on the momentum created by the summit, and through the PANAF network, pursue the action points identified by participants. In doing so, the aim is to help advance artistic freedom across Africa and beyond – sustaining the transformative power of culture to contribute to democracy, peace and social development.
The PANAF summit was implemented in partnership with Artists at Risk Connection and supported by the Swedish Arts Council, the Swedish Institute and the Swedish Embassy in Tanzania.
Do you want to know more about how to get engaged in PANAF? Feel free to contact us at panaf@selam.se.
