Introduction
This report, titled Artistic Freedom in Africa: A Comparative Study of 8 Countries, provides a consolidated and comprehensive overview of the current state of artistic freedom in Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Ethiopia, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Mozambique. It offers insights into the status of freedom of artistic expression and presents practical recommendations to support artists, audiences, and advocates in safeguarding their rights to creative expression. Selam hopes that this report will guide governments and other stakeholders in effectively promoting and protecting these rights, benefiting both the creative community and society as a whole.
The report is part of the Pan African Network for Artistic Freedom (PANAF) initiative, launched in 2021, which focuses on empowering artists in eight countries to promote and claim artistic freedom. Selam and its partners, with over 20 years of experience working with artists in challenging contexts, possess a broad understanding of the conditions necessary for artists to create, display, distribute, and protect their work. This PANAF network is progressive in building knowledge among its members on how to utilize international, regional, and national human rights frameworks to advocate for legal reforms and mechanisms that protect artistic freedom, and to overcome structural discriminatory barriers, particularly for women artists.
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