Safe Havens: The Malmö Meeting 2015

Safe Havens 2015 | 1

THE MALMO MEETING 2015

Supported by:

Photos (clock-wise, from top-left) by Hossein Salmanzadeh, Anna Gullmark, Fredrik Elg

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Elisabeth LundgrenA note of thanks Read on page 2

Fredrik ElgA note from the organisersRead on page 3

Lina Ben MhenniState of freedom in TunisiaRead on page 4-5

Tasneem KhalilA Safe Havens forumRead on page 8

2 | Safe Havens 2015

Dear friends!

I wish to express my gratitude for your wonderful contributions to the Safe Havens 2015 conference in Malmö. This has been the first of three planned annual gatherings of activists, organizations, artists, cities, writers, journalists – or artivists (artist + activist) as was one of our topics of discussion. Your presence at the conference was very valuable and we understand from comments during the event as well as from the many thank you notes we have received since then that the interactions, the learning and the networking were both intense and appreciated during the two days. We hope that much future collaboration was born or consolidated at this meeting.

We, the city of Malmö and the culture department are proud to be an ICORN city of refuge and a safe haven for free and open discussions. We are strengthened by the many collaborations and interactions we are fortunate to have established with you all over the years.

You certainly mean the world to us!

I am hoping to see you again at the Safe Havens conference in December 2016.

With kind regards,Elisabeth LundgrenDirector of CultureCity of Malmö – a Safe Haven

A note of thanks


We had an idea. That there should be a forum to which everyone would be invited – everyone involved in issues concerning free speech and artistic freedom. Participants at

the forum would include artists, producers, representatives of non-governmental organisations and administrators from the culture department of local or national governments.

We started with a distinctly Nordic perspective, simply because of the fact that for some years now there is a strong Nordic movement towards building more cities of refuge in this part of the world. There are also some recent Nordic initiatives geared towards raising awareness regarding the perils faced by musicians and visual/performing artists in different parts of the globe. New and developing organisations working in this domain are now seeking knowledge and guidance from seasoned experts. Thus, we wanted to create a space – an annual forum – where we can talk freely and openly about different aspects of our work in defence of free speech and artistic freedom. We envisioned a dynamic speakers’ list and a rather open stage from which many could speak.

The Nordic perspective was soon replaced by an international perspective. We, of course, are working with global issues and challenges. We are artists, writers, musicians, activists and administrators from all over the world. We are in this together. And, the Safe Havens conference is the place where we come together. The conference is not a step towards establishing a new formal network, it is an open forum for all of us who see a point in meeting, interacting and sharing with new and old friends in order to learn from each other. It is a space – a platform – where new collaborations would take shape.

During our last meeting in December 2015 we discussed some very important issues regarding who we are and how geopolitical changes are affecting us all. How can we, as representatives of global or regional networks, come together? How can we use our knowledge and expertise in defending those comrades who are in precarious situations because of war and unrest? What more can be done? Can we mobilise and reach further to have a stronger impact globally? The Safe Havens conference will remain an open forum where everyone is invited to discuss these questions and find solutions together.

We hope that you remain safe wherever you are. And, we would like to invite you back to the next Safe Havens conference in 2016 – which will take place between November 30 and December 1.

A note fromthe organisers

Fredrik Elg is currently the Head of Development at the City of Malmö Culture Department. He initiated the first Safe Havens conference in Malmö in 2013, on behalf of the Swedish Arts Council and reintroduced the concept in 2015. Between 2015 and 2017, the Safe Havens conferences will be hosted by the City of Malmö Culture Department with the support of Kulturkontakt Nord, Swedish Arts Council and Region Skåne.

Also in the Safe Havens team: Senija Vurzer, Rudy Mengesha and Åsa Björklund.

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Under Ben Ali’s dictatorial regime, when all spaces of freedom of speech started to be limited and closed one after the other, people found refuge in sallies, anecdotes and jokes.

Thus, we enjoyed laughing by telling a group the following story for the umpteenth time. But of course one did not dare to do so only after swallowing several beers, turning the mobile phones off and performing a circular scrutiny look to be sure of the absence of watchful foreign ears.

Well, the story said that two dogs met amidst the bushes covering the hills forming the Tunisian western border. Indeed, they were hiding there waiting for the possibility to sneak across the border, as they did not have travel permits.

Having a chat, the first dog – which despite being affluent and filthy rich was miserable, mangy and not far from starving – explained that he fled eastward hoping to be able to live and eat properly. He expressed his perplexity and dismay to see the second dog, with a shiny hair and radiant mine going to the west where there is nothing to eat. Full of self-confidence and totally determined to fulfill his quest the second dog did not then hesitate to confess: I am tired and sick of being silent. I really want to bark!

This story or anecdote sums up the situation we were experiencing under the old regime. In comparison to the neighboring countries, we could relatively benefit from a certain material ease (consumer products abounded even if they were not within the reach of each and everyone and even if our resources are less affluent than those of our neighbors). But, we were deprived of expressing ourselves freely and at our ease.

Nonetheless, as the anecdote reveals it too, our willingness to express ourselves – to bark! – was not tarnished. The reverse was the case: we invented many tricks to be able to breathe a little bit (this is how we used to say it: breathing). As resorting to irony and mockery, taking his pilgrim’s staff, or melting into secrecy and anonymity... Until the day that all the horizons were capped to our youth and that the explosion occurred!

Indeed, the economic and social situation has gradually deteriorated because of corruption, nepotism and the lack of any strategy of development. The repression went crescendo as the regime lost all credibility among citizens and was completely unable to respond, even partially through

State of freedom in TunisiaKeynote

Lina Ben Mhenni

Lina Ben Mhenni: Photo by Fredrik Elg


discourse, to their claims. This repression also targeted this space for dialogue, exchanges and communication that ICT allowed – that space where people, especially the youth, rushed to express themselves.

I will spare you the story’s details. But I would say that the display of the despondency was at first social (its most known illustration being the social movement of the mining area, followed by the sporadic reactions and movements of the unemployed). Then movements rejecting censorship that befell on the web like a leaden shroud and claiming respect of fundamental individual and collective rights appeared. The peak of these movements had been the organization of a demonstration against censorship in May 22, 2010.

The period going from the end of 2010 to the beginning of 2011 witnessed an acceleration of all kinds of demands, their extension through regions and the rally of different categories of disgruntled people. Then came January 14, 2011.

Once the dictator was ousted, we thought that we would inaugurate a new era made of freedom, dignity and development. But we were quickly disillusioned by the different events and developments taking place.

The phenomenal explosion of various forms of expression was quickly countered by a denial and a counter attack coming both from the forces of the old regime trying to preserve their status and the political forces that the social and political explosion brought out of their hiding places or back from their exile. These forces that were hungry for power, rushed to master the course of events and to neutralize any willingness of opposition to their plans.

Thus the walls of the capital and other cities witnessed a constant flow and ebb of colors, slogans, poems and images. Many young revolutionaries worked on brightening the most iconic streets and squares with their graffiti, calls and demands. But all the things that they wrote, drew or engraved were quickly deleted, erased or simply blurred.

When the bloggers wanted to pay a tribute to the martyrs of the revolution, they organized a meditation sit-in. They just sat silently around their flowers and candles. Nevertheless they were harassed and forced to clear off under the pretext that what they were doing was in contradiction with customs and religion. This happened only few weeks after January 14, 2011.

Then we started to bully artists who qualified as “wicked” or even “impious” or “unbelievers”. Bloggers, journalists, and some faces revealed by the revolution, started to receive threats, to be the victims of defamation campaigns and to be abused in the streets. With the beginning of the campaign for the election of a Constituent Assembly a well-known Tunisian filmmaker, Nouri Bouzid, received death threats in a public meeting chaired by prominent politicians. Few days after, a ceremony organized as a tribute to artists, actors, singers and poets was attacked using gas bombs and sticks.

And when the campaign for the election of the Constituent Assembly was opened we went up to launch, in pleien public meeting chaired by prominent political responsibles, death threats against one of the most famous filmmakers in Tunisia – Nouri Bouzid – and attack that gas and punch a ceremony that would pay tribute to artists, actors, singers and poets.

Since then, things started to become increasingly clear. We realized and understood that we did not win the battle freedoms and rights.

In fact, this battle has just started. This proved to be true on several occasions, in various places and in a continuous manner which denoted a prior orchestration.

I will just list some cases. In March 2012, when a group of young comedians and artists wanted to pay a tribute to the revolution and celebrate the Theater International Day on Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the Avenue of the revolution, they had to face the physical and the verbal violence by hordes of people equipped with loudspeakers and waving the black banner under the knowing smile of the police.

In November 2012, members of a young graffiti artists group known as Zwewla “The Poor”, who chose to give voice to the poor of our country through beautiful drawings and slogans were arrested, badly treated and had to appear before the court for expressing themselves freely in a public space.

Several journalists and press officers were brought before courts just for criticizing some decisions or reporting the citizens’ claims. Peaceful demonstrations and sit-in were either banned in advance or savagely repressed. This happened on several occasions in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Troika’s government, dominated by fundamentalists, had even tried to ban all demonstrations and rallies on Avenue Habib Bourguiba. It is of course the same avenue that witnessed the most determining moments of the revolution. That same government erected a fence outside the Government Palace to prevent any attempt to re-occupy the iconic Place of El Kasbah by the crowds.

In Bardo, a venerable shrine of sovereignty as it hosts the headquarters of the assemblies (that of the constituent then that of the representatives of the people), banners, signs, and notices were torn, ripped and trampled so many times. Sit-ins in which were taking part political parties’ leaders members of associations and organizations as well as deputies were scattered using tear gas and truncheons.

Several bloggers were harassed for sharing statuses or pieces of information on social networks. I will mention Ali Abidi, a young blogger from Regueb, Sidi Bouzid who was the victim of several false accusations. Rappers and comedians were harassed too. Lotfi Abdelli the author and the actor of a widely popular one man show in Tunisia was deprived of the police protection during his shows by a decision of the police trade unions just because of his outspoken and harsh criticism.

In August 2013, the police interrupted a rap concert performed in an international festival (thus a public one) that of the seaside city of Hammamet (I wills stop here to invite you to visit the city to enjoy its setting, tourist facilities and its exquisite charm). They indeed, went on stage in the middle of the show, arrested the two rappers Klay. B.B.J, lead them handcuffed to a police station before accusing them of defamation of the security forces. Later on, the court acquitted them.

Lina Ben Mhenni – Tunisian blogger, activist and one of the leading proponents of the Tunisian Revolution – delivered this keynote speech at the Safe Havens conference 2015.


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In relation to the growing movement towards developing more cities of refuge in Nordic countries, Sweden would like to take a leading role in providing refuge to writers and artists fleeing from persecution. As Zandra Tuvesson, political adviser

to the Swedish Minister of Culture and Democracy Alice Bah Kuhnke, told me: “The Swedish Ministry of Culture and other organs of the Swedish government are especially keen on taking the work of supporting [exiled] writers and artists further.”

Tuvesson was attending the Safe Havens Conference 2015 in Malmö. Talking to me afterwards, she was keen on underlining the need for knowledge-sharing and capacity-building in this area: “One of the aims here is supporting the municipalities with know-how, through developing common platforms for communication and knowledge-sharing.”

That, of course, was one of the most recurrent messages I received by talking to the delegates participating at the conference. And, as Fredrik Elg, the lead organiser of the forum, confirmed to me, this was indeed one of his key goals: developing a common platform where different actors can come together to share their specialised knowledge in the field of providing safe havens for writers and artists fleeing from persecution.

In our conversation, Tuvesson was quick to point out who these writers and artists are and how their presence should be viewed in a larger context: “Artists fleeing from terror and oppression – from countries where freedom of expression and freedom of the press are under attack – are very important spokespersons representing the democratic movements in their countries. Not only can Sweden provide them with a platform to carry on their work in a secure environment, we can also help them in highlighting the actual situation in their countries to the outside world. From their safe refuge in Sweden, they can contribute towards building democratic societies in those countries.”

Elg added, “The Safe Havens are not only about providing refuge to writers and artists threatened by persecution. Just imagine the international knowledge and artistic quality that arrives in the Nordic countries and elsewhere with the growing shelter city movement. This influx of knowledge and experience must truly be of historic significance! Now, if we develop and expand our methods of inclusion into the cultural filed and the media, also to artists and writers who have arrived under different circumstances, the impact would be tremendous. ICORN, Freemuse, Scholars at Risk, SKAP, SafeMUSE, freeDimensional, Artist’s Protection Fund, PEN, Artistic Freedom Initiative, Arterial Network and others are very important initiatives to protect and promote artists, musicians, writers and scholars around the world.”

The Safe Havens Conference 2015 was indeed the venue where this proposition was confirmed again and again, as artists and intellectuals from different corners of the globe took to the stage to talk about the details of oppression in their homelands. Lina Ben Mhenni, in her keynote speech, talked about the state of freedom in Tunisia; ICORN guest writers and artists, appearing in panels, highlighted the situation in their countries and tried to sketch the way forward for democratic and artistic movements; representatives of different free speech organisations talked about the human rights challenges they encounter in different countries and regions; in face-to-face conversations, exiled writers and local government representatives talked about the challenges of resettlement in new cities. The details, of course, were varied but there was one message that spoke of a common struggle and a common goal: All of us are in this together. And, together we will learn how to fight back.

And fighting back they are. As they appeared on the stage of Moriska Paviljongen, Monirah Hashemi, Khaled Harara, Zunar, Fadi Abou Hassan, Farzane Zamen, Ramy Essam, Jude Dibia and Bisi Alimi are the faces of a global struggle for democracy, human rights and freedom. A struggle that will surely go further with the support of agencies, organisations and individuals who came together in Malmö to chart a way forward for the safe havens movement.

Tasneem Khalil is an independent journalist and editor.

A Safe Havens forumTasneem Khalil

Event web pagePlease visit http://tiny.cc/safehavens

Read texts by Parvin Ardalan and Tasneem Khalil; get the agenda of the meeting; watch some short films with speeches; and, download interviews by Naeimeh Doustdar.

Documents

Safe Havens: The Malmö Meeting 2015