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ReSounding Ep.23 – Taking the Stage with Selam Amare

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Is it ok to make a joke of the refugee situation in Europe? Meet the London-based initiative that suggests that sometimes, humor can indeed be the best medicine!

No Direction Home, an event series by Counterpoints Arts is an event series that trains refugees and migrants in London in the art of stand-up comedy, getting them stage ready, and creating opportunities to share their stories with UK audiences.

This month Darren Abrahams spoke with Selam Amare, the producer of No Direction Home and stand-up comedian. Selam told us all about her surprising journey to the stage, as well as how she is celebrating her Ethiopian heritage through art and culture events.

Follow @azmaribet for upcoming Ethiopian music, food, and culture in London.

Discover and celebrate Ethiopian culture through food, art, and poetry with products from Selam L’Ethio (selamleethiopia.com) and Market Fiftyfour (marketfiftyfour.com).

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.22 – Unsilencing Artists with Ghawgha Taban & Jan Lothe Eriksen

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When we hear the phrase “artistic censorship,” it’s easy to conjure up a stereotypical image of oppressive control, and to assume that it’s only happening in certain countries or regions. However, the truth is that censorship takes many different forms and is present in countries all over the world.

Fortunately, there are organizations like Safemuse that are working to address the global spread of censorship against artists and the arts. Based in Norway, Safemuse is dedicated to protecting artists who are being persecuted and providing them with a safe space to create and freely express themselves.

In this episode, Laura Hassler speaks to Jan Lothe Eriksen, project manager at Safemuse since its inception, as well as Ghawgha Taban, a Hazaran ‘Afran’ (Afghan-Iranian) singer who fled Afghanistan and is now creating music dedicated to championing women’s freedom in the country.

Ghawgha’s new EP ‘Landless Tree’ is a triptych of songs exploring the experience of migration and displacement. It available to listen and purchase now on Bandcamp.

This episodes features music by Ghawgha Taban and collaborating artists:

  • 26:20 – Away From Home by Ghawgha Taban

Inclusion of Away From Home is kindly licensed by Ghawgha Taban and LIDIO by Safemuse, a record label supporting the work of censored artists from around the globe.

Ghawga Taban – vocal,
Anja Lauvdal – keyboard,
Morten Qvenild – keyboard etc.,
Paal Nilssen-Love – percussion,
Producers: Anja Lauvdal, Morten Qvenild, Julian Skar
Technician: Morten Qvenild
Studio: Ugla lyd
Mixing/Mastering: Bård Ingebrigsen
Music: Trad
Lyrics: Trad / Asadullah Ahmadi

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.21 – Dissenting with Mai Khoi

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Vietnamese singer Mai Khôi is a dissident. After gaining enormous fame as a pop “darling of the state” in her home country, Mai Khôi used her platform to speak out against the repressive laws in the one-party Vietnamese society. Speaking out against strict censorship laws for artists and performers, as well as the gendered restrictions against women, turned Mai Khôi from a celebrated patriotic artist, to an outspoken rebel.

Now Mai Khôi lives in exile from Vietnam in Pittsburgh, USA, where she continues to release new music with her band, The Dissidents. In this podcast she tells Laura Hassler all about her incredible life story from pop superstar, to artist in exile, to human rights advocate.

This episodes features music by Mai Khôi and collaborating artists:

  • 19:39: Antibodies – Mai Khôi and Hamed Sino
  • 27:28: Xin Ông (Please, Sir) – Mai Khôi Chem Gio
  • 35:15: Hay Lang Nghe – Tuan Khanh Feat. Mai Khôi
    This song is part of a soon-to-be released campaign advocating for the release of Vietnamese environmental activists who are in jail now. Find more information at the 88 Project: https://the88project.org/profile/566/nguy-thi-khanh-/

Inclusion of Xin Ông (Please, Sir) is kindly licensed by Mai Khoi and LIDIO by Safemuse, a record label supporting the work of censored artists from around the globe.

Mai Khoi: singer, guitar, goong
Quyen Thien Dac: saxophones
Nguyen Duc Minh: traditonal flute, percussion

Music and lyrics: Mai Khoi
Lyrics on Airdone: Benito del Sur
English lyrics and English vocals on Cuffed in freedom: Anna Högberg
Producer, mixing and mastering: Nguyễn Nhat Lý / Phù Sa Lab Studio, Hanoi

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.20 – The Challenges of Activism with Yigit Aksakoglu

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Yigit Aksakoglu is a social change advocate whose career spans Human Rights advocacy, early childhood development, NGO policy, and even political prisoner. Having been unjustly imprisoned in his native Turkey for peaceful protest, Yigit now lives in Exile in the Netherlands, where he advocates for better treatment of refugees and undocumented migrants.

His organisation Mahalle Art & Kultur aims to create a network of support for refugees and migrants by creating routes into stable employment for undocumented artists and creatives.

Sign the petition, Call for Action to Dutch Government: Visa and family reunification for the Turkey earthquake survivors: chng.it/XY2zZ9mc

Open call for proposals in Partnership with Sound & Vision Archives: mahalle.art/events

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.19 – Laughing at Power with Mr Fish

By Podcast

We start 2023 off with a long anticipated guest, the political cartoonist and artist Dwayne Booth, better known as Mr Fish. Fish’s incendiary political artwork and relentless truth-seeking has been a recurring topic around the art27 office, and we couldn’t wait to get him on the podcast.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Musicians Without Borders’ Laura Hassler and Mr Fish dig deep, into the historical forces of artistic activism in the US, the truth-telling capacity of humor, and the crucial enrichment that art provides us in our lives. Mr Fish argues that the engagement with, and enjoyment of art is the vital force that allows us to fully engage with our lives, and challenges us to not relegate art to our “off-work time”.

Mr Fish’s latest book Nobody Left, is available now, as well as his upcoming projects that are available for preorder.

You can find out more about Mr Fish and see all his work at clowncrack.com, and support him directly through his Patreon. Finally, you can catch Mr Fish’s artwork in an ongoing collaboration at the Chris Hedges Report.

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

Arts for Social Inclusion 2022: Artist Profiles

By Podcast
In 2022, we launched the first art27 open call Commissions of Collaborative Artworks. The Arts for Social Inclusion project awarded successful applicants funding for the creation of new collaborative artworks. The initiative supports the creation of new collaborative artworks by artists with lived experiences of migration, aiming to foreground new narratives on migration and forced displacement.
We are proud to feature these conversations with the successful artists. In these special episodes of ReSounding, we spoke to the artists about the formulation of their collaboration, the narrative and impetus behind their works, and the wider political impact that they perceive in their practice.

Letters to Ukrainians by Yoanna Ayers and Mariam Shurghaia

In this episode, art27 Coordinator Sofia Vieira speaks to Yoanna Ayers (Poland) and Mariam Shurghaia (Georgia/Ukraine). The artistic duo received funding for their latest project Letters to Ukrainians.

Following a fortuitously encounter at a protest against the war in Ukraine in Battonya, Hungary, the two artists started working together on a song to express their solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Their project, Letters to Ukrainians, was thus born. Letters to Ukrainians is an anthem, a message of hope expressing solidarity with all those suffering from the violent conflict enfolding in Ukraine.

Charkh Bezan Ba Eftekhar by Elena Yaqubee and Fabio Joel Tunno

In this episode, art27 Coordinator Sofia Vieira speaks to Elena Yaqubee (Afghanistan) and Fabio Joel Tunno (Italy) about their latest project Charkh Bezan Ba Eftekhar (Whirling Pridefully).

Resorting to music, poetry and theatre, Charkh Bezan Ba Eftekhar carries a message of strength and resistance against injustice and violence in the world. It aims to overcome indifference and bring awareness, amplifying the voices of those being forgotten by a society that has become too complacent. The project blossomed after Elena Yaqubee and Fabio Joel Tunno met in a refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, in 2021.

Adam’s Book by Abubacar Adam Togo, Ana Guerrero, and Liliya Golovanova

In this episode, art27 Coordinator Sofia Vieira speaks to Abubacar Adam Togo (Sudan), Ana Guerrero (Colombia) and Liliya Golovanova (Russia), three artists based in Paris, France. 

Adam’s Book is an intimate artistic project that delves into the life and art of Abubacar Adam Togo. It explores not only Adam’s refugee story and the violence in his home country but also experiences and memories from everyday and mundane life – typically not attributed to the collective imagination of people experiencing forced displacement. In the making for the last 3 years, Adam’s Book is a collection of all the mediums Adam works in, featuring poetry, paintings, sketches, and photography. It opposes the common narrative around refugees and migrants, offering a singular and intimate image into Adam’s way of looking at the world.

Delirium by Anas Qadamani and Anan Alkadamani

In this episode, art27 Coordinator Sofia Vieira speaks to Anas Qadamani and Anan Alkadamani, two Syrian artists based in the Netherlands who received funding as part of the initiative art27 Commissions of Collaborative Artworks. 

Anas Qadamani is an audiovisual design artist, currently studying at Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam; Anan Alkadamani is a composer and musician, who recently graduated from Codarts, Rotterdam. The two Syrian artists met in the Netherlands, after escaping war in their home country. Delirium, the three-minute-long audiovisual artwork created by the artistic duo, explores and expresses the unprocessed thoughts, experiences and feelings that took place during the journey from Syria to the Netherlands. The duo describes the artwork as an experimental process between music and visuals, with one reacting to the other.

ReSounding Ep.18 – Putting Down Roots with Bemeriki Bisimwa Dusabe and Jennie Spears

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This month art27 member Darren Abrahams takes the reigns hosting and speaks to two organizations that use gardening, plants, food, and permaculture to create sustainability and resilience for refugees living in camps in East Africa and Northern Iraq/Kurdistan.

Bemeriki Bisimwa Dusabe is the founder of the Rwamwanja Rural Foundation, working in Uganda to create farming and sustainable food solutions within refugee camps. He is an educator in the field, leading training for young refugees to develop permaculture gardens.

Jennie Spears represents The Lemon Tree Trust, an organization transforming refugee camps in Iraqi Kurdistan by focussing on garden making, cooking, and working with the lands as a practice of security, culture, and community.

Lemon Tree Trust: lemontreetrust.org/

Rwamwanja Rural Foundation: rwamwanjaruralfoundation.org/

This episode features an excerpt of ‘Permaculture Song’ by the Rwamwanja Rural Foundation: https://youtu.be/hLhP2TEFiZI

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.17 – Striving for Regeneration with Darren Abrahams

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The Human Hive is an international organisation shifting the paradigm of development work. The Human Hive are in the process of training a mass collective of educators, facilitators, front-line workers, and students who are equipped with a better way of working. A way of working with the environment, rather than through it.

In this episode co-founder Darren Abrahams draws on his expertise as a musician and a body trauma therapist to discuss how practitioners can create safe spaces, and work “with” and not “for” participants. Whilst the Human Hive is built on a foundation of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, Darren argues that these worthwhile standards do not go far enough, and instead organisations need to aim for “regeneration” rather than settling for “sustainability”.

Find the Human Hive:
thehumanhive.org/
the-human-hive.mn.co/

Listen to the Human Hive:
Spotify

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.16 – Painting Home with Jason and Salam Noah

By Podcast

In 2014, when ISIS began their attack on the minority Yazidi population of Northern Iraq/Kurdistan, the Noah brothers Jason, Salam, and Ismail, together with the rest of their family were forced to flee their homes and search for safety across the border.

After many deadly attempts to cross into Europe, the Noah family found themselves as Yazidi refugees in Greece, facing dual persecution due to their asylum seeker status and their religious identity.

Now, 8 years the later, the Noah family live in France, where the three brothers paint, create music, and write poetry. Together they founded Brotherly Art, a website where they sell their artworks and use the profits to buy essential survival items for refugees in camps.

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi

ReSounding Ep.15 – Protecting Artistic Freedom with Julie Trebault

By Podcast

The crucial freedoms that artists need to carry out their work – freedom to express, to tell the truth, to reach any audience – are not upheld equally around the world. In some situations artists face considerable risk or danger because of the work they do. In such situations, initiatives like Artists at Risk Connection step in, in order to help those individuals and uphold our universal freedoms and human rights of expression.

This month, Laura Hassler spoke to Julie Trebault, the director of Artists at Risk Connection, a program of PEN America dedicated to defending artistic freedom around the world, fighting the effects of censorship, and the persecution and silencing of artists.

ReSounding was produced and edited by Ed Holland.

The art27 theme music ‘Come Together’ was written and performed by Matteo Galesi and was produced for art27 in collaboration with SYNCR.

You can find Matteo at:
www.facebook.com/matteo.galesi
www.instagram.com/teogalesi/
twitter.com/TEOgalesi