Artist stories

Stories of artists at risk from around the world who have received support from ARC.

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Nigeria - Musician, SingerDJ SwitchNigerian performing artist, disc jockey, and activist DJ Switch played a prominent role during the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria. 
Cuba - MultidisciplinaryLuis Manuel Otero AlcántaraCuban artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara uses protest and dissent as central tenets to his practice as an artist.
India - FilmmakerLeena ManimekalaiLeena Manimekalai is an Indian filmmaker, poet and an actor. Her works include five published poetry anthologies and several films in genres, documentary, fiction and experimental poem films.
Sudan - CartoonistOsman ObaidOsman Obaid's cartoons are employed as a means to shed light on oppression and hold those accountable in Sudan and the world.
Russia - Director, Playwright, PoetZhenya BerkovichRussian theatre director, playwright, and poet Zhenya Berkovich uses art to support freedom of artistic expression, those who remain in Russia, and those who were forced to emigrate. 
 - Painter, WriterZehra DoğanZehra Doğan paints scenes of war and Kurdish life. Accused of working with the PKK, she founded the newspaper Özgür Gündem Zindan while imprisoned in Turkey. 
Colombia - Musician, RapperJota RamosAfro-Colombian rapper, activist, and human rights defender Jota Ramos uses indigenous musical elements to represent the realities of the working class. 
Chile - PerformerLASTESISLASTESIS is a feminist art and performance collective from Valparaiso, Chile.
Mexico - FilmmakerSaúl KakThe work of visual artist and filmmaker Saúl Kak explores themes such as forced migration and the mechanisms of oppression used against indigenous peoples.
Nicaragua - Musician, SingerLudwing GómezLudwing Gómez is a Nicaraguan musician exiled in Costa Rica and a founding member of Ximena, a band that fuses Latin and Spanish rhythms. 
Cuba - WriterCarolina BarreroCarolina Barrero is a Cuban art historian, writer, and human rights activist, who participated in the 2021 protests that challenged Cuba's regime as a member of the 27N movement of artists and intellectuals.
Brazil - Choreographer, Dancer, WriterWagner SchwartzBrazilian choreographer, dancer, and writer Wagner Schwartz, faced a torrent of abuse for his performance of La Bête in October 2017. 
Kenya - RapperGrammo Suspect – Rainbow Ambassador KenyaGrammo Suspect - Rainbow Ambassador Kenya makes music in support of LGBTQIA+ rights in Kenya, her perseverance reflecting the strength of her commitment to freedom.
Zimbabwe - PoetCollen KajokotoZimbabwean poet Collen Kajokoto uses poetry to protest against the threat of repercussions from the state and advocate for artistic freedom of expression.
Uganda - Playwright, Screenwriter, WriterAchiro P. OlwochAchiro P. Olwoch is a Ugandan writer, playwright and screenwriter. She tells stories that start conversations, often writing about subjects that her part of the world calls forbidden.
Sudan - CartoonistKhalid AlbaihKhalid Albaih is a Sudanese artist and political cartoonist whose work has depicts life in the Arab world and interrogates themes of social and political injustice.