Following the landmark adoption of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Artistic Freedom in Africa, ARC has convened a seven-member Expert Group of African legal specialists to draft a Model Law on Artistic Freedom.
Drawing on comprehensive legal mapping across eleven countries (produced in partnership with the Vance Center for International Justice) and consultations with artists and cultural workers across the continent, the Expert Group is charged with producing a model legislative text for formal adoption by the Commission during its October session. The work of this Expert Group represents a historic step toward reframing continental-level protections for artists in Africa and establishing mechanisms for national implementation of reforms.
Expert Group Members
Sam Brakarsh
Co-Chair
Adaobi Egboka
Co-Chair
Lisa Sidambe
Muleta Kapatiso
Wesley Mwafulirwa
Ivy Gikonyo
Michael Aboneka
Related Events
For World Press Freedom Day 2026, UNESCO highlights global pressures on freedom of expression and artistic freedom and drawing connections between these two domains.
At the PANAF Summit 2026, artists, activists, policymakers, funders, and cultural leaders from across the continent came together in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to explore how creativity thrives—and transforms—within today’s shifting digital and economic realities.
Artistic Freedom in Africa:
Developing a Regional Strategy for Censorship Board Reform
Bringing together artists and civil society leaders from across the continent, it is the first Pan-African discussion aimed at understanding shared challenges and successes while developing a strategy for regional policy reform.
Announcements and Resources
Resolution on the Promotion and Protection of Artistic Freedom in Africa and development of a Model Law on Artistic Freedom in Africa
Bored of Suppression
