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Lebanon - FilmmakerZeina Daccache
In the last 15 years, Lebanese filmmaker and drama therapist Zeina Daccache has helped change numerous laws that shape the treatment of prisoners in Lebanon, from protecting victims of domestic violence to reducing sentences for good behavior. 
China - CartoonistBadiucao
For Chinese political cartoonist Badiucao, art left an indelible mark on the trajectory of his life, his family, and ultimately, his career, before he was even born.
Cuba - WriterAhmel Echevarría Peré
Ahmel Echevarría (b. Havana, 1974). Narrator, art and literary critic. In 2024, he was awarded the Cintas Foundation Fellowship in Creative Writing for his novel project "Los perros." His published novels include "Días de entrenamiento" (2010), "Búfalos camino al matadero" (2012), "La noria" (2012), and "Caballo con arzones" (2017).
Cuba - Visual ArtistCamila Ramírez Lobón
Camila Lobón's work as a visual artist focuses on illustrating a political imaginary that subverts the Cuban totalitarian narrative. She was a columnist for Hypermedia Magazine and currently writes a graphic column for the cultural magazine Rialta. She currently resides in the United States. 
Cuba - RapperEliexer Márquez Duany
Eliexer Marquez Duany a.k.a “El Funky” (Havana, Cuba, 1981) is a Cuban rapper and activist, a rebellious artist and defender of human rights, recognized in the Latin Hip-Hop community for his versatility and authenticity. He has been developing his musical career since 1999.
Cuba - FilmmakerFernando Fraguela Fosado
Fernando Fraguela Fosado (b. Cuba, 1991) is an independent filmmaker, editor, and producer based in Madrid. His work focuses on essay and experimental cinema and the exploration of personal narratives. Alongside his filmmaking practice, he is engaged in international teaching and mentorship in directing, screenwriting, and editing.
Cuba - FilmmakerIsmario Rodríguez Pérez
Ismario Rodríguez Pérez is a journalist and documentary filmmaker with a clear focus on contemporary narratives that intersect culture, society, and human rights. His work moves between journalism, documentary, and critical analysis, with a particular interest in the impact of images, digital media, and social transformations on everyday life.
Cuba - Visual ArtistJulio Llopiz-Casal
Julio Llopiz-Casal (b. Havana, 1984) is a visual artist and graphic designer whose practice combines the visual legacy of conceptualism with typographic compositions and writing. Although his work is multidisciplinary, he has a particular affinity for installation and for working with found objects. He is interested in exploring ideas around Memory and Archive.
Cuba - WriterKatherine Bisquet Rodríguez
Katherine Bisquet (Ciudad Nuclear, Cuba, 1992). Writer and activist. Graduated in Spanish Language from the University of Havana. She has published several books of poetry and recently compiled “Cielo raso. Antología de poetas cubanos en Cuba."
Cuba - FilmmakerLuis Alejandro Yero
Luis Alejandro Yero (b. 1989) is a Cuban filmmaker, currently based in Fortaleza, Brazil. With an observational style and a tendency to challenge the boundaries between fiction and documentary, his films have portrayed the everyday lives of people experiencing significant social and political change.
Cuba - Visual ArtistMaría Esther Lemus Cordero
María Esther Lemus Cordero is a visual artist, illustrator, and comic artist, born in Havana in 1990. From a critical perspective, her practice addresses Cuban and international current affairs through humor and satire. She currently lives in exile.
Cuba - CuratorYanelys Nuñez Leyva
Yanelys Núñez Leyva (b. Havana, 1989) is a Cuban art historian, communicator, and curator, living in exile in Madrid, Spain since 2019. She is a founding member of the Movimiento San Isidro (MSI) (2018), a collective of artists and activists whose use of the body, political communication, and creative collaboration has formed a shared platform for the defense of human and cultural rights on the island.
Vietnam - Musician, SingerMai Khoi
Vietnamese artist and dissident musician Mai Khoi was banished from Vietnam for engaging in acts of dissent.
 - IllustratorYacunã Tuxá
Yucanã Tuxá says she became an artist and activist because of a series of “small explosions” that cemented a burning desire to advocate for her indigenous Tuxá community—their rights, their stories, and their enduring presence despite centuries of colonialism, racism, and erasure. 
Spain - Graffiti ArtistJavier Serrano Guerra —Boa Mistura
Spanish street artist Javier Serrano Guerra (otherwise known as Boa Mistura)
United States - WriterDashka Slater
In 2017, American author Dashka Slater published a book about an agender teen from Oakland whose skirt was set on fire by another teenager on a bus ride. Four years later, in the midst of a national wave of book bans, Slater beganreceiving a flood of “desperate pleas” from kids, parents, and librarians as her book was quietly removed from classroom shelves and libraries around the country.
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