ARC will participate in WOMEX this year with a session “Language, Music and Censorship – When tradition becomes resistance” presented during the conference. Julie Tr​ébault, ARC Director, will chair this session with Sara Curruchich (Guatemala) from Tejiendo Sonidos, Rahima Mahmut (China/UK) from the World Uyghur Congress and self-taught musician Ebo Krdum (Sweeden/Sudan), discussing how those committed to artistic freedom and indigenous people’s rights can help support, defend, and uplift such musicians who are censored, threatened, and/or imprisoned.

In 2020, Bangladeshi authorities began arresting Baul musicians — religious folk singers — under the infamous Digital Securities Act, claiming that Baul music was antagonistic to the dominant religious and spiritual philosophies of the country. In China, Uyghur musicians like Abdurehim Heyit have been brutally targeted for their music. Although Chinese authorities maintain that he is still alive, many believe that he died in custody in 2019. In Guatemala, countless activists and artists like Leonardo Lisandro Guarcax Gonzalez and Argentinian folk musician Facundo Cabral have been murdered for their efforts towards preserving indigenous culture and rights. In Sudan, ethnic and religious discrimination has paved the way for moral revisions and banning of music, once considered integral to Sudanese culture and traditions. This pattern of persecution is reflected in cultures and languages throughout the globe, to the point that creative expression in certain languages has been banned or censored because it is perceived as synonymous with anti-government sentiments — but such restrictions are tantamount to invisibilizing entire histories and cultures. In the midst of this global surge of attacks on musicians practicing folk and indigenous traditions, the burden of protecting and advocating for them and their work falls on all of us. This session will create a safe and dynamic space to explore how those committed to artistic freedom and indigenous people’s rights can help support, defend, and uplift such musicians who are censored, threatened, and/or imprisoned for practicing music that is integral to their cultures and communities. WOMEX Worldwide Music Expo is the international music meeting and the biggest conference of the global music scene, featuring a trade fair, talks, films, and showcase concerts. This year, WOMEX is held in Porto, Portugal.