This is a free event, but prior registration is required. / Es un evento gratuito, pero se requiere registro previo para asistir.
On November 15, 2023, the Cuban State was examined by the international community for the fourth time during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), a process in which UN member states made recommendations on how to improve the human rights situation in the country. Following the participation of 143 delegations that formulated a total of 361 recommendations, the lack of protection of the rights of Cuban citizens, especially in the area of freedom of expression and demonstration, was evident.
Artists, writers, and independent journalists face continuous reprisals for denouncing human rights abuses in the country. ARC,
PEN International, and
Cubalex also document in
Método Cuba: Testimonios de Artistas Independientes sobre el Exilio Forzado, which compiles the stories of 17 exiled artists, examples of physical and digital aggressions, harassment, home surveillance, arbitrary detentions, mobility restrictions within national territory, and more. These findings, along with the use of the regulatory framework to restrict the legitimate exercise of rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, and association, and the criminalization of social protest, continue to pose grave concerns for the Cuban artistic community and independent civil society in and outside the island.
Join Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), PEN International,
the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights, and the Geneva Graduate Institute’s
Latin American Network Initiative (LANI) on Friday March 22, for artistic interventions and a panel discussion with Cuban artivists and civil society members who will discuss the outcome of the UPR process of the Cuban State, reflect upon the state of Cuban art and civil society, and enter into discussion surrounding the challenges that lie ahead for independent artists, activists, and human rights defenders on the island. This event will feature Cuban culture and art as it connects with an analysis of the UPR recommendations, engaging the audience and demonstrating how art, culture, and literature are being censored and silenced – and its chilling effect on human rights.
The event will be in Spanish with simultaneous English translation.* The event offers a platform for the independent civil society in Cuba as well as activists and artists who were forced into exile because of their work.
*
If you require English translation, please be sure to bring headphones.