Safeguarding Artistic Freedom

Artistic and cultural expressions create space for us to reflect on ourselves and our societies; to connect with different perspectives; to understand and learn from each other; to test and contest ideas; and ultimately, to inspire us to imagine new paths to individual, collective and social development. Artistic freedom ensures that these expressions represent the full diversity and dynamism of our cultural ecosystems and societies, through both creation and participation. Such possibility demands that we safeguard the existence of artistic freedom. However, we can only do this if we first recognise the rights and responsibilities it entails; understand the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and cultural conditions that enable it; and identify and address threats to its practice and fulfilment.

The 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture brought together leading policy makers, researchers, managers and practitioners from the arts, culture, and related sectors from around the world to explore artistic freedom as a fundamental pillar of cultural policy and examine how we can – and why we should – safeguard artistic freedom.

The official language of the Summit was English, with translation into Spanish and French.

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International Programme Advisory Committee (IPAC)

The independent members of the International Programme Advisory Committee for the 9th World Summit were:

• IPAC Chair - Olu Alake (United Kingdom / Nigeria) is an internationally renowned strategic leader with a strong commitment to helping generate positive social change. Experience includes Director of November Ventures, Chief Executive Officer at The Peel Institute and the President Emeritus of 100 Black Men of London, a community development charitable organisation providing lifetime mentoring services for people of African descent to achieve education excellence, health and wellness, economic empowerment and leadership development.
• Brook Andrew (Wiradjuri/Celtic, Australia) is an artist, scholar and curator who is driven by the collisions of intertwined narratives, often emerging from the mess of the "Colonial Hole". He was Artistic Director of NIRIN, the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, 2020, and is Enterprise Professor, Interdisciplinary Practice at the University of Melbourne; Associate Professor, Fine Art at Monash University; and Associate Researcher at the Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. Brook is represented by Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne; Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney; and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris and Brussels.
• Alfons Karabuda (Sweden) is an accomplished composer with more than 30 years’ experience in the music industry. He is a member of the cultural committee of the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO and has served as an expert in artistic rights to the United Nations Human Rights Council President of the International Music Council; the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance; and the Internet Media Foundation; and is Executive Chairman of Swedish Association of Composers, Songwriters and Lyricists.
• Pamela López (Argentina / Chile) was most recently the Director of Programming and Audiences at Gabriela Mistral Cultural Centre (GAM) in Santiago, Chile. She holds a master’s degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University (2011). Ms López is an advocate and researcher in performing arts and management issues and serves as a lecturer at several universities in Chile, including Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica and two-time recipient of the Global ISPA Fellowship.
• Farai Mpfunya (Zimbabwe) is the co-founding Executive Director of the Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust and development expert with an background in Engineering (Paul Sabatier University - Toulouse, France); Business Management (Chevening Scholar at Middlesex University Business School); and the arts. He has more than 20 years’ professional experience in public and private arts and culture sectors, encompassing culture and development; cultural and creative industries; and policy development.
• Anupama Sekhar (India) (May–October 2021) is an arts manager who specialises in facilitating international cultural cooperation, both North-South and South-South. Ms Sekhar was most recently the Director of the Culture Department at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) and also a member of the EU/UNESCO Expert Facility on the Governance of Culture for the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
• Farida Shaheed (Pakistan) took office as new United National Special Rapporteur on the right to education on 1 August 2022. She is a sociologist and Executive Director of Shirkat Gah-Women’s Resource Centre in Pakistan and has worked for more than 25 years to promote and protect cultural rights by fostering policies and projects that support the rights of marginalised people. Ms Shaheed was the appointed the United Nations’ first Independent Expert and Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights (2009-2015); was a member of Pakistan’s National Commission on the Status of Women (2016-2018); and is currently engaged in various international programmes and initiatives.

The Swedish Arts Council were represented by Ms Bongi MacDermott, Director International Cooperation and Ms Ann Traber, Senior Adviser; and IFACCA represented by Ms Magdalena Moreno Mujica, Executive Director and Ms Anupama Sekhar, Director of Policy and Engagement.

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Explore the full 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture programme in English, Spanish and French.

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Programme Participants

The 9th World Summit programme included more than 96 speakers, provocateurs, panellists, moderators, workshop leaders and facilitators; representing 55 countries.

Participants included:

Download the 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture programme in English, Spanish and French.

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Cultural Programme

The 9th World Summit Cultural Programme was curated by Riksteatern, Sweden’s largest producing touring theatre. The programme reflected various perspectives on artistic freedom.

Opening Ceremony

The official Opening Ceremony of the 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture, took place at the grand Stockholm Concert Hall, alongside the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award ceremony.

Cultural Programme

A series of cultural events were offered to delegates at the Moderna Museet, Stockholm including a dance ‘Showcase Battle’ between various dance genres including street, contemporary and salsa; an opportunity to explore the Moderna Museet, home to one of Europe’s finest collections of modern and contemporary art; or network with colleagues in the museum restaurant, overlooking Stockholm’s water landscape.

Official Dinner at Stockholm City Hall

Hosted by the City of Stockholm, the Official Dinner was held at Stockholm’s City Hall, famous for its grand ceremonial halls and as the venue of the famous Nobel Prize banquet.

Arts Programme

Exhibited at the Waterfront Congress Centre, the Swedish Arts Council in partnership with the Swedish Institute, presented a suite of diverse exhibitions including video screen-based works, Swedish literature and an exhibition that told the story behind the success of the Swedish music industry. Also exhibited, in partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts and the Embassy of Canada to Sweden, was an augmented reality (AR) project; and a large-scale digital photographic exhibition.

Find full information on the Cultural Programme within the 9th World Summit on Arts and Culture programme, available in English, Spanish and French.

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