February is National Arts Month folks, and we reckon that the struggle for artistic expression is no easy task amid our current political climate.
And what better way to jumpstart Arts Month than to know more about the impediments in cultural production. In the online roundtable discussion “Art in the Dark: On the Persecution of Artists for the People,” advocacy group SAKA seeks to do just that. The online dialogue will go live today at 7PM via SAKA’s Facebook page.
“Struggling for free expression has never been a walk in the park—and especially so under the fascist Duterte regime. These days, much of art is in the dark, as are the people pushed into silence by policies that muzzle dissent, and state machinery that targets opposition,” states SAKA.
The discussion is centered on the idea of artistic expression and how state power and politics shape and command the production and persecution of dissent even in the realm of art.
Specifically, the roundtable will explore and tackle questions like: “Why is it that artists are persecuted, and why are particular artists more persecuted than others? Which sectors have the Duterte regime barred from articulating their struggles through creative means available? How can #ArtistsFightBack when the state mobilizes its resources for nationwide suppression?”
The discussion will invite individuals from #FreeTheArtists movement, Sining ng Naglilingkod sa Bayan (Sinagbayan), Concerned Artists of the Philippines, the Free Amanda Echanis Network, and other advocacy groups.
Read more:
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Art by Yel Sayo
Photo from SAKA’s Facebook page