This Mimeta proposed initiative aims to mobilize resources for safeguarding artists at risk by facilitating a process for funder collaboration and exchange, leading to the establishment of a joint fund dedicated to supporting the artist protection field.

Who are We?
MIMETA has been working within culture and development internationally since 2008. Mimeta engages in the protection of cultural rights - and culture sector development by the means of financial support, knowledge building and professional advises. The organization is registered as a Norwegian limited company with charitable statutes. Out of its base in the city of Arendal, Mimeta works internationally to enhance freedom of expression, artistic rights, including the rights of artists at risk for protection. In the last decade, MIMETA has directed most of its support to intermediary organizations, those who work on behalf of the practitioners, in arts and media in the Middle East and Africa.

Why Now?
Artists around the world are subjected to risks that stifle their voice and threaten their lives. Recent research commissioned by (IRIS) and the Ford Foundation, shows that the dangers filmmakers and other storytellers are exposed to are very similar to those faced by human rights and environmental defenders. They are targeted for uncovering wrong-doing and speaking truth to power, yet safety and security for creatives are often not included in strategies and discussions regarding human rights defenders’ needs. Annual reports by watchdog organizations show an increasing number of artists and their families killed, hurt, imprisoned, harassed, and threatened because of their work. This alarming reality not only deprives artists of the safety and freedom essential for their continued creativity, but also deprives us all from seeing our world of today through their stories.

What more does recent research tell us about the risks facing these artists? What can we do about them? Who is already in action trying to protect these artists? Do they have enough resources to stand up to this threat? Do they coordinate with each other?

Momentum in Norway
A little over a year ago, Ine Eriksen Søreide, Foreign Minister of Norway at the time, launched the ministry's Strategy for Freedom of Expression in Foreign and Development Policy. For the first time, artists were included as part of the work for freedom of expression in Norway's foreign policy. This breakthrough for artistic expression, was the result of a long process, that Mimeta, amongst others, had been active in, to influence Norway's foreign policy, so it positions artistic expression under freedom of expression. This new strategy adopted by the Norwegian authorities highlights the importance of artists in the work for freedom of expression, and ensures they receive the same level of protection received by journalist or political dissidents at risk. This strategy is a reinforcement of the rights-based cultural policy that has been pursued by Norwegian foreign authorities since 2013. It provides Mimeta with a momentum and basis to advocate for more resource allocation within Norway for the inclusion of artists in freedom of expression work internationally.

What is the Challenge?
Mimeta, and others working more directly in the protection field, have identified many challenges facing the artist protection work, the biggest of these seems to be the scarcity of resources. There are several committed players in the field of artists protection, doing their utmost to service the rising needs to this sector. They exist locally, regionally, and internationally. But very few of them have enough resources to provide all the needed assistance, such as: artist rights education, alert mechanisms, legal aid, cooperation with the established human rights sector, learning from the journalism sector, safe-havens and re-location, family liaison, urgent grants-making systems, advocacy, and public campaigning.

Artist protection bodies are under resourced to shocking levels, including within some of the most renowned and dedicated international organizations working on the issue. Regional protection organizations with knowledge and proximity to the contexts of risk that the artists come from, are scarce. Both International and regional organizations, are often unable to meet the huge influx of requests that are in the rise in our troubled world of today, all the way from Ukraine to Afghanistan and Iran. International ones are at risk for seeming selective in their protection of artists, when they find themselves more successful in mobilizing funds for artists at risk due to conflicts in the global north, vs. those in the global south.

All this calls urgently for action to ensure stronger structures for coordination, cooperation, advocacy, and resource mobilization. It requires work on long term policy, to recognize artistic expression as part of the international fight for freedom of expression, as well as on immediate grassroot level, to mobilize resources for swiftly saving the artists at risk.

The Goals?
This Mimeta proposed initiative aims to mobilize resources for safeguarding artists at risk by facilitating a process for funder collaboration and exchange, leading to the establishment of a joint fund dedicated to supporting the artist protection field. The ambition is to collectively build a solid Artist Rights Protection system with strong regional footholds, in the localities where the violations happen, and a powerful international presence, that works on enhancing existing competences, expanding new ways of organizing and positioning artistic expression under the international fight for freedom of expressions.

More specifically the initiative will create a joint pot dedicated to:

Funding key organizations at the international, regional, and national levels to engage in a strategy to give visibility and raise awareness of safety and protection issues through events (high profile, as well as side events) at established gatherings such as film, journalism, arts, or human rights festivals and conferences. Funders signing up to this initiative, take active part in that strategy.
Empowering artists to have control over and invest in their own protection
Investing in resources for artists in need of urgent assistance.
Supporting existing hub organizations and solidarity and networks involved in protection and safeguarding of artist at risk.
Support “bridges” between communities of artists, filmmakers, and human rights defenders at the local, national, regional, and global level.
Funding regional organizations to develop needed programs for safeguarding artists.
Using our convening power, status, and experience of funding in the arts, journalism, and human rights to: Convene other funders / Bring together key organizations from our human rights, social justice, arts and free expression networks (including organizations that specialize in protection) to build bridges and foster connections.