On 24 November 2021, Freemuse and ESA Business School held an online cultural exchange and public dialogue on “Artistic Freedom in Lebanon”.

The open dialogue aimed at defining problems artists and cultural workers face and identifying possible solutions, suggestions, and related stakeholders.

“Creating regional organised networks of artists with the know-how to raise issues to an international level might be a possible solution helping artists navigate the current situation in Lebanon,” said Noor Obeid, Small Changes Project Manager during the event.

You can watch the full event below:

During the first half of the dialogue, the panelists introduced their organizations (ESA business school, Agenda Culturel, and Freemuse), the projects they are working on and the goals they wish to achieve. The panelists also discussed the state of culture in Lebanon and the state of artistic freedom in the MENA. Then the Lebanese grantees were given the space to talk about their funded projects.
The second half included discussions on the shrinking of cultural spaces and artistic freedom, the main challenges that artists in Lebanon are facing and some suggested solutions.

The panelists of this open dialogue included Myriam Schuman, Agenda Culturel; Michèle El Khoury, Program Manager at ESA Business School and Noor Obeid, Project Manager Freemuse.
Yara Ayoub, Jason Camp, Clara El Hawa and Wajdi Abou Diab, were amongst dialogue participants attending the event.