Master Soumy received anonymous death threats after launching a song & campaign against constitutional amendments that would increase presidential powers.

Mali’s Festival au Désert was set to return to Timbuktu, but officials decided to block it after suicide bombers attacked a military camp in Gao.

» Read on issuu.com Targeting the Arts Documenting incidents of censorship has never been enough. From the very beginning Freemuse has attempted to put censorship of music and arts into a larger context. In 2015 we introduced INSIGHT – a series of articles providing readers with analytical stories on censorship of …

When the religious music ban in the northern part of Mali was lifted in 2013, Andy Morgan wrote the book ‘Music, Conflict and Culture in Mali’. Here is his account of what has happened in the country since then. By Andy Morgan    INSIGHT  One of the accusations often levelled at …

Newsletter from Article 19, published on article19.org on 14 August 2013: Art, in any form, constitutes a key medium through which information and ideas are imparted and received. Artist Alert, launched by ARTICLE 19 in 2008, highlights cases of artists around the world whose right to freedom of expression has …

Manny Ansar, festival director and co-founder of Mali’s world famous ‘Festival au Désert’, received the Freemuse Award on 3 June 2013 at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The award ceremony took place in connection with a UN session on the right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity …

Manny Ansar, festival director and co-founder of Mali’s world famous ‘Festival au Désert’, will receive the Freemuse Award on Monday 3 June 2013 at the Geneva United Nations headquarters in Switzerland. The award ceremony will take place in connection with a UN session on the right to freedom of artistic …

Freemuse are pleased to announce the publication of our first book, ‘Music, Culture and Conflict in Mali’, which is launched in a digital and on-demand paperback edition on 21 May 2013. “Essential reading for anyone who has been touched by Saharan music. It gives a clear and gripping picture of …

Freemuse are pleased to announce the publication of our first book, ‘Music, Culture and Conflict in Mali’, which is launched in a digital and on-demand paperback edition.

Quotes from musicians and a festival organiser in Mali who were interviewed by Andy Morgan for the Freemuse report: ‘Music, Culture and Conflict in Mali’ Rokia Traore: “Under shari’a, it would mean that people like me could no longer live in Mali. Obviously, I’m a Muslim. I’ve always been a believer, …