Research
Driven by our commitment to create meaningful change in the field of artistic freedom and improve conditions for artists in their home countries, AFI’s thematic report series is a first-of-its-kind project focused on research and policy advocacy for free creative expression.
AFI has established our report series to more proactively pursue our goal of addressing the root causes of artistic suppression and advocating for a future in which all artists can create freely and safely in their home countries. We are confident that AFI’s ongoing report series will be a vital tool in our collective work to accomplish these goals.
AFI’s in-depth, thematic human rights reports will:
- Document the unique challenges facing artistic communities in the focus country;
- Call out rights violations committed by the focus country’s government;
- Advocate for the strengthening of existing rights protection mechanisms; and,
- Provide actionable recommendations to global policymakers for the benefit of all artistic communities.
Through our report series, AFI aims to address global underreporting on artistic freedom, elevate the importance of plurality in the arts, and advocate for more thorough protection of artists’ rights.
"Early Warning: The Politicization of Slovak Arts and Culture"
We are pleased to announce the release of AFI’s latest advocacy report, Early Warning: The Politicization of Slovak Arts and Culture, produced in partnership with Otvorená Kultúra! (OK!). Following the election of Robert Fico’s populist coalition government in October 2023, Slovakia has experienced a rapid regression in democratic norms, with the cultural sector emerging as a key battleground for ideological control. Drawing on original research and interviews with 19 Slovak artists and cultural workers, Early Warning documents the alarming impact of these political shifts on the country’s creative landscape. By exposing the early warning signs of authoritarian cultural control, the report underscores the urgent need for intervention to protect democratic values and cultural pluralism.
Click here to read the report now!
Read our previous reports:
Echoes of Freedom: Art as a Voice of Resistance in Nicaragua
I Create; I Resist: Iranian artists on the frontline of social change
Artistic Exodus: Afghan Artists Fleeing Taliban Rule
Cultural Control: Censorship and Suppression of the Arts in Poland
Systemic Suppression: Hungary’s Arts & Culture in Crisis
