We are pleased to announce the release of AFI’s newest advocacy report, Echoes of Freedom: Art as a voice of resistance in Nicaragua, created in partnership with Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina (CADAL) and UC Berkeley’s Pro Bono Law Program.
Recognizing the role that art plays in advancing social change, the Ortega-Murillo administration targeted artists and cultural workers that spoke out against the regime since the outbreak of massive, nationwide protests in April 2018. They reported being surveilled, threatened, assaulted, and arbitrarily arrested during the period of State-led repression, and many were prosecuted under illegitimate laws related to national security, resulting in several cases of forced expulsion and denaturalizations.
Featuring interviews with 13 impacted artists and cultural workers, Echoes of Freedom spotlights the tactics employed by the Ortega-Murillo administration to silence this group, calls attention to violations of the rights of artists, and provides actionable recommendations for international stakeholders to support Nicaraguan artists at risk.
“Echoes of Freedom” is made possible with support from the SDK Foundation for Human Dignity.
AFI and CADAL are delighted to feature the work of Nicaraguan visual artist Pedro X. Molina throughout Ecos de libertad: art as a voice of resistance in Nicaragua. The five works he created for the report speak to themes of censorship, persecution, and resilience within the context of Nicaragua’s repression. Read more about Pedro and his work here.
