{"id":6336,"date":"2017-10-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.conectas.org.inf.br\/wp\/noticias\/activism-outside-the-box\/"},"modified":"2021-04-08T14:57:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T14:57:42","slug":"activism-outside-the-box","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/activism-outside-the-box\/","title":"Activism outside the box","content":"

by Sarah Furtado*<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"The challenge of securing civil participation in the struggle for human rights has been ongoing for decades and new languages and consumption habits have generated a new demand in this respect. Information alone is no longer enough to drive practical engagement. In this context, human rights defenders and activists face the challenge to create more relevant communication using creative interventions and cultural tactics.<\/p>\n

Ishtar Lakhani, of the NGO SWEAT (Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce), was the facilitator of a workshop on Creative Activism on Thursday, October 5, during the 15th International Human Rights Colloquium. \u201cIt\u2019s very common to be trapped in a specific working format. Just because you don\u2019t draw art or make sculptures doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re not creative. Everything is a creative process. We just need to think outside the box\u201d.<\/p>\n

The methodology of Creative Activism aims to apply creative ideas, and art itself, to the realm of activism. Ishtar pointed out the importance of incorporating culture into the creative process. \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to do activism without culture, because most of our work involves creating a culture of human rights that respects the human being and the environment around us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The process of changing rights-violating practices should always be analyzed based on the sociocultural context, after which it is possible to develop creative strategies to raise awareness and tackle these practices.<\/p>\n

Ishtar offered some tips on how to improve activism actions and interventions. \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand that the truth alone is not the answer,\u201d she explained. \u201cEveryone knows that smoking is bad for your health. There are countless studies and campaigns demonstrating this. Do people stop smoking? No. The truth needs help to generate action,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

One way of generating this transformation is to inspire feelings. \u201cActivists are good at organizing events, artists are good at stirring up emotions,\u201d said Ishtar, pointing out that many human rights defenders choose their work as a result of personal experiences. \u201cI decided to get involved with human rights because I saw my father suffer a profound situation of inequality. My father was arrested and this caused me to change. It wasn\u2019t signing a petition that got me interested, it was a personal feeling\u201d.<\/p>\n

To use creative activism is to transform information into an experience. This is what happened at the International AIDS Conference, in 2015. In order to demand visibility for sex workers, who are always ignored at these events, SWEAT in partnership with the Center for Artistic Activism staged a series of actions to create an impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made a sign that read \u2018you have been speaking for ____ hours without mentioning sex work\u2019. And we put a digital clock in the space,\u201d explained Ishtar. As the talks went on, the timer was ticking. The speaker who mentioned sex work for the first time was applauded by the audience who had been accompanying the clock.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs soon as it happened, we turned the sign over and it said \u2018Thank you!\u2019 on the other side, and we put the clock back to zero until the next speaker started to talk,\u201d she said. This put pressure on the speakers, who ended up changing their talks to include sex work.<\/p>\n

Creative Activism is a simple and inexpensive way of causing an impact and creating visibility for causes. Ishtar concluded by saying \u201cit\u2019s better to have 200 bad ideas than 5 good ones. Sometimes the silliest thing can turn into a brilliant idea\u201d.<\/p>\n

About the Colloquium<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Between October 2 and 6, 80 human rights activists from 31 countries are gathering in S\u00e3o Paulo for the 15th International Human Rights Colloquium. The objective of the event is to discuss the theme “Human rights: crisis or transition?”, share experiences and propose solutions to face setbacks at local, regional and global levels.<\/p>\n

This year, Conectas organises the meeting with Forum Asia (Thailand), the Human Rights Centre of the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and Dejusticia (Colombia). The event is supported by Ford Foundation, OAK Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Channel Foundation and The Fund For Global Human Rights. We also thank the FGV (Funda\u00e7\u00e3o Get\u00falio Vargas), the Memorial of the Resistance, APAC (Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Pinacoteca Arte e Cultura), the Immigration Museum and the government of the State of S\u00e3o Paulo, that generously provided with the venues for the meetings.<\/p>\n

*Sarah Furtado is a volunteer journalists from the coverage group of the 15th International Human Rights Colloquium.\u00a0English translation by Partha Sarker, a refugee from Bangladesh.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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