Are you passionate about art, human rights, and freedom of expression? Do you want to connect with a global community of artists and activists who use creativity to challenge censorship and inspire change?

From September 23- 26, the Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) Digital Conference will bring together artists, cultural workers, and human rights defenders from across the world — and we’re projecting it live at goto10.

The conference is more than just talks. It’s a space to:

• Hear powerful stories from artists at risk
• Learn about international campaigns and creative resistance
• Discover how art connects to struggles for equality and justice
• Meet other students and people who care about freedom, solidarity, and cultural rights

Come and be part of a global conversation without leaving your city. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and your ideas — and let’s explore how art can change the world.

Safe Havens Freedom Talks (SH|FT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of artists at risk and artistic freedom. Since 2013, its annual Safe Havens conference has grown into a key global network meeting, bringing together artists, activists, NGOs, academics, and intergovernmental organizations engaged in the Arts Rights Justice sector.

The conference takes its starting point from a human rights perspective, aiming to provide an open platform for cultural operators and human rights defenders in the arts. By creating collaborative meeting spaces, SH|FT promotes knowledge-sharing on urgent issues such as shelter city initiatives, safe communication, funding opportunities, legal advice, and international campaigns. It also amplifies the voices of those facing threats and persecution, including women, indigenous and LGBTQI+ groups, and highlights the vital role of culture and academia in advancing human rights worldwide.

This year, the Safe Havens conference will be held as a digital gathering. We will project the sessions to create a local meeting space for collective participation. Audiences are invited to join us to follow the global conversations while engaging in reflection and dialogue with others committed to freedom of expression, cultural rights, and international solidarity.

• 13:30 - 13:45 Artistic Intervention by Manal Awad, Palestinian actor
• 13:45 - 14:30 Session I - Navigating Creative Freedom: Artistic Expression from Syria
  and Palestine - Bassel Nwelaty, Program Manager | Ettijahat – Independent Culture (mod)
  Jumana Al-Yasiri, Arts Manager, Consultant & Researcher
  Iman Hammouri, Director of the Popular Art Center (PAC) Palestine
• 14:30 - 15:00 Open Floor
• 15:00 - 15:15 Short break
• 15:15 - 16:00 Session II - New approaches to funding culture and arts for a decolonized
  Global South in the post-Gaza genocide era. - Dounia Benslimane, PACSOC Steering Committee member, Morocco
  Mike van Graan, South Africa, playwright and human rights activist
  Nayse Lopez, Brasil, journalist, scriptwriter and performing arts curator
  Yara Odeh, Palestine, art manager, cultural activist, member of Owneh Initiative
• 16:00 - 16:30 Open floor
• 16:30 - 16:45 Short Break
• 16:45 - 17:15 Session III - Rendering Control: Bodies Under Surveillance and
  Repression: Exploring how state power renders marginalized bodies visible
  to control them—and how we resist.
  Ahmad Baba, Multidisciplinary performance artist and Body and dance
  psychotherapist
• 17:15 - 17:30 Open floor