What role can art play in situations of forced migration? That is the question being posed to participants at the Haizebegi festival this Saturday.
The first part of the day, dedicated to the MusiMig network symposium, provided an opportunity for scholarly discussion of the work of international researchers. What does it mean to “act in the name of music”? Should music be viewed as a tool for liberation or for cultural domination? How does music shape the life journeys of displaced people in New York, San Sebastián, and Berlin?
The second half of the program highlighted the artistic initiatives of those who are committed to affirming artistic practice as a tool for resilience. For Elaha Iqbali, as well as for The Boat Art Collective, art serves as a tool for protest and self-affirmation. Iman Alidoosti, when asked about the value of using art as a tool for solidarity in refugee camps, replied with a touch of humor that “art is all we have left if they strip us naked and shake us down.”
Margot Artur de Lizarraga
