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The extraordinary decency of Athol Fugard
Filmmaker and actor Gavin Hood reflects on his relationship with the late South African novelist, playwright and director, who has died aged 92
By Gavin Hood
Latest news
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Power to the people?
Our fundamental right to protest is being eroded in the UK and USA
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USA urged to protect press freedom and keep journalists safe after order to gut United States Agency for Global Media
The US President has signed an order calling for the USAGM to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law"
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The end of impunity for Rodrigo Duterte
Justice has finally caught up with the former Philippines president
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Standing in solidarity with VOA, RFE/RL and RFA
The Trump administration is moving to shutter these essential media outlets. This will aid autocrats and further silence voices of dissent
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Spotlight: Freedom Day in Belarus
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Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The people of Belarus are showing the dictator that they want him gone”
Following January's sham election, political activists and journalists willing to challenge Aliaksandr Lukashenka face prison, exile or worse – but...
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Lukashenka’s election plan is to shut down the internet – again
In the run up to the Belarusian presidential election, Index's Belarus researcher reflects on her own experience during protest crackdowns in 2020
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Hanna Komar explores the trauma of oppression through her new play
The Belarusian poet wrote Body in Progress to expose how persecution has a profound impact on the body and mind
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Belarus is a prison for freedom
Freedom of expression in Belarus is costly and the price is years off your life
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MAGAZINE
LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 53.04 WINTER 2024
Unsung heroes: How musicians are raising their voices against oppression
Music has been described as a “cultural universal” – a practice found in all known human cultures and societies. While anthropologists still scratch their heads over exactly where the concept originated, evidence indicates that humans have used musical instruments for an astonishing 40,000 years.
During an excavation in 1995 in Slovenia, researchers discovered a bear’s femur bone with holes in it and concluded that it could be an ancient flute.
Humans have always found ingenious ways to make music, and it’s not difficult to see why. It is one of the most powerful forms of self-expression, capable of eliciting both intense happiness and sadness in the listener. It is used to celebrate, lament, respect and enrage, and its endless genres, styles and instruments form a core part of countries’ unique cultural heritages.
But despite its universality, music is being silenced globally. Religious extremism, political factions, racism and nationalism are all driving forces, stopping it being performed, produced and listened to. In this issue we explore how music bans have been weaponised to silence communities and erase histories.
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