22 Jun 15 | Events
In May 2007 Sabeen Mahmud founded The Second Floor (now known as T2F), a coffee house and “community space for open dialogue” in Karachi, Pakistan.
In April 2015, Mahmud was shot dead by unidentified gunmen. Travelling home after hosting a panel discussion on the missing people of Balochistan, a poor but resource rich province of Pakistan, armed motorcyclists surrounded her car and opened fire.
Three months after this brutal act, Index on Censorship are working together with Yasmin Whittaker-Khan, Anneqa Malik and the Sabeen Mahmud Foundation to commemorate and celebrate an extraordinary woman.
Featuring prominent speakers alongside live art, music, poetry and Pakistani food.
Hosted by British-Pakistani stand-up comedian and TV presenter Aatif Nawaz. With:
- Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistani human rights activist
- Annie Zaman, Bytes for All
- Declan Walsh, New York Times
- Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, University of Oxford
- Jodie Ginsberg, Index on Censorship
- Kali Chandrasegaram, classical dancer
- Hyder Cheema, musician
- Kamila Shamsie, novelist
- Omer Tariq, DJ
- Shaan Taseer, Pakistan for All (and son of late Salman Taseer)
- Sonia Metha, singer
- Students from City And Islington Sixth Form College
- Suniya Qureshi, Qismat Foundation
- Tehmina Kazi, British Muslims for Secular Democracy
- Ustad Roshan Abbas Khan, musician
- Yasmin Whittaker-Khan, playwright
- Ziad Zafar, Sabeen Mahmud Foundation
When: Thursday 23 July, 7:00pm
Where: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL (Map/directions)
Tickets: Free, book here
Presented in partnership with Conway Hall Ethical Society and the Sabeen Mahmud Foundation
19 Jan 15 | Events
Presenting the world premiere of a collection of 12 explosive political five minute plays by writers including Mark Ravenhill, Neil LaBute and Caryl Churchill.
Arising from events and decisions relating to The Underbelly and Incubator Theatre’s The City, Exhibit B and the Barbican, and The Tricycle Theatre.
Each performance will include all twelve five minute plays and a lively post-show discussion exploring freedom of expression in UK arts today. Engage in discussion with the commissioned writers and a range of free expression advocates .
The post-show debate on on Friday 30th January will feature Index on Censorship CEO Jodie Ginsberg.
WHERE: Theatre Delicatessen, London, EC1R 3ER
WHEN: Monday 26th – Saturday 31st January, 7:30pm & Sat Matinee
TICKETS: £15 / £12 – available here
This event is produced by Offstage Theatre, in association with Theatre Uncut, and supported by Index on Censorship and Free Word.
12 Feb 14 | Events
Join Index at a presentation of a new policy paper on media freedom in Belarus on 19 February, 2014, 15.00 at the Office for Democratic Belarus, Rue de la Loi 42, Brussels.
The new policy paper Belarus: Time for media reform created by Index on Censorship in cooperation with the Belarusian Association of Journalists, reveals how Belarusian independent media outlets live and develop in the climate of restricted freedoms and opportunities, and how the international community can help to influence the situation inspiring and supporting media reforms.
- What are the main challenges for media freedom in Belarus?
- What trends does Belarus set for other authoritarian regimes?
- Does internet change the rules of the game?
- What is the role of the EU in influencing the free speech situation in Belarus?
Join the conversation with the leading media experts:
- Andrei Aliaksandrau (Index on Censorship, London)
- Andrei Bastunets (Belarusian Association of Journalists, Minsk)
- Oliver Money-Kyrle (International Federation of Journalists, Brussels)
Please RSVP at [email protected]
Organizers express their gratitude to the Office for a Democratic Belarus for the support in making this event possible.
16 Oct 13 | Events, News and features, Volume 42.03 Autumn 2013
World leaders need to deliver on their pledges to institute universal primary education — especially for girls — if the world wants to empower the next generation, campaigner Sarah Brown said in a speech at the launch of the autumn issue of Index on Censorship magazine on Tuesday.
“The women who lead, read,” Brown said. “A girl with an education is the most terrifying force in the world.”
The campaigner argued passionately for education being a key, vital factor in advancement of women and girls around the world. Brown cited statistics that underlined her point: Educated girls grow into women who are more likely to educate their own children, have them vaccinated and have jobs that support a better financial life for their families.
“Why is the most terrifying thing for the Taliban a girl with a book?” she asked when talking about the role of Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who was targeted for campaigning for girls’ education. Brown is co-founder of A World At School, the campaigning education organisation that helped convene Malala Day at the United Nations this summer.
Speaking at the Lilian Baylis Technology School in London, where she also met with students, Brown followed up the speech with a question and answer session, chaired by Helen Lewis, deputy editor of New Statesman magazine.
“I don’t understand why there is so much anger at women who speak out,” Brown said when Lewis asked about Twitter trolls.
Referencing the vicious Twitter attacks on Caroline Criado-Perez, she remarked: “It’s clear that the public square does not offer a safe space for Britain’s women.”
But she also spoke on the positive sides of online speech, saying Twitter can be a “space to describe yourself as you want to be described.”
Brown conceded there is still a lot of work to be done to reach universal education. With two years left to reach the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education, millions of children around the world still don’t have access to it.
Brown said it was appropriate for her to speak at the launch of the latest issue of Index on Censorship magazine, which includes a special report on ignored, suppressed and censored voices.
• Full text/video of Sarah Brown’s speech
This article was originally posted on 16 Oct 2013 at indexoncensorship.org
