“It was a very unique roundtable,” said Ole Reitov, programme manager of Freemuse: “When artists who have faced death threats, persecution, torture and censorship sit together and reveal their experiences, a very special feeling of commitment and mutual respect evokes.”

Author Taslima Nasrin from Bangladesh added in the roundtable discussion that it is extremely important that dark religious forces are not allowed to set the agenda of human rights. A strong secularist, Taslima Nasrin has received several death threats for her critisism of islamist fundamentalism.

Musical meetings across borders
The roundtable discussion was part of the third edition of Festival Contra la Censura which ended in the Basque capital this week. The festival presented musical highlights, films, conferences and exhibitions where Iranian classical music met Zimbabwean mbira, a Bangladesh writer met up with a Cameroonese cartoonist, and concerts were presented by artists such as Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat from Iran, and Palestinean Khamilya Jubran who now lives in Paris. In a rare musical meeting Chiwoniso from Zimbabwe was joined by the ney player of the Vahdat group, and thrilled the audience in Bilbao’s historical library.

To the music of a Spanish jazz musician, exiled cartoonist Issa Nyaphaga from Cameroun made a ‘music cum paint’ performance in one of the larger squares in ‘old Bilbao’.

Films about censorship of music
The festival included Songlines magazine-editor Simon Broughton’s film ‘Sufi Soul’ and Rex Bloomstein’s ‘An Independent Mind’ which contains an interview with the reggae singer and Freemuse award winner Tiken Jah Fakoly.

The unique festival was organised by Serrano Productions. They stated that the organisation is dedicated to continue the festival next year with Freemuse as an active partner.