The prime-time cultural programme “La Brama” on Barcelona’s betevé shone a spotlight on Artists at Risk (AR) last month. The wonderful Laura Sangra, who leads the programme that has its finger on the pulse of Barcelona’s cultural life, has been following the work of our team and residents. For this TV-segment and article, she sat down with AR-Barcelona Residents Marwa Abu Raida and Osama Khalid, their hosts at AR-Barceona/@NoCallarem, as well as AR-Mondial’s co-directors Marita Muukkonen and Ivor Stodolsky to discuss what it truly means to create art when your voice is under threat.
They spoke about the challenges of survival – both physical and artistic – through war and exile, and the mechanisms of AR for providing a safe space to keep their voices alive.
Osama Khalid is a Sudanese visual artist and filmmaker. Here he recounts the painful moment when war erupted and he had to leave behind his studio, community and home. His story is a testament to resilience and the unbreakable bond between artists and their work.
Marwa Abu Raida is a Palestinian writer and poet from Gaza. She shares how her novel Friends of Fearness — which dares to imagine friendship across an Israeli and a Palestinian —forced her to flee due to the severe threats she faced as a consequence. Today, from the safety of her residency in Barcelona, she continues to speak for those who cannot.
👉 Don’t miss these often moving conversations. Watch the full programme here:
https://beteve.cat/cultura/artists-at-risk-artistes-exili/
Read the translation on our website here: https://artistsatrisk.org/2025/12/19/beteves-la-brama-artists-at-risk-the-global-platform-helping-artists-keep-creating-from-exile/?lang=en
It’s a reminder of why protecting artistic freedom matters now more than ever.
Huge thanks to Laura Sangra and Betevecat for amplifying these vital stories!
