The 2024 ICORN General Assembly in Copenhagen, 29-31 May 2024
Between 29 and 31 May, more than 300 writers, artists, journalists, ICORN City of Refuge coordinators, representatives, politicians, and partner organisations will gather in Copenhagen for the 2024 ICORN General Assembly.
In just over a month, ICORN will convene for its General Assembly (GA), gathering representatives from all parts of the network and hosting them in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. The three-day event will bring together colleagues, experts, partners, and friends to reflect on, learn from, and inspire our future work for freedom of expression, democracy, creativity and human rights.
The ICORN GA opens with a reception at Copenhagen City Hall where guests will be welcomed with a performance by Yasmine El Baramawy and speeches by our generous Copenhagen hosts and Annika Strömberg, the Chair of the ICORN Board. The opening reception will take place alongside a photography exhibition by Sergei Gapon, a photojournalist from Belarus.
The ICORN GA, the network’s highest authority, will be held on Thursday 30 May. The ICORN Membership will discuss and vote for on a new Strategic Plan for the period 2024-2028 among other issues around the future of ICORN. Thursday will also be marked by a UNESCO-led workshop the topic of ‘Defending Critical Voices Offline and Online: The UN and Freedom of Expression’. A subsequent panel discussion will focus on the ways in which we can foster alliances between journalists, creative professionals, and different levels of governance in addressing challenges to freedom of expression and cultural rights.
The three-day programme will also feature multiple workshops, panel discussions, and artistic performances. One of the sessions will focus on campaigning and advocacy for writers, artists, and journalists in the ICORN network, and will be run by Sarah Clarke, Director of Communications and Advocacy at IFEX.
Another workshop will be based on ‘The Art of Living on Art’ which focuses on supporting writers and artists in navigating freelance cultural work. Built on his own experiences as an ICORN artist, the session is led by hip-hop artist Khaled Harara and representatives from Nätverkstan, and seeks to equip ICORN residents with professional tools, contextual knowledge, and networking skills which can support them in continuing their work from exile.
A global version of the Text in Flight translation workshop will take place during the 2024 ICORN GA in Copenhagen, representing a good practice model for translation and publication projects. Atefe Asadi, Abduweli Ayup, Haile Bizen, and Gunel Movlud are among the eight writers whose work will be translated into English in close cooperation with the translators. The original works and their translations will be performed throughout the three days. The Text in Flight translation workshop will be led by translator and poet Johanne Fronth Nygren and was made possible by funding from Nordic Culture Fund.
Cooperating with Copenhagen Municipality, Danish PEN, Art Matter Festival, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Politiken, and Nordic Culture Fund, the ICORN GA will include a rich cultural programme. Music and artistic performances, poetry readings, and journalistic interventions by writers, artists, and journalists from the ICORN network and Danish creative professionals will be part of the programme. A fusion of concerts, readings and art performances at VEGA, one of the most iconic music venues in Copenhagen, and an ‘ART BAR: Disrupt!’ evening at Nikolaj Kunsthal, are two of the cultural highlights during the ICORN GA. Among the artists performing at the VEGA concert will be Yasmine El-Baramawy, Hero & Frya, and Kaveh Ayreek. ‘ART BAR: Disrupt!’, an evening blend of concerts, artist talks, readings, and performances in the surroundings of the ongoing exhibitions at Nikolaj Kunsthal, will be an event open to Copenhagen’s public. Amongst those performing at ART BAR will be Raafat Hekmat, Wesam Almadani, and Aaiún Nin.
The 2024 ICORN GA is organised in collaboration with and supported by with Copenhagen Municipality and Danish PEN, among other partners, with support and in partnership with Nordic Culture Fund’s Global Initiative for key events. As part of Danish PEN’s 100th anniversary celebrations, the ICORN GA participants will be able to join events such as discussions on creative and journalistic freedom in Denmark on Tuesday 28 May and a keynote speech on Wednesday 29 May.
Copenhagen became an ICORN City of Refuge in 2010. Since then, the city has hosted four writers, artists, and journalists as ICORN residents, including Suhael Sami Nader and Khalid Albaih.
