Please join us for our next listening session organised by Artists at Risk (AR) with Grammo Suspect –Rainbow Ambassador Kenya and Timeka Suspect on Monday, 18th of October at 2–4pm. This hybrid-event takes place at PUBLICS and is also accessible via Zoom via registration.
Grammo Suspect – Rainbow Ambassador Kenya is a rapper, spoken-word poet, activist and the founder of Rainbow Talent Kenya, a project which aims to uplift the voices of marginalised LGBTQI+ groups in Kenya. Timeka Suspect is a music video producer & director and works closely with Grammo as her manager, producer, director and partner.
This listening session offers an insight to Grammo’s and Timeka’s work who as lyrical and pictorial activists are fighting to give support and visibility to people who, like them, suffer for their sexuality. As openly lesbian artists in Kenya, Grammo and Timeka have faced discrimination, harassment and death threats and have been forced to repeatedly relocate for their own safety.
In addition to sharing their experiences, upcoming plans and dreams, the event on Monday includes an a capella performance by Grammo who recently released her third album SEXY featuring tracks on the topic of love and romance.
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Artists at Risk (AR) is a non-profit network institution at the intersection of human rights and the arts. AR is dedicated to mapping the field of persecuted art practitioners, facilitating their safe passage from their countries of origin, hosting them at AR-Residencies and curating related projects.
Artists, writers, curators, critics and scholars are targets of politically motivated threats and persecution in great parts of the world. Perpetuum Mobile (PM) initiated Artists at Risk (AR) as a platform and network to support these art practitioners in times of need. This encompasses enabling their safe exit from countries of origin, the procurement of travel documents, providing legal assistance, and matching ARs with “AR-Residencies”. The AR-Network comprises a growing number of local nodes. Since 2013, it has created over 20 AR-Residencies for artists across 17 countries offering temporary relocation for artists who face persecution or imprisonment for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Grammo Suspect – Rainbow Ambassador Kenya and Timeka Suspect are currently Artists at Risk (AR)-Residents at the AR-Safe Haven Helsinki Residency.
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Artists at Risk was invited by PUBLICS to organise a small gathering as part of the Open Up cultural project and Parahosting Laboratory including listening and reading sessions and talks with cultural workers and independent non-profit initiatives. The idea is that by gathering different individuals and organisations together to listen to each other’s concerns and points of interest, institutional knowledge can grow wider, and more sustainable collaborative methods can be found. Open Up is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme.