On 2 September 2009 I visited Freemuse secretariat office in Copenhagen. Freemuse is an international organisation which advocates freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1998 just after the International Conference on Music and Censorship, which had revealed cases of oppressing musicians and restraining their artistic freedom.

Freemuse aims to document cases of censorship, keep the public informed about such incidents, and build an international network supporting musicians. Freemuse website is a rich source of knowledge with its reports, audiovisual materials and information from all over the world. The cases documented by Freemuse include the situation in Pakistan, where music is prohibited by the Talibs and where for last three years bombs have been planted in 800 music shops; or in Somalia, where radical Islamic groups force their way to wedding receptions to stop singing of traditional love songs.



Why music is so important and its censorship so dangerous? According to Marie Korpe, Freemuse Executive Director, in many countries eg. in Africa people cannot read or cannot trust the press influenced by the government. In such cases travelling musicians singing about social and political problems are the valuable and frequently the only source of information, which means they are subject to censorship and violence.

Moreover, Marie claims that through highlighting the cases of music censorship one can appeal to young people and teach them the values of democracy and citizens' rights in a more efficient way. These issues, discussed on the basis of restraints on music, seem to be more interesting and more connected to the youngsters' everyday experience.



One of the most important events organised by Freemuse is the Music Freedom Day celebrated on 3 March. On that day artists and journalists of all nationalities speak of censorship in music. Everybody can join in the celebrations, for example by organising a concert of foreign artists who are not allowed to perform in their own country, or by publishing an article on censorship in music, organising a seminar on this issue, broadcasting a radio programme, presenting persecuted musicians and censored works on the radio. On its website Freemuse provides all sorts of materials which could be used for the research. More information can be found here.


Agnieszka Kaim
Translated by Małgorzata Głombiowska