Last Monday to Wednesday was hold in Oslo, capital of Noway, the annual event that became one of the most important in the world for democracy and human rights. As a human rights defender I get happy to see events like this growing every year. I think more and more people are realizing the importance of human rights in their live. This post is a summary of ten texts featuring every OFF, all of them published at the same website. https://oslofreedomforum.com/
The theme for the first Oslo Freedom Forum was, "The Nobility of the Human Spirit and the Power of Freedom." The event in 2009 was held in May 18 - may 20. Conceptualized with the guidance of playwright and stateman Vaclav Havel, Oslo freedom Forum (OFF) was envisioned as aplace where the human rights heroes of the 20th century could meet and share their stories with the leading activists of today. The inaugural three-day summit featured icons of the literature of survival such as Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, Chinese´British author Jung Chang, Tibetan former prisoner of conscience palden Gyatso, Russian human rights advocate Elena Bonner, and Chinese former political prisoner Harry Wu.
The theme for the second OFF was, "From Tragedy to Triumph." The 2010 OFF featured participants from more than 40 countries and six continents, focusing on the progress made in the realms of civil liberties and freedoms over the past century, while exploring the innovation of modern day advocates, both those working on the ground and those agents of change such as policy makers, world leaders, and media entrepreneurs. Speakers included Vietnamese pro-democracy advocate Thich Quang Do, Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez with, "Opening a Window into Cuba," former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim with, "Confronting half a century of one-party rule," modern day abolitionist Benjamin Skinner, and Uyghur leader Rebita Kadeer, Garry Kasparov with, "Chess, human rights, and the self."
The theme for the third OFF was, "The Spark of Change." The 2011 OFF summit assembled an inspiring group of rights advocate and world leaders in Oslo, including Nobel Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams; the former presidents of Peru, Colombia, and Romania, and bloggers and activists from pro-democracy movements unfolding in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Sudan, and Libya. This forum introduced panels to the programming and live streaming of all plenary sessions online. Featured talks: Thomas Glave with, "Ending Anti-Gay Violence in Jamaica, Violet Band with, "Giving Voice to Malawi's Youth". George Ayittey with, "Defeating Dictators." Lina Ben Mhenni with, "Tunisia's Unfinished Revolution."
The theme for the fourth OFF was, "Out of Darkness, Into Light." The 2012 OFF explored numerous topics, including a spotlight on the many forms of modern-day slavery, exposes on how Western public relations firms, I.T. and arms companies support dictatorships; the drug war's impact on human rights; a focus on the burgeoning democracy movement in Russia; perspectives on fighting poverty through individual rights; an examination of global censorship; and a discussion on the state of the Arabs uprisings. The inaugural Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent was awarded at the 2012 event. The laureates included Burmese opposition leader Aung Suu Kyi, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, and Saudi women's rights advocate Mana Al-Sharif. 2012 speakers included Google Ideas principal Scott Carpenter; Canadian jurist and lawmaker Irwin Cotler; Pakistani women's rights champion Asma Jahangir; British journalist Nick Cohen; Internet freedom pioneer Rebecca MacKinnon. Feature talks: Mana Al-Sharif with, "The Drive for Freedom." Natalia Pelevine with, "Protesting for democracy." Ethan Nadelmann with, "The Human Cost of the War on Drugs." Naomi Natale with, "The Art of Activism."
The theme for the fifth OFF was,"Challenging Power." The 2013 annual summit featured leaders and innovators from academia, advocacy, media, politics, social entrepreseuship, technology, and arts who are challenging the most repressive regimes and exchanging ideas on how best to tackle humanitarian crises. The 2013 program centered on a range of topics, such as the art of dissent, asymmetric activism, nwe tools for rights advocates, the power of media, women under Islamic law, and the threat of authoritarian capitalism. For the first time, OFF held break-out, interactive workshops for participants, teaching best practices for protecting data and using technology to maximize the impact of advocacy efforts. The conference culminated on the afternoon of May 15, with the presentation of the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. The 2013 laureates were Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat, North Korean democracy activist Park Sang Hak, and Cuban civil society group The Ladies in White. Features talks: James Kirchick with, "Devil's Advocates." Sasa Vucinic with, "Investing in Free Press." Mario Vargas Llosa with, "Literature, Freedom, and Power." Luke Harding with, "Putin's Mafia State."
The theme for the sixth Off was, "Defeating Dictators." The sixth annual OFF took place in Norway on October 20-22, 2014. Profiled in The New York Times as the place where "The world's dissidents have their say," the conference brought together a diverse crowd of activists, innovators, entrepreneurs, media, and philanthropists from more than 50 countries. The NYT focused on how OFF's community draws "strength from one another," and it showcased how the conference goes beyond networking, by providing attendees with "broader exposure" and connecting them with "prominent financiers and technologists." In a 6-minute video produced by the BBC for its flagship evening show "newsnight," OFF was profiled as a "school for revolutionaries" where "pro-democracy activists share ideas and learn about agitating for positive change." Chief correspondent Laura Kuenssberg said the event was a place where "activists gather to share secrets of successful protest." The Economist called OFF "an annual festival for human rights defenders and advocates of more open societies," praising the event for bringing together "an extraordinary array of courageous people who have defied authority, be it political, ideological, or religious, at a high personal cost." OFF amplifies the messages of its speakers and attendees, generating press coverage of human rights issues across the world. Norway's most prestigious newspaper called OFF speakers "the next generation of heroes," And that "from Cubans to Chinese, North Koreans to Ghanaians, the OFF featured some of the bravest and most captivating activists in our time."
The theme for the seventh OFF was, "Living in Truth." The 2015 was a tribute to the late Czech dissident-turned-president Vaclav Havel, who showed the world how even ordinary individuals can force authoritarian systems to crumble. Speakers from 20 countries, including Gabon, Malaysia, Mexico, North Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Tunisia, and Ukraine, united in Oslo to share their stories with more than 300 conference attendees. After a press event featuring Human Rights Foundation chairman Garry Kasparov and the 2015 speakers and attendees had the opportunity to join in two workshops designed to educate and empower human rights advocates. Serbian nonviolence expert Srdja Popovic led a session on peaceful resistance, with breakout sessions focused on specific successful techniques used by protest movements around the world. A second workshop focused on how to build online advocacy campaigns. Following the workshop, we hosted a discussion on corruption in petro-states from Angola to Kazakhstan to Nigeria to Venezuela. OFF closed with the presentation of the 2015 Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. The prize celebrates those with bravery and ingenuity, unmask the lie of dictatorship by living in truth. The 2015 laureates were the Sudanese resistance movement GIrifna, Indonesian stand-by comedian Sakdiyah Maruf, and Cuban graffiti artist and activist Danilo"el sexto" Maldonado.
The theme for the eighth OFF was, "Catalysts." A single spark can start a raging fire, which is why the 2016 OFF is dedicated to catalysts: women and men who have realized that while individuals can not change the world on their own, the world can not change without individuals. That even if you are the first person to stand up, you will not find yourself standing alone for long. Defending human rights in the 21st century requires tech savvy. The 2016 OFF Tech Lab brought together Twitter, Jigsaw, and seven other of the world's foremost tech companies and organizations for a full day of hands-on sessions on how to leverage the latest innovations in the fight for freedom. Art and music have always been a powerful form of dissent. The OFF celebrates this idea with incredible performances by some of the world's most famous artists and musicians. This year's forum featured performances from Swedish singer-songwriter Jose Gonzalez and artist Tomas Kubinek, and an exhibit of political cartoons. The Vaclav Havel laureates were Uzbek photojournalist Umida Akhmedova, Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani, and Russian artist Petr Pavlensky.
The theme for the ninth OFF was, "Defending Democracy." This OFF united leaders and activists from all over the world to defend democracy. Once again Oslo became the hub for new collaboration and innovative solutions, bringing together experts in advocacy, business, media, philanthropy, policy, and tehnology. Participants at the 2017 OFF watched riveting talks, joined inspiring panel discussions, learned valuable lessons from tech experts, engaged with organizations promoting individual freedoms, and enjoyed musical performances with non-profits, governments, and foundations to brainstorm new and creative solutions to the world's most pressng human rights issues. Speakers at the 2017 OFF included Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Iraqi parliamentarian Vian Dakhil, Zimbabwean civil rights leader Evan Mawarire, and Pulitzer prize-winning author Anne Applebaum.
The theme fro the tenth OFF was, "Rising." The 2018 OFF marks the 10th anniversary of a unique gathering where the world's bravest human rights activists meet creative entrepreneures, intrepid reporters, cutting-edge technologists, policymakers, generous philanthropists, and bold artists, united by their commitment to making today's world peaceful, prosperous, and free. OFF has evolved from an annual human rights event into an international community with a flagship in Oslo and satellite events in New York, Johannesburg, Taipei and Mexico City. The tech lab will feature talks, workshops, panels, and the activist tech bar. We will explore how tech can advance human rights and democracy, focusing on encryption, citizen journalism, blockchain, internet freedom, and more. We will also look at how technology is being manipulated by repressive regimes to censor, control, and surveil citizens across the world. Panel - Blockchain vs. the Surveillance State - Laeding crypto-journalist Laura Shin will interview Blockstack co-founder Ryan Shea, Bancor co-founder Galia Benartzi, Orchid founder Steve Waterhouse, and Tezos creator Arthur Breitman and cover topics including decentralized data, censorship-resistance, the evolution of money, and ownership of digital property.
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