The International Human Rights Art Movement is a 501c3 non-profit organization
The International Human Rights Art Movement is a 501c3 non-profit organization
The International Human Rights Art Festival pays all of the artists we work with! While it might seem like a little bit, the $50 we pay each of our artists around the world can go a very long way.
To give some context, here are the monthly minimum wages in countries where we often send money:
Cameroon: $73
Nigeria: $48
Zimbabwe: $150
Egypt: $138
Nepal: $142
Kazakhstan: $181
India: $215
Bangladesh: $113
What will my donation support?
Your donation will support such book projects as Iranian Women Speak, America’s Slide Towards Authoritarianism, Voices of Palestine, Her Rights, Our Stories and more; Direct Action support to artists-at-risk from Zimbabwe, Uganda, Egypt, Afghanistan, Venezuela and other locales; publishing unknown, passionate writers from Libya, Malawi, Bulgaria, Russia, Yemen and other countries around the world; our podcast to hear the voices and stories of artists around the world putting their lives at risk to write a poem or sing a song, our work with tomorrow’s leaders today, though youth programming around the world; our awards to highlight and pay exceptional and unknown writers and using creativity and beauty as a soul force to help heal the world!
Your support can make a huge difference in helping us become a more impactful and unique agent for positive social change, based in the power of beauty and open-hearted engagement.
Corporate Sponsorship opportunities — see how your team can be a part of it HERE
See what our artists are saying HERE
Check out our impact HERE
Mbizo Chirasha
Poet-in-Exile, Zimbabwe
Mbizo first contacted us in late August 2017. His activist poetry has caused him to be pursued from Zimbabwe to South Africa, then to Zambia, Kenya and Mozambique. Currently, Mbizo is in hiding in southern Africa.
My global activities in Zimbabwe cause me to be regarded as a state opponent. My work angers both the previous and the current regime. It’s a big threat for me. The current regime is also not happy with my writings against corruption and injustice. I am facing threats in most of southern Africa. Somebody followed me from Zambia to South Africa and wanted to know my location. It’s hectic brother man. I don't have a PC, no internet and no food. Now I am on the deep end. I am draining spiritually and creatively. My social stature is slowly falling apart. I am in bad state. I am not sustainable. You know exile is not good, my brother.
We have continued to offer Mbizo transparency through our publishing and digital media platforms, as well as direct-action grants to support him with room, board, medicine and Internet access. Recently, he noted:
Thank you greatly. I owe you a life. IHRAM has stood with my welfare, communication, talent and artistic career development since 2017. I salute the amount of care, support and development. Thank you to the board, staff, artists and festival organizers for the trust. ALUTA CONTINUA!!!
Afghan Women Speak: a project to open a space for Afghan migrants and refugees to express themselves.
And all of our other live and literary programming!
Our Flagship Festival
This week-long advocacy-art festival brings together human rights art in all media, raising awareness of social concerns. The week includes over 150+ artists in 40+ performances in all media. Your donation ensures that all artists are paid for their work and their activism. The next International Human Rights Art Festival is currently scheduled for December 6-12, 2021 at the Wild Project Theater in Brooklyn, New York.
IHRAF Publishes
Our publication features writers from around the world whose work is tough, beautiful, vulnerable and focused on creatively working toward the common good. We have published a series of more than 100 works total from more than 25 countries, weekly in 2019 and 2020. We are a Pushcart Prize Nominating Literary Journal.