Freedom
On January 7, the world was rocked by a terrorist attack on the editorial board of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in Paris.In a brutal manner, freedom of expression came under attack and people in many parts of the world jumped up in united protest against this attempt to intensify polarization in our society. Freedom is a great thing for us. And whether it is the spoken word, image or any other form - when freedom of speech is attacked, our society - and therefore we ourselves - are touched to the core of its existence.
In many parts of the world, and fortunately also ours, artists can openly create the work they want, in freedom - of course with a law or practical objection here and there. The government interferes with the broad outlines of art policy and not the content. Nor do social institutions such as churches, mosques and synagogues interfere with the content of art and artistic expressions in society. The content of an exhibition, a play, a book or a work of art in the public space; there is plenty of discussion about it, but it is all rarely if ever fundamentally at issue.
We are free in our thoughts and expressions of them. An acquired freedom that we pay for with disagreements. In the latter, then, we are good. And although disagreement is not always pleasant: our ideal is that it is allowed and appreciated and that everyone's opinion is ultimately respected. We are used to living with differences and we know how to value them. In this way, we can constantly learn from each other and constantly develop and change.
Mutual differences are also expressed in the arts and hopefully will be for a long time to come. In this sense, the arts in a society are a record of the freedom and difference of opinion in that society. May that freedom be cherished and defended for a long time to come in an open society where respect reigns, where there is room and attention for all differences and where any attempt to kill that openness and freedom is rejected outright.
We are the art!
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