22.12.2022 | Artist associations raise funds for Afghan artists in need – Thank you!
BBK Federal Association, bbk berlin, the Association of German Artists, the GEDOK, the IGBK, IKG…
We are very grateful to announce that a growing number of associations, in particular of artists, are calling on their members, friends and sponsors, and the public to get involved in a fundraising campaign to address the urgent situation of artists in Afghanistan.
Please help with a donation now to bring threatened artists in Afghanistan to safety and to be received in a dignified artistic context.
From the press release (see the full press release in German, below):
“For more than a year and since the withdrawal of international security troops from Afghanistan, the lives of many artists who are still hiding in Kabul and other cities have been in acute danger. The Federal Ministry of the Interior BMI has drawn up a federal admission program for Afghanistan, which regulates the issuing of visas for the remaining local staff and other vulnerable people in the country. Thanks to the commitment of the German Cultural Council, culture is an essential criterion in the assessment for admission to this program. This is the only reason why it is even possible for artists who are in danger to get the chance to receive a German visa.
The BMI has invited some artists’ associations to participate in listing endangered people, for which we are very grateful. However, this listing process is extremely time-consuming and requires a lot of specific knowledge that we cannot provide. So far there has been no financial support from the state for this listing process, which the NGOs are supposed to carry out.
As associations of artists, we work closely with the NGO Artists at Risk (AR), who can take over this listing of artists in danger. Artists at Risk (AR) has been active in the evacuation and care of endangered artists worldwide and especially in Afghanistan for many years and has unique expertise in this area.
In order to integrate the endangered artists into the federal admissions program and thus bring them to safety, we need your support. Please donate to Artist at Risk (AR) with the keyword Afghanistan so that they can do the listings!
In the three years of the pandemic, with cancelled exhibitions and all sorts of hardships, we have managed to initiate a system of solidarity for artists with the new cultural programs for visual artists. Even if it was patchy, for many it was essential to get through these difficult times.
Despite the sometimes still acute situation of many, we ask those who are in a position to help also to see the sometimes existential need of others. Please donate to the artists who urgently need help in Afghanistan!
Artists at Risk (AR) donation account:
Perpetuum Mobile ry
IBAN: IBAN: FI35 5723 0220 7720 60
BIC: OKOYFIHH
Keyword: Afghanistan
or directly via the website: Donate