Rally for the freedom of art and culture: "We need to be there, every day"
The need for the international network ICORN, which supports persecuted artists, has never been greater. On April 20–22, Region Norrbotten participated in the network's annual meeting in Barcelona.
– It is valuable for us to take part in other countries' and regions' work on democracy and freedom of expression, says Christine Hemdal-Sandling, Deputy Director of Culture for the Norrbotten Region.
Since autumn 2025, Region Norrbotten has been a member of ICORN (International Cities of Refuge Network). The network's main purpose is to work to give persecuted artists the opportunity to live and practice their craft in safety. The region participates in a supporting and coordinating role towards the county's municipalities, and will therefore not receive a city of refuge artist themselves.
– Through membership, we strengthen our work for both freedom of expression and artistic freedom, and contribute to safeguarding the role of culture in an open and democratic society, says Christine Hemdal–Sandling.
The annual meeting in Barcelona was the region's first. It brought together members and sanctuary artists from around the world to share experiences, gather strength and celebrate the network's 20th anniversary. But instead of a traditional celebration, the focus was on rolling up our sleeves and finding new ways to strengthen freedom of expression.
– The need for ICORN has never been greater. In addition to all the ongoing conflicts, a global populism is spreading that seriously threatens democracy, said Helge Lunde, executive director of ICORN.
Democracy in decline
This was confirmed by the V–Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg. Their annual assessment of the state of democracy in the world shows that democracy for the average person has fallen back to the level of 1978. Moreover, for the second year in a row, autocracies (non-democracies) continue to outnumber democracies. Freedom of expression is the area that has been hit hardest.
– We need to show up. Not just by participating in demonstrations or sharing posts on social media. Those of us who can need to be there – every day, said Sabine Gimbrère, newly appointed chairwoman of ICORN who takes over from Swedish Annika Strömberg.
Christine Hemdal Sandling fills in:
– We will support municipalities in Norrbotten that want to explore the possibilities of receiving sanctuary artists. Here, cooperation with the national network is of great importance. Currently, Luleå and Piteå are Norrbotten's sanctuary cities. Democracy, preparedness and cultural resilience are also something we want to focus more on during the upcoming planning period (2027–2030). Culture is a cornerstone of an open and democratic society.
During the annual meeting, the Swedish network also took the opportunity to meet. Currently, 21 municipalities and 6 regions are members of ICORN.
Text: Mariana Vnuk
