Radical Lives

A collection of passionate (activists, revolutionaries, and radical change-makers) from the past 100 years, one from every different country in the world. (Ink and watercolor drawings)

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Doria Shafik (Egypt) (1908-1975) was one of the principal leaders of the women’s liberation movement in Egypt in the mid-1940s. She founded an Egyptian feminist organization called The Daughters of The Nile, dedicated to educating and organizing working women of all classes. She was the driving force behind the changes of the Egyptian Constitution to give women the right to elect and be nominated for political office. In 1951, she led a 1,500-woman demonstration and stormed through the gates of the Egyptian Parliament while it was in session, and demanded their rights which these men had denied them for so long. She declared a hunger strike until Egyptian women were granted equal constitutional rights to men. A week later, the council granted Egyptian women the right to vote and run for political office.

“To Want and To Dare! Never hesitate to act when the feeling of injustice revolts us. To give one's measure with all good faith, the rest will follow as a logical consequence.” - Doria Shafik

Shin Dong-hyuk (North Korea) is a North Korean-born human rights activist. He is the only known prisoner to have successfully escaped from a “total-control zone” grade internment camp in North Korea. Shin Dong-hyuk escaped in 2005, climbing over the high voltage fence when guards were absent, eventually reaching the northern border with China along the Tumen River, bribing North Korean border guards with food and cigarettes, to finally escape.

Shin Don-hyuk formed a organization called Inside NK, educating the world about what’s happening inside North Korea, shining a light on the human rights abuses so prevalent within the regime.

“Even now, I still need some time to appreciate and process the new surroundings around me. But one thing that I know for sure is that the outside world has freedom, and it is freedom, and my fellow inmates in the prison camps in North Korea, they too were born with the right to enjoy and experience the freedom which they do not have.” - Shin Don-hyuk

Berta Cáceres (Hondurus) was an environmental indigenous rights activist who founded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) to address the growing threats posed to Lenca communities and fight for their territorial rights and improve their livelihoods. Against the odds of violence, detainment, and murder towards their movement, Berta Cáceres rallied the indigenous Lenca people of Honduras and waged a grassroots campaign that successfully pressured the world’s largest dam builder to pull out of the Agua Zarca Dam, a construction on the sacred Gualcarque River, that violated international treaties governing indigenous peoples’ rights. Today COPINH and fellow activists continue Berta Cáceres’ enduring legacy, fighting irresponsible development and standing up for the rights of the Lenca people in Honduras.

“They are afraid of us because we are not afraid of them” ― Berta Cáceres

Amilcar Cabral (Cape Verde) was the founder of The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde and led the guerrilla movement against the colonizing Portuguese government, which evolved into one of the most successful wars of independence in modern African history. Cabral was also an agronomist, he taught his troops to teach local crop growers better farming techniques, so that they could increase productivity and be able to feed their own family and tribe. Cabral and his movement also set up a trade-and-barter bazaar system that moved around the country and made staple goods available to the countryside at prices lower than that of colonial store owners.

"In combating racism we do not make progress if we combat the people themselves. We have to combat the causes of racism. Many people lose energy and effort, and make sacrifices combating shadows. We have to combat the material reality that produces the shadow." - Amilcar Cabral

Betsabe Espinal (Colombia) was one of the key organizers in the 1920 strike organized by women in Colombia at the textile factory in Bello, Antioquia.

Around 400 women walked out demanding equal pay with men, an end to sexual harassment by managers, the abolition of fines for sick leave, reduced surveillance and searches of workers and that salaries be paid directly to women workers, rather than to their fathers or husbands.

The women held firm; they had widespread public support and received donations from workers, especially in Medellin. Eventually, a month later, the women won most of their demands, including a 40% pay increase, reduced working hours, better health and safety.

radical Cesar Chavez (U.S.A) was a civil rights, Latino and farm labor leader, a community organizer and social entrepreneur; a champion of militant nonviolent social change; and a fighter for consumer rights, and working conditions of the migrant farmer. After holding many demonstrations, registration drives, fasts, boycotts, protests and appeals, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act was signed into law in June 1975, guaranteeing justice for all agricultural workers and stability in agricultural labor relations.

“From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength” - Cesar Chavez

Toussaint Louverture (Haiti) (1744-1803) was born as a slave in what would become Haiti. Toussaint and other black leaders of Saint-Domingue (Haiti) helped to lead the only Atlantic slave society which successfully defeated its oppressors. Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution inspired millions of free and enslaved people of African descent to seek freedom and equality throughout the Atlantic world.

"I was born a slave, but nature gave me a soul of a free man" - Toussaint Louverture

Meena Keshwar Kamal (Afghanistan) was an Afghan feminist, revolutionary and political women's rights activist, and founder of the Revolutionary association of the woman of Afghanistan,( RAWA ) Meena dedicated her life to fight for equality, giving voice to the deprived and silenced women of Afghanistan.

"Afghani women are like sleeping lions who, when awakened, can play a wonderful role in a social revolution." - Meena Keshwar Kamal

Jason Jones (Tobago) is a gay LGBTQI+ activist from Trinidad and Tobago. Jones challenged the constitutionality of laws prohibiting consensual adult intercourse and sexual acts between consenting same-sex adults.

On April, 2018, Jason Jones won this landmark legal challenge at the High Court of Trinidad and Tobago which decriminalized adult same sex intimacy. This win guaranteed freedom for nearly 100,000 Trinidadians and set a precedent. The case was also cited in a recent case that led to a decriminalization victory in India.

"If you want change, you need to sacrifice and you need to work hard. Find your own route to it, don't look at following other people's footsteps. Forge your own path. Be clear about what that path is and what you want to achieve in the end." - Jason Jones

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Dolores Cacuango (Ecuador) was an Ecuadorian Indigenous communist. She got involved in the movement of landless Indigenous workers in the 1920s and 1930s, taking part in rebellions an advocating for women's rights. In the revolution of 1944 she led an armed assault on a government military base in Cayambe, and the following year established the country's first autonomous Indigenous school, teaching lessons in Spanish and Kichwa. More similar schools opened up, until the dictatorship of General Ramone Castro Jijon shut them down in 1963, banned Kichwa in schools and raided Cacuango's house, driving her underground. Dolores remained active, using disguises to evade capture, and after a year of continued Indigenous activism the dictatorship was forced to implement agrarian reforms.

Of their movement, Cacuango declared: “We’re like the grass of the mountain that grows back again after being cut, and as mountain grass we will cover the world.” - Dolores Cacuango

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Frank Mugisha (Uganda) risks his life to speak out for LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda, a country where homosexuality is criminalized and a bill entitled "Kill the Gays" was once introduced in parliament. He founded "Icebreakers Uganda" and "Sexual Minorities Uganda" to support LGBTQ Ugandans who face stigma, violence, and isolation on a daily basis. Additionally, Dr. Mugisha regularly speaks to international audiences in order to draw attention to the human rights violations experienced by the LGBTQ+ community in Uganda.

"For me, it is about standing out and speaking in an environment where you are not sure if you will survive the next day; it is this fear that makes me strong, to work hard and fight to see a better life for LGBTQ persons in Uganda." - Frank Mugisha

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Freddie Oversteegen (Netherlands) was an anti-fascist resistance activist born in Schoten, Netherlands. After Nazi forces invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Freddie and her sister Truus began as couriers, moving weapons and stealing identity papers to help Jewish people escape, using disguises to smuggle Jewish children across the country and sometimes out of concentration camps. Then they took up arms against Nazi occupiers and Dutch “traitors” on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where they sabotaged bridges and rail lines with dynamite, rode their bicycle down the streets of Haarlem in North Holland, firearms hidden in a basket, and assassinated Nazis while riding by. The two sisters often seduced their targets in taverns or bars, asking if they wanted to “go for a stroll” in the forest — and then “liquidated” them.

“We had to do it. It was a necessary evil, killing those who betrayed the good people.” - Freddie Oversteegen

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Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana (Zimbabwe) is known as a svikiro (spirit medium) born 1840-1898 in what is now Zimbabwe

The Shona people of southern Africa believed she was the female incarnation of the oracle spirit Nyamhika Nehanda "lion spirit" whose spirit lived on in the human bodies of various spirit mediums for the next 500 years. This position gave Nyakasikana incredible power and influence, So Charwe Nyakasikana used this power to resist the colonial forces who were invading and exploiting her homeland and people.

Her defiance in the face of brutal colonialism left a lasting legacy, where fighters against colonial rule across Africa, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, looked to Nyakasikana as a source of inspiration and strength.

"My bones will rise again." were the last words of Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana, the spiritual leader.

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Ken Saro-Wiwa (Nigeria) (1941-1995) environmental activist, and leading member of the Ogoni tribe of some 500,000 people, living in densely populated Ogoniland in south-eastern Nigeria. He was a central figure in the struggle to stop the devastation of the Niger Delta, which has been targeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s and which has suffered extreme environmental damage from decades of indiscriminate petroleum waste dumping. Ken Saro-Wiwa had fought tiredlessly against the destructive oil companies and the government, to save the land and the Ogoni People.

“Whether I live or die is immaterial. It is enough to know that there are people who commit time, money and energy to fight this one evil among so many others predominating worldwide. If they do not succeed today, they will succeed tomorrow.” - Ken Saro-Wiwa

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Tawakkol Karman (Yemen) is a Yemeni human rights activist, journalist, politician, President of Women Journalists Without Chains organization, a group which advocates for freedoms and provides media skills to journalists. The organization also produces regular reports on human rights abuses in Yemen. Known as the “mother of the revolution” Karman regularly led demonstrations and sit-ins in Sana'a, and Tahrir Square, targeting systemic government repression and calling for inquiries into corruption and other forms of injustice.

"You have to be strong; you have to trust yourself that you can bring down the dictatorship regime and build a new country. You have to be part of building your country.” -Tawakkol Karman

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Tek Nath Rizal (Bhutan) is one of the top leaders of Bhutanese refugees, and a political and human rights activist in Bhutan. Rizal has struggled for the sake of about 100,000 Bhutani refugees who lived for a long time in camps in Nepal. Using direct expressions of his political beliefs, he campaigned against government policies unfairly affecting members of the Nepali-speaking community in southern Bhutan. Rizal, who now heads the exiled Human Rights Commission of Bhutan, sees the repatriation of the refugees as a crucial step in establishing civil rights in his country.

"Identity is something deeper than a piece of cloth you put on." - Tek Nath Rizal

Minerva Mirabal Reyes (Dominican Republic), along with her sisters Maria Teresa, and Patria were some of the initial organizers of the resistance campaign in the Dominican Republic against the brutal dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillos who took control of the country after fraudulent elections of 1930. The repression, tortures and murders carried out by the dictators regime created public support for the resistance campaign, since many were outraged by the treatment bestowed upon their fellow citizens. Even the Catholic Church, which had previously supported the dictatorship, became an active opponent of the government. It voiced its opposition through all of its churches, where priests read official pronouncements denouncing the regime’s violation of human rights.

Minerva and the resistance campaign, with its persistence, managed to develop a unified network of resistance against the dictatorship, promote democratic ideals and aspirations, and delegitimize the regime. Where eventually the dictator was eliminated by armed men in 1961.

“It is a source of happiness to do whatever can be done for our country that suffers so many anguishes, it is sad to stay with one's arms crossed” - Minerva Mirabel Reyes.

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Dr B.R. Ambedkar (India) was a Indian political activist born into the lowest caste. He became a great social reformer who campaigned for greater equality for the ‘untouchable castes’ and women. He was a fighter in the cause of Annihilation of Caste, and although suffering bitter caste humiliation, against all institutional and social odds, eventually became the first Minister for Law in free India, and shaped the country’s Constitution. Abolishing the practice of ‘untouchability’

“For a successful revolution, it is not enough that there is enough discontent. What is required is a profound and thorough conviction of justice, necessity and importance of political and social rights.” - Dr B.R. Ambedkar

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Comandante Ramona (Mexico) was an influential member of the Zapatista Army, a group fighting for indigenous rights and autonomy in Chiapas, Mexico. Dubbed “The Petite Warrior," she led the Zapatistas’ initial uprising against the Mexican government, leading to to the Zapatista rebellion and the revolution of indigenous women’s rights throughout Mexico. In 1993, Comandante Ramona drew up the “Revolutionary Law on Women.” In it, the law declared women equal to men. It was presented and voted on by women and men at an assembly and it passed.

“Our hope is that one day our situation will change, that we women will be treated with respect, justice and democracy.” - Comandante Ramona

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Munir Said Thalib (Indonesia) was Indonesia’s most internationally recognized human rights lawyer and anti-corruption activist. He formed the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS) to look into the abduction of dozens of activists at the end of president Soeharto’s authoritarian rule. KontraS continues its work to fight political violence, encourage respect for due process of law, ensure victims’ physical and psychological recovery, and promote reconciliation and peace.

“Human rights in the sense of human solidarity has created a new universal and equal language going beyond racial, gender, ethnic or religious boundaries. That is why we consider it a doorway to dialogue for people of all socio-cultural groups and all ideologies." - Munir Said Thalib

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Aminatou Haidar (Western Sahara) is a well-known human rights activist from Western Sahara, a disputed territory in West Africa, occupied by Morocco since 1975. The Sahrawis, have repeatedly been promised the right to self-determination. Though for more than 40 years, since the first days of its occupation, Moroccan authorities have suppressed Sahrawis demanding the right to self-determination and respect of fundamental human rights. Haidar is the leader of Defenders of the Sahrawi Human Rights (CODESA), a group committed to advocating for the rights of Sahrawi people through nonviolent means. Despite unfair imprisonment, being beaten, death threats and harassment directed at her and her two children, Haidar has carried on her campaigns for a political solution to one of the world’s longest frozen conflicts.

“My fight is not an individual fight; it is a fight for the collective rights of my people. Only death will keep me silent.” - Aminatou Haidar

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Abdul-Hadi Al-Khawaja (Bahrain) is a charismatic architect of Bahrain’s human rights movement and a leader of the 2011 protests calling for democracy and greater freedom in the Gulf region. Al-Khawaja is not only an activist, also a social entrepreneur who founded some of the first human rights research and defense organizations in the region, which still exist today. He inspires future generations in Bahrain to continue to fight despite his now decade-long imprisonment.

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Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, (Hawai’i ) is a mahu (third gender) Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) activist, teacher, cultural practitioner, and community leader. She was the founding member of Kulia Na Mamo, a community organization created to improve the quality of life for mahu wahine (a Hawaiian identity similar to trans woman), and is dedicated to using native Hawaiian culture, history, and education as tools for developing and empowering the next generation of warrior scholars.

"My entire life has always been in the middle," - Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu

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Chico Mendes (Brazil) was a Brazilian rubber tapper, land rights and trade union leader. Chico Mendes pioneered the world's first tropical forest conservation initiative advanced by forest peoples themselves. His work led to the establishment of Brazil's extractive reserves protecting forest areas that are inhabited and managed by local communities. The Chico Mendez Extractive reserve, the largest (2.4million acres) reserve in the amazon was created in his honor, protecting the livelihoods and culture of the Amazonian people and to ensure sustainable use of natural resources

“At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees, then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rain forest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity” – Chico Mendes

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Paul Franklin Watson (Canada) is a Canadian conservation and environmental activist, who founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an anti-poaching and direct action group focused on conservation activism. Watson leads a pirate organization that sails around the world, stopping fishing ships who are committing deadly and illegal destruction against precious sea life. Wearing a long bowie knife and AK-47s on board, he threatens to ram any ship that won’t give in to demands to stop their deadly actions. Watson was a co-founder of Greenpeace, and a board member of the Sierra Club. He worked for the Canadian Guard and Norwegian and Swedish merchant marines before becoming a professional environmentalist.

“Follow your dreams and use your natural born talents to make this a better world for tomorrow. Be a voice for the future, and a voice for the planet” - Paul Franklin Watson

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Trieu Thi Trinh created a rebel army of a thousand in Vietnam against the occupying Chinese who were oppressing them around 240CE. She rode on an elephant carrying swords , and when tried to be discouraged said:

"I only want to ride the wind and walk the waves, clean up frontiers, and save the people from drowning. Why should I imitate others, bow my head, stoop over and be a slave?" - Trieu Thi Trinh

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Francesc Sabaté i Llopart (Spain) was an anti-fascist resistance fighter, and the most tenacious of the anti-Franco guerrillas, born in Catalonia. With the outbreak of the civil war in 1936, Sabaté joined the anarchist Young Eagles column and fought against General Francisco Franco's Nationalists on the Aragon front. After the defeat of the Republic, Sabaté was interned in a concentration camp in France, and later joined the French resistance against Nazi occupation. Following the end of World War II he re-entered Spain and joined the growing underground resistance to the regime. Amongst his many legendary exploits he freed other imprisoned activists, robbed banks, assassinated fascist leaders and cheated death on many occasions. After robbing the home of a wealthy Franco supporter, Manuel Garriga, Sabaté left a note which read:

"We are not robbers, we are libertarian resistance fighters. What we have just taken will help in a small way to feed the orphaned and starving children of those anti-fascists who you and your kind have shot. We are people who have never and will never beg for what is ours. So long as we have the strength to do so we shall fight for the freedom of the Spanish working class. As for you, Garriga, although you are a murderer and a thief, we have spared you, because we as libertarians appreciate the value of human life,"

Sabaté outlived nearly all of the other active resistance fighters, only eventually succumbing to the bullets of the Civil Guard in 1960.

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Hilarius Gilges (Germany) was Black German anti-Nazi labour organiser, actor, and tap-dancer born in a working class household in Düsseldorf, Germany. In 1926 he joined the Young Communist League of Germany, and a few years later he founded a radical worker entertainment group called the Northwest Ran. Northwest Ran put on working class plays, music and other entertainment, as well as organizing anti-fascist protests. After a conflict with racists and police at a demonstration, Gilges was arrested and jailed for one year. Despite this, he continued his activism, and traveled through many towns and villages mobilizing opposition to Nazism. A plaza in Düsseldorf by his apartment was named after him in 2003.

radical Rebecca Gomperts (born in Suriname, Dutch Guiana) is a doctor and abortion rights activist, who has devoted her life to helping women safely terminate pregnancies in countries where doing so is illegal. Founder of Women on Web (the first telemedicine abortion service providing medical abortions globally to over 100,000 pregnant people in need), AidAccess (which helps women living in the USA), and Women on Waves, a floating abortion clinic that provided safe abortions offshore in international waters for countries where abortion is forbidden.

From abortion ships to abortion drones, and consistant campaigns Rebecca has led a distinguishing repertoire of action to the abortion movement and contributed to change across world. Gomberts is a beacon of hope, standing up for the principle that safe abortion is a human right.

“One of my strengths has been to make the impossible possible. When people say you can't do it I become determined to make it happen... I think there are two ways of being an activist; one is being reactive and the other is being proactive. The latter means that you design your own work and your own campaign. I think ideally activism should combine knowledge, public action and proactive projects. When you have these three elements together, then you have a form of activism that is very empowering.” - Rebecca Gomperts

radical Liu Xiaobo (China) was an activist, and outspoken critic of the Chinese government, known for his fearless commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in China. He was a bridge between intellectuals and grassroots activists. He is best remembered for organizing campaigns that aimed at ending the one-party rule in China. He was a co-author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for political reforms in China, signed by more than 10,000, including prominent scholars, writers, and rights activists around the country. Liu Xiaobo helped negotiate safe passage for survivors of troops’ gunfire during the Tiananmen Square massacre, and saved the lives of many students. His long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China won him the Noble Prize in 2010.

“Freedom of expression is the foundation of human rights, the source of humanity and the mother of truth.” - Liu Xiaobo

radical Cynthia Maung (Burma) is a Burmese medical doctor and human rights advocate who created the Mae Tao Clinic along the Thailand-Burma border, which provides free healthcare to displaced people, migrant workers, orphans and jungle dwellers on the Thai-burmese border. The clinic was set up after Cynthia Maung was forced to flee her homeland in 1988 and recognized there was no system in place for healthcare and food relief. The clinic serves over 200,000 refugees and immigrants, 150 patients a day, and during the rainy season, the clinic workers venture into the jungle with baskets of medicine slung across their shoulders, looking for patients in need.

“we need to educate, and empower individuals to struggle for their human rights”

radical Eddie Koiki Mabo (Australia) was a torres Strait Islander activist in Australia, a free-thinker and passionate spirit, driven by his commitment to his people and his homeland. Mabo began the battle of his life in the form of a series of court cases against the Queensland Government known as the Mabo case,  a significant legal case in Australia that recognized the land rights of the Meriam people, traditional owners of the Murray Islands in the Torres Strait. The Mabo Case was successful in overturning the myth that at the time of colonization, Australia was ‘terra nullius’ or land belonging to no one. After a decade of passionate struggle, in 1992 the court case Mabo started had won, giving the land rightfully back to the indigenous Island people. This was a groundbreaking win for Indigenous communities across Australia, who could henceforth pursue claims of land ownership and compensation for lost land.

radical Abdullah Öcalan (Turkey) is a leader of the Kurdish freedom movement in Turkey, – a thinker, a philosopher, a freedom fighter, a civil rights activist, and also as a decolonial thinker who, during the last 20 years whilst imprisoned on Imrali island in Turkey, has developed a unique social and political theory of colonialism and radical democracy. Despite incarceration, he has forged a road map to peace that commits the Kurdish people to democracy and freedom and tolerance. Öcalan is central to the peace process needed to end Turkey’s war on the Kurdish people and one dedicated to find answers to the question of how to live meaningfully.

“You must believe before everything else that the revolution must come, that there is no other choice,” -Abdullah Öcalan

radical Zehra Doğan (Turkey) is a ethnic Kurdish painter and journalist from Diyarbakır, Turkey. She is known as the editor of Jinha, a feminist Kurdish news agency reporting news in the Kurdish language with a staff consisting entirely of women. Since February 2016 Doğan has been living and reporting in Nusaybin, a Turkish city located on the Syrian border.

In addition to being an award-winning journalist, Zehra Doğan is a popular painter. Her work ranges from colorful, flowing depictions of traditional Kurdish life to dark, striking political scenes. On July 21, 2016 she was arrested while at a café in Nusaybin for creating a painting. The painting is of destruction in the Kurdish town of Nusaybin, an artistic rendering of a photo taken by state officials.

“I was given two years and 10 months [jail time] only because I painted Turkish flags on destroyed buildings. However, they [Turkish government] caused this. I only painted it,” Doğan said after the sentencing.

Doğan exemplifies the struggle of Kurdish youth who are caught between armed statelessness and cultural survival in the midst of Turkey’s increasingly violent conflict with Kurds, a battle that has been ongoing for decades, but which became more heated since 2015.

Since her imprisonment, Zehra has refused to bend to the state’s will or cease her work as a journalist. It was while in prison, at age 25, that she finally learned to write in Kurdish, and In prison she founded the newspaper Özgür Gündem Zindan (Free Agenda Dungeon) with the help of several of her fellow inmates. Her first solo show in Turkey, which opened in 2020, follows her release from three Turkish jails. The show includes art that was created on clothing and materials she snuck out as dirty laundry, out of prisons where she was jailed. She didn’t have the material for art in prison. She demanded it, but they called her work propaganda. As a result, Doğan used what she could source: menstrual blood, hair, and clothes. If you are always under oppression, you are always finding solutions. “I cannot say that my activism in my artwork is only about feminism or only about Kurdish political issues, or about human rights. I’m Kurdish. I’m also a feminist. These two things can not be separated from each other. This is my life,” says Doğan. “I always fight against patriarchy, and at the same time I have fought against them as a Kurdish woman.” Her time in jail will continue to inform her powerful art practice and her activism, she says: “I didn’t leave my way of being in prison. I am always adding something new and different to my life and art.” - Zehra Doğan

radical Omid Masoumali (Nauru) was a refugee held in detention on the Island country of Nauru, for more than three years as part of the Australian Government’s cruel offshore detention policy. Masoumali sacrificed his life, setting himself on fire during a UN monitoring visit in protest to the unbearable living conditions and forced stay of the detention center. His act resulted in an international human rights response, forcing the Australian government to respond, and effected a global awareness for refugee advocates and activist groups like Pledge for Refugees, to continue their path to end detention centers, release refugees, and resettle them peacefully.

“this place is a secret … if people knew about detention, detention wouldn’t be 500km away from a city. It would have been inside a city if people were supporting it. But people are not supporting it. It’s something that people don’t know about. Now we just need to make sure that they know.”

radical Hala Ahed Deeb (Jordan) is a practicing lawyer in Amman, Jordan, and a legal consultant for the Jordanian Women's Union, dedicated to the abolition of gender discrimination and the promotion of human rights. She defends prisoners of conscience, and worked to defend the Jordan Teacher’s Syndicate, one of Jordan’s largest labor unions. Hala also serves as the regional legal consultant on projects fighting the exploitation and abuse of migrant workers and the trafficking of women. She currently serves on a number of reform-minded legal committees, including the regional coalition to amend personal status law, the Expert Committee Drafting Election Law, and the Women’s Committee of the Jordanian Bar Association. Hala is developing a project to help fight discrimination and violence against women in the socio-cultural environment in Arab countries

“For women to be present and have free room, we need a civil state and equality for all citizens.”

radical Nataša Kandić (Serbia) is a Serbia-based human rights advocate who has documented abuses throughout the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. She has crossed frontlines to document atrocities, provided legal aid to victims, and been a leading figure in establishing the truth of Serbian war Founder and director of the Humanitarian Law Center (HLC), an organization campaigning for human rights and reconciliation in the former Yugoslavia, focusing on the Serbian role in the conflict.

“If you want to establish a certain system of values where the rule of law is paramount, the law must be applied to those who broke it. The truth must come out.”

radical Emma Goldman (born Lithuania (1869–1940) stands as a major figure in the history of radicalism and feminism. An influential and well-known anarchist of her day, Goldman was an early advocate of free speech, birth control, women's equality and independence, and union organization. Her criticism of mandatory conscription of young men into the military during World War I led to a two-year imprisonment, followed by her deportation in 1919. For the rest of her life until her death in 1940, she continued to participate in the social and political movements of her age, from the Russian Revolution to the Spanish Civil War.

“When we can't dream any longer we die.” - Emma Goldman

radical Ute Bock (Austria) was a social worker, philanthropist, educator and the founder of ‘Refugee Project Ute Bock’ in Austria, Bock dedicated her life to supporting and empowering people who fled their home countries. She is known as ‘Mama Bock’ because of her unconditional and persistent efforts in helping refugees and asylum seekers. She established the Refugee Project Ute Bock in 2002, to provide accommodation and help refugees integrate in Vienna and give them fair starting conditions with shelter and education, providing legal advice, counseling services, and mailing addresses for more than a thousand refugees.

“Human is human, no matter where he or she comes from! And as human beings, we also have to treat the refugees.” Ute Bock

radical Karen Pruccoli (San Marino) is head of Union of San Marino Women, and an entrepreneur who spearheaded the drive to legalize abortion in San Marino, where abortion was criminalized by a law that hasn’t changed since 1865. After 18 years of lobbying for the legalization of abortion and being vetoed by conservative governments, they then pushed for a referendum, and with the help of Pruccoli's work, and all those working in the path of women’s rights, On Sept 2021, San Marino legalized abortion.

radical Jelka Glumičić (Croatia) was a human rights activist and founder of the Karlovac Human Rights Committee, Committee for Women's Rights, Helpline for Women and Children, and a sheltered housing project for the aged. Jelka Glumicic was one of the founders of the Democratic Union, a party that stood for anti-fascism, human rights, and gender equality. And in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), she founded a refugee support organization in 1997 that provided assistance to over 20,000 refugees. Her work included legal, humanitarian and psycho-social assistance to homeless internally displaced persons during the 1991-95 war and to returnees after the war.

“Peace for me is not just the absence of war. It is a state of consciousness, just as nonviolence is an ongoing learning process, a way of life. We create peace slowly, step by step. Peace is not the act of a lone individual. A person cannot make peace working alone. We build peace through joint efforts of a multitude, and that requires knowledge." - Jelka Glumičić

radical Roy Sesana (Botswana) is a leader of the Gana, Gwi and Bakgalagadi ‘Bushmen’ and a traditional medinine man, He is one of the founders of First People of the Kalahari (FPK), set up in 1991 to campaign for the Bushmen’s human rights, and especially their land rights. Sesana was one of the most outspoken defenders of Bushman rights in Botswana. In Botwana's longest-running trial, the Bushmen took the Botswana government to court in a case that soon became symbolic of the struggle of indigenous people everywhere. after a four year long and extremely expensive trial, Botswana's High Court ruled in favour of the Bushmen. The judges found that the government had illegally tried to evict them from their ancestral lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.

“We are the ancestors of our grandchildren's children. We look after them, just as our ancestors look after us. We aren't here for ourselves. We are here for each other and for the children of our grandchildren.” - Roy Sesana

radical Wangarĩ Muta Maathai (Kenya) was an environmental and political activist. She founded the Green Belt Movement, an organization for planting trees, in Kenya. Since 1977, The Green Belt movement has worked with communities to plant more than 51 million trees in Kenya. Also the Movement played a critical role in Kenya's fight for a multi-party democracy. In the 1980s, it carried out pro-democracy activities such as registering voters and pressing for constitutional reform and freedom of expression.

"It's the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees." - Wangarĩ Maathai

radical Aminetou Mint El-Moctar (Mauritania) is a women’s rights activist, and abolitionist, focused on child marriage and ending slavery. She is President of l'Association des Femmes Chefs de Famille (AFCF), the Association of Women Heads of Family. AFCF works to promote and defend the rights of women and children, support women in precarious situations, create a network of associations working to improve living conditions of women heads of household and their children, and contribute to the emergence of an active solidarity amongst women of different social classes.

“We need to raise taboo issues in order to break them, to make people aware of their rights and duties, and, above all, to denounce all inhuman, degrading, and discriminatory practices towards people, especially women and children.” - Animetou Mint El-Moctar

radical Khadija Ismayilova (Azerbaijan) is an outstanding investigative journalist. At great personal risk, she has revealed corruption at the highest level in Azerbaijan, involving leading European politicians and multinational companies. Despite harassment and intimidation, she continues to be a voice for government accountability and the protection of human rights in Azerbaijan.

"When you come up against problems, it’s better to think not about the problems themselves, but rather on how you will solve them, or how you will get around them, or how you will endure them." - Khadija Ismayilova

radical María Verónica Reina (Argentina) was recognized globally for her extraordinary leadership in the disability community. Reina served as President of the Center for International Rehabilitation (CIR). In this capacity, she oversaw the CIR’s programs including Research, E-Learning and the International Disability Rights Monitor Project, a landmark international initiative that documents and assesses the situation of people with disabilities worldwide. She is a psycho-pedagogue, a specialist in learning disabilities, and a renowned international disability rights advocate, for justice and dignity of people across the world.

radical Zoella Zayce (Brunei) is a trans woman from Brunei who fled to Canada because of the new Islamic laws that punish homosexuality with the death penalty, including stoning to death. Zoella's journey was a deliberate act of survival and self-determination. The international community responded to the law with boycotts, and global condemnation, which eventually caused the sultan to back down on the laws and remove the death penalty as the punishment.

"I'd rather die being true to myself than resenting a long life. " - Zoella Zayce

radical Raúl Sendic, (Uruguay) was a Marxist lawyer and activist who had sought to bring about social change by unionizing sugarcane workers. Sendic both saw and experienced the abuse by agricultural employers in areas where there seemed to be no awareness of democracy. In the late 1950s Sendic started a campaign to create social awareness of the cane workers' situation in Montevideo. Four hundred workers marched to Montevideo with the motto "For the land and with Sendic" Afterwards, Sendic sought more direct action, and along with a handful of sugarcane workers, they attacked and burned the Uruguayan Union Confederation building in Montevideo. From this, the radical group the Tupamaros was formed, a left-wing urban guerrilla group that began by staging the robbing of banks, gun clubs and other businesses in the early 1960s, then distributing stolen food and money among the poor in Montevideo. The Tupamaros continued their fight of improving social justice in Uruguay, the Tupamaros got a huge boost when 111 political prisoners, most of them Tupamaros, escaped from Punta Carretas prison through a tunnel they dug up that led to the living room of a nearby house. One of the prisoners who escaped was Sendic himself. In the mid-1980s, democracy returned to Uruguay and the Tupamaro movement went legitimate, the Tupamaros were given amnesty, and the freed Tupamaros decided to lay down their weapons and join the political process. They formed the Movimiento de Participación Popular, or the Popular Participation Movement, currently one of the most important parties in Uruguay.

radical Augusto César Sandino was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of a rebellion between 1927 and 1933 against the United States occupation of Nicaragua. His efforts made him a hero throughout much of Latin America, where he became a symbol of resistance to American imperialism. Sandino's political legacy was claimed by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), which finally overthrew the Somoza government in 1979. Sandino is revered in Nicaragua and in 2010 its congress unanimously named him a "national hero." His political descendants, the icons of his wide-brimmed hat and boots, and his writings from the years of warfare against the the U.S. continue to shape Nicaragua's national identity.

“We will go to the sun of freedom or to the death; if we die, our cause will continue living.”- Augusto César Sandino

radical Arn Chorn-Pond (Cambodia) is a musician, human rights activist, survivor of the Cambodian genocide, and a peace advocate. He was born in Battambang province in Western Cambodia in the 1960s, and grew up in a family of artists. During the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, free expression through music and arts was banned in Cambodia. 90% of the country’s artists were killed during the years of the regime, and overall around 2 million people died. During this time, Arn escaped into the jungle where he survived for months by himself, following monkeys, eating whatever they ate, fished with his hands and ate fruits. Arn became the first Cambodian child soldier to speak publicly about the atrocity that occurred during the genocide. Arn co-founded Children of War, an organization that helps young children experiencing trauma from the byproducts of war. And also cofounded Peace-Makers, a gang intervention program for southeast asian youths.

Arn believes in the vital power of music and the arts to heal and to transform; in terms of individual people, communities, and whole countries. He has dedicated his adult life to this cause, founding the organization Cambodian Living Arts in 1998. Originally, Cambodian Living Arts worked to revive the country’s endangered traditional art forms and pass them on to the next generation. Twenty years later, they offer scholarships, fellowships, grants, exchanges and more - acting as a catalyst for creativity and innovation, and helping artists today to write the stories of Cambodia’s future, including work such as the Khmer Magic School Bus, a program that brings musical performances and demonstrations to villages and communities around Cambodia that otherwise lack access to performing arts.

radical Lucy Banda-Sichone (Zambia) was a fierce advocate for social justice, human rights and institutional reform, who played a pivotal role in representing the Zambian people who had their rights violated by the State. As a lawyer, Lucy took on high-profile cases, defending citizens charged with treason and espionage. Speaking truth to power put her life at risk, as she declared that ‘the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights make it a sacred duty for me to defend them to the death’. Lucy challenged repressive legislation such as the Public Order Act, which required groups to get permission from the police for public meetings and often used to clamp down on political dissent. The Supreme Court, in January 1996, struck down the public order act as unconstitutional.

Lucy became the most notable and influential voice in Zambian public life, finding expression in a weekly column –Lucy Sichone on Monday– published inThe Post, the most widely read independent newspaper. Between 1993 and 1998, Lucy tackled wide-ranging issues affecting the country, including government excesses, corruption, state brutality, injustice and abuse of power. A thorn in the side of the ruling authorities, her writing inspired Zambians to take a critical stance on the country’s leadership.

Lucy was also a strategist and visionary. She institutionalised the promotion of civic awareness by establishing the Zambia Civic Education Association (ZCEA). The aim of the association was to spread the gospel of human and democratic rights and to remind Zambians that it was not enough to have democracy on paper, but it had to be practiced. The association formed many civic education clubs within secondary schools around the country – her idea was to capture the imagination of the young whilst they could still dream. The association continues to teach citizens rights and civic education to this day.

radical Motarilavoa Hilda Lin̄i (Vanuatu) is a chief of the Turaga nation of Pentecost Island in Vanuatu in the South Pacific, who has been associated with the nuclear-free Pacific movement, women's rights, indigenous rights, and environmental issues, and who helped her nation win its independence in 1980. Following Vanuatu's 1980 independence, she became one of the first two women elected to Parliament. During the early 1990s, as Minister of Health, she was instrumental in persuading the World Health Organization to bring the question of the legality of nuclear weapons to the International Court of Justice, and continues to be a strong advocate for peace and nuclear disarmament. In 1996 she co-founded the Tuvanuatu Komiuniti, a network of indigenous leaders throughout Vanuatu communities who wish to preserve Vanuatu’s indigenous system of peaceful co-existence, based on collective ownership, shared responsibility, and community accountability.

“Indigenous Peoples, have always believed that peace is central to human security and all life forms that exist in a community, a nation, Mother Earth and the universe”- Motarilavoa Hilda Lin̄i

radical Alberto Pizango (Peru) is a Shawi indigenous person, and worked many years as a bilingual teacher in various indigenous communities. Later he became the president of the Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva (AIDESEP), the largest indigenous organization in Peru, representing around 350,000 Indigenous people. In August 2008 Pizango supported tribal groups who resisted the exploitation of a gas field on their territory in northern Peru by the Argentine company Pluspetrol, and stated: “Indigenous people are defending themselves against government aggression.” After the protest and unrests, Alberto Pizango and AIDESEP succeeded in persuading the government to withdraw two laws that were created to open up the indigenous areas to oil companies. Pizango celebrated their victory as "A new dawn for the country’s indigenous peoples."

“Indigenous peoples not only struggle for our own rights, but also for the defense of the life of all humanity and the protection of the Planet Earth”

radical Mamadou Ba (Portugal) is a Portuguese citizen, born in Senegal, and one of the most prominent voices of the anti-racist movement in Portugal who has denounced the proliferation of hate speech in the public and political spheres. Self identifies as “a decolonial-anti-racist by condition and conviction” and despite being a constant target of attacks by the far right, he has dedicated himself to persistant anti-racist activism. And is a founding member of several organizations defending the human rights of migrants and racialized people of national and European scope.

“Ultimately, the goal of the struggle is happiness, not as a universal idea, but in a way that people can be happy how they want to be. And when they are happy it is because they are not oppressed by anything within the system.” - Mamadou Ba

radical Polikalepo Kefu (Tonga) was a LGBTQ activist, Former president of Tonga Leitis Association, an organisation dedicated to the country’s LGBTQ+ communities, providing support services, advocacy, and education on HIV-Aids. Kefu was known to many as a selfless humanitarian and a tireless advocate for the rights of those with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. The polynesian Archipeligo islands have a rich queer history including the celebration of transgender people of the “fakaleiti.” The Polikalepo Kefu’s work and legacy will be continued and throughout LGBTQI community of Tonga and the greater world.

radical Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe (Namibia) is an intersectional gender justice activist involved in advocacy and communications for several organisations, including Equal Namibia. a coalition committed to realizing the constitutional promise of equality, to its fullest extent, for LGBQT+ people. Also a Co-founder, Voices for Choices a leading coalition of reproductive justice organisations, activists, and individuals in Namibia. It was established to stand in solidarity and to support the reproductive justice movement in Namibia as well as the protection and prioritisation of women’s health, women’s rights and gender diverse persons’ reproductive status in Namibia.

"Being at the forefront is not about leading people, it’s about giving them the authority to become a part of the movement. It’s about showing up. What propels me to be at the forefront is that I know myself. I know my leadership qualities. When you say you’re going to do something, you must do it. You must be accountable to yourself.” - Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe

radical Tsetsgeegiin Mönkhbayar (Mongolia) is a herdsmen and environmental activist, who successfully shut down destructive gold-mining operations along Mongolia’s scarce waterways. Mönkhbayar heads the Onggi River Movement (ORM), a grassroots organization that protects and restores the Onggi River, and inspiring people to get together and protect their rights. His work has led to the formation of the Mongolian Nature Protection Coalition, which brought together 11 Mongolian river movements and has had significant impact on the awareness of this issue both at the grassroots and legislative levels. Devoting his time, Mönkhbayar convinced the Mongolian Government to pass and enforce more restrictive laws in 2006, including the Law on Minerals, which regulates mining and protect precious waterways. In addition, 35 of the 37 mining operations working in the Onggi River Basin have ceased destructive operations. Erel Mining Company—the most egregious violator—has been shut down and And citizen over-sites have been developed to ensure future sustainable construction methods. The Onggi River is flowing higher and farther than it has at any other time in years.

“Gold can bring eternal happiness, and tragedy without end. . . When I realized that our water was becoming contaminated and our river was dying, this experience prompted me to act . . . Clean water and air are life itself for Mongolians." - Tsetsgeegiin Mönkhbayar

radical Martín Almada (Paraguay) is lawyer and rural teacher dedicated to human rights protection and democracy building. When the military regime was overthrown in 1989, Martín Almada became a leader in the human rights movement in Paraguay and the efforts to create a democratic government. He later found the so-called “Terror Files”, three tons of military documentation on the Condor Plan. The ‘Archives of Terror’ are the most important collection of documents ever recovered about state terror in the whole continent. Days after the finding, Almada convened a national commission to protect the Archive.

Where the government once operated a detention and torture centre, Almada and his team founded the “Museum of Memory”, a key institution in the teaching of Paraguay’s recent history. He founded the Celestina Pérez de Almada Foundation in memory of his dead wife, aiming to struggle against poverty and protect the environment. Martin Almada is celebrated for his outstanding courage in bringing torturers to justice, and promoting democracy, human rights and sustainable development."

"Impunity generates more repression and more corruption. Thus we must fight for justice, because life lies on the road to justice. " -Martín Almada

radical Irene Fernandez (Malaysia) was a Malaysian campaigner for the rights of the poorest: migrant workers, farmworkers, domestic workers, prostitutes and people with HIV/AIDS. Despite harassment and intimidation, Fernandez courageously refused to limit her work or blunt her message, even when a prison sentence hung over her head.

After working on a variety of issues ranging from workers’ rights to the protection of women from violence, Fernandez founded Tenaganita, an organisation in Kuala Lumpur, in 1991. It campaigns for the rights of foreign workers, who are often lured into the country through a deliberate policy of the Malaysian government. These workers have played a critical role in the country’s recent economic success, however, many later find themselves suffering the most appalling abuses and are detained in camps as undesirables.

Tenaganita works to document these problems, while also running a halfway house for prostitutes with HIV/AIDS and a number of other programmes relating to migrant and poor workers’ health, education and human rights.

“When I see the migrant workers broken bodies and eyes without hope, I want to embrace and wipe away their fears. It makes me angry and helps me to keep fighting the oppressive system.” — Irene Fernandez

radical Nisha Ayub (Malaysia) has dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of transgender people in her country, demanding an end to discriminatory laws and setting up organizations that work with marginalized groups.

Apart from spearheading activism on transgender issues in Malaysia, Nisha also set up two important NGOs – SEED Foundation, and Justice for Sisters. The two organizations work towards repealing Malaysia’s discriminatory laws against transgender people and provide support services to transgender people, sex workers and people living with HIV.

Justice for Sisters won a major legal battle in 2014 when the Court of Appeal upheld their challenge of a Sharia law targeting transgender people. The Court of Appeal struck down the law, observing that it contravened constitutional provisions that guarantee personal liberty, equality, freedom of movement, and freedom of expression. This was seen as a watershed moment for transgender rights in Malaysia.

"You can cut my hair. You can strip me naked. And you can take my dignity away from me. You can even kill me. But you cannot take away my identity as a transgender person." - Nisha Ayub, describing her three months in prison for being transgender

radical Ales Bialiatski (Belarus) is a human rights activist, leading an almost 30-year campaign for democracy and freedom. In 1996, he founded the Minsk-based Human Rights Center “Viasna” to provide support for political prisoners. It has since become the country’s leading non-governmental organisation contributing to the development of the civil society in Belarus through documenting human rights abuses and monitoring elections.

During pro-democracy protests, including the recent large-scale demonstrations in the aftermath of the fraudulent 2020 presidential elections, Viasna has been playing a leading role in advocating for the freedom of assembly, defending the rights of people arrested for protesting and documenting human rights abuses.

radical Natalia Kaliada (Belarus) is the co-founder and artistic director of Belarus Free Theatre, an underground theatre group formed in response to the severe censorship and repression of Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, the last dictatorship in Europe. Since its founding in 2005, Belarus Free Theatre has performed provocative plays (often held secretly) that focus on the consequences of state repression and its accompanying culture of fear. The group has repeatedly endured harassment from Belarusian authorities, police raids, beatings, and Kaliada, forced into exile, has sought political asylum in the U.K. Kaliada continues to fight against the dictatorship in Belarus and works tirelessly to bring abuses in Belarus to the international community’s attention. radical

Jacqueline Moudeina (Chad) is a lawyer who brought former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré to justice and ensured accountability for the crimes committed. She has also been engaged on a wide range of human rights issues concerning Chad today. With her commitment to justice as a prerequisite for reconciliation and her dedication to intervene from the grassroots level up to international jurisdiction, she has made a crucial contribution to promoting respect for human rights in Africa.

“The rights of human beings continue to be violated because the perpetrators of the most atrocious acts enjoy total impunity” - Jacqueline Moudeina

radical Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso) was a captain, Marxist revolutionary, pan-Africanist theorist, and President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. Viewed by supporters as a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution, Sankara seized power in a 1983 popularly supported coup at the age of 33, with the goal of eliminating corruption and the dominance of the former French colonial power.

He immediately launched one of the most ambitious programs for social and economic change ever attempted on the African continent. During his leadership, he intiated the vaccination of 2.5 million children against meningitis, yellow fever and measles in a matter of weeks. He initiated a nation-wide literacy campaign, increasing the literacy rate from 13% in 1983 to 73% in 1987. He planted over 10 million trees to prevent desertification He appointed females to high governmental positions, encouraged them to work, recruited them into the military, and granted pregnancy leave during education. He outlawed female genital mutilation, forced marriages and polygamy in support of Women’s rights. He sold off the government fleet of Mercedes cars and made the Renault 5 (the cheapest car sold in Burkina Faso at that time) the official service car of the ministers. He reduced the salaries of all public servants, including his own, and forbade the use of government chauffeurs and 1st class airline tickets. He redistributed land from the feudal landlords and gave it directly to the peasants. Wheat production rose in three years from 1700 kg per hectare to 3800 kg per hectare, making the country food self-sufficient. In Ouagadougou, Sankara converted the army’s provisioning store into a state-owned supermarket open to everyone (the first supermarket in the country). As President, he lowered his salary to $450 a month and limited his possessions to a car, four bikes, three guitars, a fridge and a broken freezer. When asked why he didn’t want his portrait hung in public places, as was the norm for other African leaders, Sankara replied “There are seven million Thomas Sankaras.” An accomplished guitarist, he wrote the new national anthem himself.

“We have to work at decolonizing our mentality and achieving happiness within the limits of sacrifice we should be willing to make. We have to recondition our people to accept themselves as they are, to not be ashamed of their real situation, to be satisfied with it, to glory in it, even” - Thomas Sankara

radical Nasrin Sotoudeh (Iran) is a fearless human rights defender and lawyer advocating for the rule of law and the rights of political prisoners, opposition activists, women and children in the face of Iran’s repressive regime. She stood up against Iran’s repressive regime, providing legal representation to those persecuted by authorities. Sotoudeh has also been fighting against the death penalty, particularly in the case of children sentenced to death, which contravenes international human rights law. She has organised out-of-court activities to save death row adolescents, several of which were successful. Sotoudeh's insistence on the rule of law and unrelenting fight against oppression have made her a symbol of the struggle for justice in Iran.

radical Tutu Alicante (Equatorial Guinea) is a human rights lawyer, and expert on authoritarianism, resource revenue transparency, and global kleptocracy. Alicante works daily to promote freedom of information, dignity, and transparency.

Tutu is the founder and executive director of EG Justice, an organization that focuses on human rights, anti-corruption, and rule of law initiatives in Equatorial Guinea, home to one of the world’s longest-ruling dictatorships. EG Justice often works with young, creative activists who use social media, theatre, comedy, hip hop, and other avenues to push back against one of the most oppressive dictatorships in the world.

Tutu is a co-founder the pro- democracy and anti-corruption platforms Equatorial Guinea is Ours and Open Central Africa. He was an expert witness in 2019 in the groundbreaking case that convicted the Equatoguinean Vice President of embezzling and laundering public funds, which then confiscated all his ill-gotten assets and returned them to the public from whom they were stolen, for the benefit of Equatoguineans. Tutu now lives in self- imposed exile in the United States, continuing his courageous, outspoken advocacy for Equatoguinean justice

“Find what truly motivates you, commit to fighting to right what you see as an untenable injustice and volunteer or work for organizations that focus on that issue. Never give up.” - Tutu Alicante

radical Winefreda Geonzon (Philippines) (1941-1990) was a lawyer who confronted the many injustices and abuses of the legal system during the Marcos regime’s military rule. People, including young children, were jailed without charge or trial; often they were imprisoned beyond their term, tortured and brutalised, or simply forgotten. In response, Geonzon set up the Free Legal Assistance Volunteers Association (FREELAVA), a legal aid office for victims of human rights violations, prisoners who could not afford lawyers and people whose cases had implications for social justice.

By the end of the 1980s, almost 30 groups were involved in FREELAVA’s work, carrying out a triangular programme of crime prevention, free legal assistance and rehabilitation.

" In our work we see the beauty of reconciliation rather than direct confrontation " - Winefreda Geonzon

radical Nadia Murad grew up in the village of Kojo in northern Iraq. She is a member of the Yazidi minority. The Yazidi religion is a mixture of Islam, Christianity and ancient Iranian religions.

In 2014, militants from the Islamic State (IS) conquered Kojo and massacred several hundred men and elderly women. The IS claimed that the Yazidi were devil worshippers who had to be exterminated. Twenty-one-year-old Nadia Murad and other young women were abducted and held as sex slaves and threatened execution unless she converted to the IS version of Islam. After some months, Nadia Murad managed to escape, fled across borders and in 2015 arrived in Germany, where she chose to tell the international community what she had suffered. Hoping that her voice would result in her abusers being brought to justice for their crimes. Murad then founded Nadia's Initiative, an organization dedicated to "helping women and children victimized by genocides, mass atrocities, and human trafficking to heal and rebuild their lives and communities". and to persuade governments and international organizations to support the sustainable re-development of the Yazidi homeland, as well as survivors of sexual violence globally. Nadia was also a driving force behind the drafting and passing of UN Security Council Resolution 2379, which established the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD).

“I want to be the last girl in the world with a story like mine”

radical Loujain AlHathloul (Saudi Arabia) is a women's rights activist, who became one of the leaders in the Saudi Women’s Rights movement, reshaping the process of mass collective consciousness-raising and developing a fully articulated understanding of women’s varying social positions. She was a main voice in the movements “Together We Stand to End Male Guardianship of Women” and “Women Demand the Overthrow of Guardianship” raising awareness online and sharing information. She conducted a “driving campaign” where she and other advocates took pictures of themselves driving in the streets of Saudi Arabia in defiance of the driving ban. As part of a working group, she established a shelter for women escaping domestic violence that not only provided a place to go but helped them integrate back into society.

"We have to all realise that criticising some phenomena in our home country does not equate to hating it, wishing evil upon it nor is it an attempt to shake its balance, it's the total opposite. I remain very optimistic about a bright future for my country and its citizens." - Loujain AlHathloul

radical Memory Banda (Malawi) is a children's rights activist who has drawn international attention for her work in opposition to child marriage. Memory championed a succesful national campaign that culminated in landmark legislation that outlawed child marriage. Memory works with girl leaders to ensure that village chiefs ban child marriage, end sexual initiation practices, enable girls to finish school and live safe from violence in a country where more than half of girls are married as children.

“For me, it’s the connection and combination of little ideas from people all over the world, bringing those little ideas into something collective and then, once we have put it as a collective effort, then it’s gonna turn it into something bigger than us." - Memory Banda

radical Argelia Laya (Venezuela) is regarded as one of the most important leaders in Venezuela. She was an Afro-Latina political activist, teacher, guerrilla soldier, communist militant and prominent politician, who fought tirelessly for women’s rights and fought to eradicate gender, ethnic, and able-bodied discrimination in her country. Born in a cocoa hacienda in Rio Chico, Laya’s mother instilled activism from a young age and encouraged her to protect her rights as a woman and person of African descent. Laya advocated for educational equality, inclusivity for girls who became pregnant while in school, and the right to a safe pregnancy. Laya was one of the first Venezuelan women to openly speak of a woman’s right to have children outside of wedlock or obtain an abortion. Despite peaceful protest and non-violent ethos, Laya faced repeated physical assaults for her efforts. During the 1960’s, Laya became a member of the communist guerrilla movement FALN where she traversed mountainsides under the name of Comandanta Jacinta. Before her death, she served as the president of MAS, Venezuela’s social-democratic political party.

radical Ján Benčík (Slovakia) (born 29 July 1948 in Bratislava) is a Slovak civic activist, blogger and member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic. his writing has had a real impact in contributing to overall change and has made a significant contribution to a more open and tolerant society. Since 2012, Benčík has been monitoring and uncovering Slovak extremists, neo-Nazis, conspirators, as well as mercenaries fighting in the conflict in eastern Ukraine on the side of pro-Russian separatists. He has written extensive public writings on this subject. His work has continuously encouraged the collective need to connect together across generations and stand against hate.

“I spent forty-one years of my life in a disgusting totalitarian regime. I have no appetite for those who are trying to impose further totalitarianism” - Ján Benčík radical Juliana Dogbadzi (Ghana) is a human rights activist who fights against the Trokosi, a slave-like practice that still exists today in the West African countries of Ghana, Togo and Benin. Juliana Dogbadzi was held for 17 years in a temple complex in Ghana that practiced Trkosi, and was physically, mentally and sexually abused until she escaped at the age of 23. Today she lives with her husband and three children. She only learned to read and write as an adult.The name Trokosi is derived from tro (deity or fetish) and kosi (slave). Girls between the ages of five and ten are given to priests to ward off the misfortune and anger of the gods from the family. These girls, called trokosi, have to serve the priest, work hard and are sexually exploited. Although the Trokosi practice has been officially banned in Ghana since 1998, it is estimated that there are still about 5,000 girls affected in rural areas. The slave-like attitude of young girls is deeply rooted in the identity and culture of the Ewe population of Ghana. Together with the organisation ‘International Needs Ghana’, Juliana Dogbadzi speaks to priests and those affected and encourages them to abandon the Trokosi practice. Since 1998 Juliana has been able to contribute to the liberation of around 1,000 Trokosi from 15 different temple complexes.

“I had to find a way to free myself and free the other women” - Juliana Dogbadzi

radical Yoslyn Sigrah (Federated States of Micronesia) is a women’s rights activist and lawyer. Yoslyn Sigrah has dedicated her life’s work to the recognition of women’s and children’s rights in the Federated States of Micronesia.

A longtime advocate for gender issues in Micronesia, Yoslyn has taken on violence against women and girls. She was instrumental in the passing of the Family Protection Act in Kosrae in 2014, a law that criminalizes domestic violence.

Speaking at the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva, she raised the plight of Micronesian women.

“Domestic violence is about violence; whether the violence is within the home or outside the home, any violence is wrong.” -Yoslyn Sigrah

radical Svetlana Gannushkina (Russia – west ) is one of the most accomplished leaders of the human rights movement in Russia today. Through the organisation that she founded and heads – the Civic Assistance Committee – she has provided free legal support, humanitarian aid and education to over 50,000 migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons since 1990.

Gannushkina’s personal courage and successful advocacy in the Russian courts and the European Court of Human Rights has prevented the forced repatriation of migrants from Russia to Central Asian countries where they would have almost certainly been subject to imprisonment and torture. As a member of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council from 2002-2012, Gannushkina successfully advocated for the law on refugees to be amended, allowing over two million persons to be granted Russian citizenship.

Passionate about the transformative power of education, Gannushkina has brought repeated challenges to the Russian Supreme Court to grant all children in Russia, including migrants and refugees, the right to attend public schools. She has been outspoken in drawing public attention to human rights violations in the conflict regions, notably the Caucasus.

"The world is diverse, and that this is what makes it beautiful. "

radical Alexei Navalny (Russia) is the leader of Russian opposition, lawyer, and the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation which exposes and fights corruption in the Russian government.

He became known for his anti-corruption investigations against state corporations and senior officials. He ran for office to advocate reforms against corruption in Russia, and against president Vladimir Putin. Over the years he has led nationwide protests against the authorities

“I've been reading this little book. It's called the Russian constitution. And it says that the only source of power in Russia is the people.” - Alexei Navalny

radical Pavel Sulyandziga (Russia - East) is of the Udege people, born in Primorsky Kray, the easternmost region of what is now the Russian Federation; his home region is the Bikin River valley. Over the years, he has remained one of the most outspoken indigenous rights activists in the Russian Federation. During the late 1980s, Sulyandziga successfully mobilized his village of Krasny Yar and defeated the administration's plans to harvest timber from a Soviet-Korean joint venture led by Hyundai. Also Sulyanziga and the Udege people made possible a law that protected their territory and made it a national park. So everything the government wants to do in their territory has to be done in consultation with the Udege. He is now the president of the International Indigenous Fund for Development and Solidarity (“Batani”) based in Maine, USA, where he received political asylum.

“The rights of my people and protecting the environment of my native lands have been significant to everything I’ve done.” - Pavel Sulyandziga

radical Anuradha Koirala ( Nepal ) is a social activist of who has been actively involved in saving trafficked girls, and has liberated over 12,000 girls from brothels. Anuradha Koirala is often called “Dijju ” which means sister as she founded a social organization named “Maiti Ghar ”. The organisation has been conducting a wide range of social services such as rescuing trafficked girls, apprehending traffickers, organizing social awareness program, women empowerment, training, and providing antiretroviral therapy to those affected by HIV. Due to her continues struggle, Nepal has recognized anti trafficking day, which falls on 5 September.

"Just imagine what would happen if your daughter was standing there. What would you do, how would you fight? So you have to join hands, you have to take each child as your daughter. Soon you will feel their sorrow and then you will feel the strength that comes out of you to protect them.” - Anuradha Koirala

radical Aloysius Toe (Liberia) During the civil war in 1989, Toe led the Movement for the Defense of Human Rights. He started over 100 human rights clubs, called attention to human rights abuses and promoted human rights education in Liberian schools. He also organized a network of 245 volunteers in rural communities to monitor and report human rights abuses. In 2001, he led non-violent protests against the politically-motivated murders of Liberian activists.

Aloysius Toe has been jailed twice. The first time was after he spoke out against atrocities committed by Taylor's son. After he was released, Toe went into hiding. However, soon after, soldiers raided his house and kidnapped his wife at gunpoint, leaving his small children alone in the house. Toe chose to turn himself in to protect his family. He was in jail for eight months before Taylor's regime collapsed and he was freed.

Despite the dangers he has faced, Toe has remained focused on his goals. Toe now directs an organization called the Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (FOHRD). While most Liberian human rights organizations focus on civil liberties and freedoms, FOHRD focuses on social and economic rights. Some of their current projects are researching poverty and labor rights in Liberia. They also monitor corruption in Liberia's government by publishing "corruption journals" that expose corrupt politicians, and practicing street theater, where members of FOHRD act out the consequences of corruption on crowded sidewalks. Finally, FOHRD is involved in peacebuilding projects in rural areas.

Liberia's problems are complex and the country is a long way from establishing a stable peace. Lack of infrastructure, a large refugee population and extreme poverty could easily spark another violent conflict. However, despite these challenges, Toe remains focused and committed to his work.

"I came into this not for personal gains, but out of the conviction that it is a chosen mission, and that through my and others' efforts, tens of thousands of hopeless people can regain hope in life." Aloysius Toe

radical Tania Bruguera (Cuba). Despite having been arrested, detained, incarcerated, and interrogated countless times due to the radical and defiant nature of her work, Cuban artist Tania Bruguera continues to create challenging performative works, as well as arts education and community outreach programs that aim to teach others that, as she asserts, "artists have the right to be respected and protected when they dissent." She is a courageous galvanizer of contemporary political art, who combined new frameworks for participatory art with a hard-hitting activist approach making art that can at times be controversial but is always poignant, challenging, and historically informed. bringing in real-world context, even conflicts, into art spaces. Bruguera's aim in her work is to have "lived realities" confront the viewer and for familiar news images to "become real life experiences" for those who may not have had first-hand experiences of some situations - such as being corralled by riot control police.

When she got arrested by Cuban authorities before the start of a planned performance, the international art world banded together to condemn the arrest and demand her release. The media coverage in this particular case - as well as the conversations and controversies that her other works engendered - can also be considered part of the work, which Bruguera used to her advantage as a political artist.

Bruguera stands as an example of artistic integrity and the fight for freedom of expression, becoming a model for many younger artists in Cuba and the rest of the world. She is also heavily invested in education and pedagogy, which first started from her teaching art students but eventually expanded into artworks that function as social programs for marginalized communities - what she calls Useful Art.

In all of her work, there is a reckoning with the complex history of her national identity and the political conditions in Cuba, of the sites where she performs, and of the legacies of colonialism and slavery in the contemporary world.

“I think that power must be spoken to without fear, even with a certain arrogance." - Tania Bruguera

radical Olive Morris (UK) (born 1952, Jamaica) was a Black feminist, and squatting activist, a dedicated, skilled, and strategic organiser. She moved to London with her family at a young age. At 17 she broke through a crowd and intervened with a racist police beating on a Nigerian diplomat. The incident sparked Morris’ introduction to activism and her fight against police brutality. Afterwards, She became a founding member of the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD), established the Brixton Black Women's Group, was a member of the British Black Panther Movement, and helped found the Manchester Black Women's Cooperative and Manchester Black Women's Mutual Aid Group.

Morris was one of the first to squat at 121 Railton Road, Brixton London, an address which subsequently housed a range of community and political groups until the 1990s. Olive was a woman who turned squatting into an art form. In honor of that skill set, Olive is photographed scaling the wall of a house on the front cover of the Squatters’ Handbook. She also wrote many articles, about topics like Black and Asian workers' struggles, and critiques on anti-fascism which ignored institutional, state and police racism. In one speech, she declared that "the Black women's movement is part of the world struggle for national liberation and the destruction of capitalism. Only when this is achieved can we ensure that our liberation as Black women is genuine, total and irreversible." A council building was named after her in March 1986. There is a community garden and play area named after her, and in 2009, Olive was chosen by popular vote as one of the historical figures to feature on a local currency, the Brixton Pound.

radical Didier Kamundu Batundi (DR Congo) has fought for decades – since 1990 –  to protect human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His work has ranged from ensuring torture victims get medical care, and helping Tutsis escape mob violence, to drawing international attention to human rights abuses and demanding freedom for political prisoners.

By 1994, Batundi had established an organization based in Goma (a region of North Kivu), that specifically protects and advocates for local rural communities. Exiled to France, Batundi, continues to rehabilitate victims of torture, pursue justice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and provide education about human rights as well as democracy.

radical Omar Aziz (Syria) was an anarchist born in Al-Amara, Damascus, who worked in information technology in Saudi Arabia and the U.S. With the outbreak of the Syrian Revolution against Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, Aziz decided to return to his home country to support the struggle. What began as a popular uprising, emerged from within the larger current of the ongoing Arab Uprisings, which by then had overthrown the governments of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. Aziz, known to his comrades as “Abu Kamel,” assisted with the distribution of relief supplies to communities in Damascus besieged by the Assad Regime while also writing about and organizing to implement a transition toward democratic self-governance in the country. “Abu Kamel,” by means of his efforts and writings promoted local self-governance, horizontal organization, cooperation, solidarity and mutual aid as the means by which people could emancipate themselves from the tyranny of the state. Aziz co-founded the first local council in the working-class district of Barzeh, Damascus, in late 2011, and Aziz also helped found four local councils in the working-class suburbs of Damascus before his arrest, including one in Daraya, an agricultural town in which would subsequently blossom one of the most moving experiments in democratic self-governance from the Syrian Revolution.

“A revolution is an exceptional event that will alter the history of societies, while changing humanity itself. It is a rupture in time and space, where humans live between two periods: the period of power and the period of revolution. A revolution’s victory, however, is ultimately achieving the independence of its time in order to move into a new era.” - Omar Aziz

radical Dariya Kasmamytova (Kyrgyzstan) is a young activist for girls' rights. After learning about gender inequality, she was inspired to start Girl Activists of Kyrgyzstan, a creative arts group for girls in Kyrgyzstan. The group hosts monthly movie screenings of films that focus on girls’ rights. They also provide training in different art forms and empower girls to use digital storytelling tools to share their experiences. The group has a blog called ‘Our Stories, Ourselves” where they collect and share stories of girls in their community.

“The main things about activism is friendship. If you have a friend, even one friend who supports you and listens to you, you become strong. When the people around you stand with you, it gives you power.” - Dariya Kasmamytova

radical Jamila Bargach (Morocco) is an anthropologist and human rights activist, and director of a non profit organization which promotes local culture and creates sustainable initiatives through education, integration and use of scientific ingenuity with Southwest Morocco’s communities. When Jamila first came in contact with massive thick fog in the mountains of her country, it stirred her activism into a new direction. “The fact of witnessing a fog event, what’s called the fog sea, was so very amazing that I just fell in love with it,” said Bargach, the cofounder and director of Dar Si Hmad, which runs the world’s largest functioning fog collection project on Mount Boutmezguida in southwestern Morocco to deliver clean water to nearby villages without easy access to water. Currently, the organization brings fog-harvested water to 15 Morrocan villages in Aït Baâmrane, a Berber region, where women used to spend hours to bring water to their households. Now they can reallocate that time to do other things. In addition to fog harvesting, Dar Si Hmad is also deeply invested in education—a critical part of the organization’s mission. At the Water School, local children learn about the water cycle and water’s importance. The Ethnographic Field School teaches students about the impacts of climate change and responses to it.

radical Pa Momo Fofanah (Sierra Leone) has spent decades defending the rights of Sierra Leone citizens, particularly children—and particularly children who in the past were forced into the military; because of his efforts, the recruitment of child soldiers was eventually considered a war crime. He has done pro bono legal work for a variety of causes, and as a result has been threatened with injury and death on numerous occasions. For years he has held sway in the courts, helped to build schools, and represented victims of sexual and physical abuse.

radical Priscillia Ludosky (France) is an activist for social and environmental justice, known for being one of the initiators and a figure of the Yellow Vests movement, a protest movement where bright yellow vest are chosen as "a unifying thread and call to arms" because of their convenience, visibility, ubiquity, and association with working-class industries. In 2018, Ludosky’s petition against rising fuel prices was very successful, had great media success and was signed by more than a million people. This petition became a strong decisive element in the initiation of the yellow vests protest movement. The Yellow Vest protesters have called for lower fuel taxes, a reintroduction of the solidarity tax on wealth, a minimum wage increase, among other things. On 29 November 2018, a list of 42 demands was made public and went viral on social media, becoming a structuring basis for the movement, covering a wide range of topics, mostly related to democracy, and social and fiscal justice. Although she has been contacted by political parties, she refuses to join one, following the principles of many members of the movement, who declare themselves partisans.

radical Soltan Achilova (Turkmenistan) is an independent photojournalist and reporter in Turkmenistan, one of the most isolated and repressive countries in the world. She is shedding light on the many injustices and human rights violations people face in her country. With almost complete governmental control over its population, citizens of Turkmenistan have scarcely any recourse to defend their rights. Her work illustrates issues affecting Turkmen citizens in their daily lives such as food insecurity, forced and illegal evictions, lack of adequate healthcare and the discrimination faced by people with disabilities. She has reported on these issues for more than a decade, filing articles and reports smuggled on to foreign-based media outlets. As an investigative journalist in a country without media freedom, Soltan Achilova is subject to severe forms of attacks and harassment. She has been stopped from leaving the country on several occasions and has almost no access to the internet. Despite the difficult circumstances and personal hardships, she continues to investigate and stand alongside the citizens of Turkmenistan.

radical Marie Diana Equi, USA (1872–1952) was a radical doctor, women's rights advocate, anti-war prisoner and outspoken lesbian from a working class background born in New Bedford, Massachusetts 1871. Moving to Portland, Oregon, she was dedicated to the expansion of women's reproductive choices, where she was one of the first women doctors in the state who provided birth control information and abortions when both were illegal. Equi provided abortions and did so without regard for social class or status. She often charged wealthy women more for the procedure to help cover the costs of poor patients. Although city and state authorities often tried to halt the practice of abortion with prosecutions, Equi never faced legal consequences for her services.

Equi maintained a primary relationship for more than a decade. The two women adopted an infant and raised the child in an early example, for the United States, of a same-sex alternative family.

Her role as a physician became widely known to the public once she volunteered to join a group of doctors and nurses who provided medical care to people stricken during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. In the aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, the federal did not provide the kind of massive relief needed, So Equi's courageous volunteer work was hailed by California's Governor, San Francisco's Mayor. She was clubbed by police while supporting a strike of women cannery workers, which led her to become an anarchist and to get involved with the Industrial Workers of the World union. In 1918 she was sentenced to 3 years in prison at San Quentin for opposing US involvement in World War I, and after her release, she maintained her activism.

Dr. Equi did not distinguish between what many saw as distinct campaigns for birth control, women's suffrage, and an overall improvement in women's living standards and working conditions. Instead, she saw all as part of the larger class struggle, the end of which would be the freedom, dignity, and health of working women and their families.

radical Petronila Infantes (Bolivia) 1911 - 1991) was an anarchist and trade unionist. She was the founder of the Culinary Workers Union, and leader of the women's anarchist movement in Bolivia. Petronila denounced the 1935 municipal ordinance in La Paz that indirectly banned Indigenous women from riding the tram. The city made that decision in response to complaints from upper-class women who claimed that Indigenous women’s baskets tore their stockings and stained their dresses. Outraged at the blatant discrimination, Infantes co-founded the Culinary Workers Union (SC), a group of female, Indigenous cooks who regularly carried food in baskets on the tram. Under enormous pressure, the city repealed the ordinance. The victory inspired other working women, such as florists, to organize. That quickly snowballed into a powerful labor rights movement. The movement later obtained monumental wins such as the eight-hour workday, free childcare for working mothers and the recognition of cooks as professionals. Many trade unions, such as the National Federation of Domestic Workers of Bolivia, recognize Infantes as one of their pioneers.

“Women organize like this: We defend ourselves, we manage ourselves."  - Petronila Infantes

radical Jean La Rose: (Guyana) is a key leader in the Indigenous struggle for full rights to traditional lands. Jean La Rose coordinated the first indigenous land rights lawsuit in Guyana to protect streams, rainforests, and endangered indigenous communities harmed by mining.

Jean La Rose has been working with the Akawaio, Arekuna, and other Indigenous communities to halt the mining in their territories and to secure full rights to traditional lands.

In decades past, most Indigenous people in Guyana knew little about their legal rights. La Rose conducted workshops to inform indigenous communities that their traditional rights can and should be recognized by Guyana’s laws.

La Rose influenced revisions of the Forest Act, and was able to reduce the number of logging concessions and won a government moratorium on logging in 1993. Her work was instrumental in guaranteeing for the first time that some Indigenous rights, including the right to a healthy environment, be included in the constitution.

She continues organizing against mining, logging, and other environmentally destructive practices.

radical Rokudenashiko (Japan) Megumi Igarashi, who works under the pseudonym Rokudenashiko, roughly translated as “good-for-nothing girl,” is a Japanese artist known for using her vagina as a motif for her art, and has been jailed twice for so-called acts of obscenity and the distribution of pornographic materials. Originally, the art was meant to be playful, but soon Rokudenashiko’s work began to draw wide criticism. This criticism only encouraged her. Her vagina inspired art became a form of protest. Following her creation of “Mango (The Vagina Boat),” Igarashi was arrested in 2014 for her artwork. In 2016, a Japanese court ruled that Igarashi was guilty of obscenity. Igarashi was also fined 400,000 yen for distributing obscene data, from sharing 3-D printer information of her genitals. The data was labeled obscene, allegedly because it could have been used to create a replication of her vagina for sexual arousal. Igarashi continues to battle Japan’s definition of obscenity with the publication of her book in 2016, What is Obscenity?: The Story of a Good For Nothing Artist and Her Pussy, which seeks to make the vagina “cute” and explores the discrimination and taboo surrounding female genitalia.

The culture of shame in Japan that Igarashi targets in her art is an often overlooked and understated aspect of Japanese society, censorship of genitalia and obscenity laws on the depiction of genitals remain strict outside of religious environments. In a society where one can be censored, pixelated, and punished, Rokudenashiko asks what makes pussy so problematic?

radical Silvanos Mudzvova (Zimbabwe ) is an actor, playwright,and activist involved in the Tajamuka (“We are rising up”) protest group. Mudzvova directs the national theater group Vhitori Entertainment Trust, which was established in 2003 in response to the country’s human rights, democracy, and good governance crises. Mudzvova was first arrested in 2007 after performing the satirical play, “The Final Push.” He was briefly detained again in April 2016 after staging a one-man play outside Zimbabwe’ Parliament. The play — “Missing Diamonds, I Need My Share” — was inspired by controversy surrounding Robert Mugabe’s public statement that mining companies stole billions from country’s diamond industry; many believe the money was pocketed by top Zimbabwean officials. In September 2016, Mudzvova was abducted from his home and tortured after staging a play about Zimbabweans planning their own Arab Spring uprising. Now, to avoid arrest, Mudzvova performs what he calls “hit-and-run stunts” in public places. Mudzvova did a performance that focused on an embezzlement scandal involving the Minister of Education. Throughout this performance, the audience huddled around him to ensure that he wouldn’t get arrested. The impact of his performances was immediate, and prompted other advocates to speak out.

“Theatre has power, we have power to provoke emotions and start the debate immediately” - Silvanos Mudzvova

radical Hajooj Kuka (Sudan) is a filmmaker, and the founder of artist collective called Refugee Club, and the director of Beats of the Antonov, a film that documents the armed conflict in the Sudanese southern states of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains regions, focusing in particular on the role of music in helping the affected communities to sustain themselves culturally and spiritually in the face of the ongoing conflict. Kuka was born in Sudan of the Mahas ethnic group, but relocated with his family to Abu Dhabi. Kuka travels frequently between Nuba Mountains and the Blue Niles for his creative works. He resides in both Sudan and Kenya.

Kuka is an active member of Girifna, a non-violent resistance movement in Sudan. Kuka works with various activists in Sudan and in the diaspora for a transformed state of affairs in the country. Despite the non-violence stance, the Sudanese government hunts, tortures and jails Sudanese activists at will, and Kuka who has been detained himself, protests for their releases.

In September 2020, Kuka was one of several artists arrested after religious militants attacked a theatre rehearsal where he was participating. Kuka’s arrest was widely condemned by the international cinema industry. Several producers, film festivals and institutions, including the Toronto International Film Festival and Berlin Film Festival, issued statements calling for his immediate release. International pressure made a huge difference, and two weeks later, Kuku and four other artists were released.

Their arrests and jail sentences were seen as a sign of the fragility of Sudan’s transition to democracy after the toppling of long-time authoritarian leader Omar al-Bashir. Kuka has remained optimistic that Sudan can return to civilian rule. He places his faith in Neighbourhood Resistance Committees, of which he says there are 114 in Khartoum alone. Previous anti-army protests, led by professional associations of doctors and teachers, failed to bring about democracy. But the committees, argues Kuka, are non-hierarchical and democratic, transcending the deep ethnic and religious divisions that military rulers have exploited.

radical Valsero (Cameroon) is a rapper, activist, and human rights defender, Gaston Philippe Abe Abe, popularly referred to by his stage name Valsero, is known for making socio-politically responsive music and inspiring the Cameroonian youth through his songs, He was detained a number of times by Cameroonian police forces and had many concerts banned over the years. Censorship and authoritarian rules in Cameroon have left little room for artistic expression. Valsero, alongside other rap pioneers, has created music with the heavy burden of representing the genre and the younger generation on his shoulders. Valsero’s fans believe his music has given a voice to the marginalized and forgotten youth of Cameroon, capturing the essence of being young under a corrupt political regime during a period of unrest. Valsero is also an engaged human rights activist who has spearheaded many campaigns over the years in support of democracy, LGBTQ rights, education, and more. Most recently, Valsero began the campaign “Our Destiny”, which raises awareness for immigrants in Cameroon

Valsero’s fight for democracy and against authoritarian rule through song and activism made him a direct target for those in control. His arrest reveals the ongoing strength of music and art to unite people and the lengths authoritarian officials will go to suppress dissent, but his release also demonstrates the dedication of his supporters and the power of mobilizing around a common cause in the face of oppression.

“Rap is an extraordinary weapon, by its power, by its strength, by its capacity to mobilise people. I have chosen to use my art for the development and evolution of democracy, and rap is very important to me." - Valsero

radical Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza: (D.R. Congo) is a pan-African political activist known for his cultural restitution, taking colonial stolen art back to Africa by seizing it from European museums and galleries. He has previously staged protests at the Museum of African, Oceanic and Native American Arts in Marseille, France, and the Afrika Museum in Berg en Dal, the Netherlands. Diyabanza is on a mission to recover all works of art and culture taken from Africa to Europe. He calls his method “active diplomacy”.

"Because of the wrong that was done to us, we must recuperate our heritage. That’s why we have decided to engage in a combat to return all that was stolen from Africa. We believe that the first reparations must be sociocultural in order to allow the African people to reconcile with their past, with their history and with themselves." - Emery Mwazulu Diyabanza

radical Emily Jacir ( Palestine ) combines the roles of artist, activist and poet to create poignant works of art that are both personal and deeply political. Working in a variety of media including film, photography, installation, performance, video, writing and sound, Jacir is an advocate of Palestinian rights and her dedication to the plight of her own people lies at the center of her practice.

The art piece “Memorial to 418 Palestinian Villages which were Destroyed, Depopulated and Occupied by Israel in 1948” (2001), was the result of a three-month community based project, is a refugee tent onto which 140 people from all walks of life and places — Palestinians, Israelis and others — sewed the names of villages destroyed. In the guerrilla piece Sexy Semite (2000-2002), Jacir invited 60 Palestinians to contribute ads to The Village Voice (New York City) Personals Section seeking romantic liaisons with Jewish readers, thereby proposing to marry in order to be able to return to Palestine using the Israeli Law of Return.

Her multimedia installation Material for a film (2005) — looks at the 1972 assassination of Palestinian writer Wael Zuaiter, killed near his home in Rome by Israeli Mossad agents. In ex libris (2010-2012), Jacir documents the 30,000 books looted from Palestinian homes, libraries, and institutions by Israeli authorities, during the mass-displacement of Palestinians for the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Jacir photographed the books with her cellphone over two years of visits at the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem, where the books are kept and cataloged as A.P. — Abandoned Property.

In the Project: ‘Where We Come From’ Jacir asked:“If I could do anything for you, anywhere in Palestine, what would it be?” This question was posed to Palestinian exiles. Taking advantage of her ability to move about relatively freely in Israel with an American passport, Jacir promised to realize the desires of those forbidden entry into their homeland. A series of texts, black lettering on white panels, describes the various requests. Color photographs, presented by their side, document Jacir’s actualization of them.“Go to my mother’s grave in Jerusalem on her birthday and put flowers and pray,” reads one plea in Arabic and English.

Having exhibited extensively across the globe, Jacir is an diligent artist whose works boldly engages issues borne out of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

radical Emmanuel Jal (South Sudan) is a musical artist, actor, former child soldier, and political activist.

cultivating a specific kind of hip-hop that reflected his political and spiritual beliefs. Through his music, heartfelt lyrics, he opens the world up to the corruption and greed of the Sudanese government; central to the themes of his songs is the campaign for peace of opposing sides in Sudan and the clear message that children have no place in wars.

In addition to his accomplishments in music, Jal's biggest passion is for Gua Africa, a charity that he founded. Besides building schools, the nonprofit provides scholarships for Sudanese war survivors in refugee camps, and sponsors education for children in the most deprived slum areas in Nairobi. The organisation's main mission is to work with individuals, families, and communities that have been affected by war and poverty. Based in both Sudan and Kenya, Gua Africa focuses on providing children and young adults with an education that would otherwise be unavailable to the majority.

Emmanuel Jal also runs a program called 'My Life Is Art' On his pathway to peace, Emmanuel developed a method to rewire his mind, which was overwhelmed by experiences of war, poverty, and trauma. He now teaches the method he used to heal and find success to others from all walks of life.

“I share my story for social-emotional learning through the arts, business and philanthropy. I offer experiences with music, healing, education and healthy living - so that together we can create positive, global awakening.“ - Emmanuel Jal

radical Gabriela Ngirmang (Palau) was a peace and anti-nuclear activist, instrumental in giving the world its first nuclear-free constitution.

Gabriela was at the centre of this growing resistance to the militarisation of the seas and the planned use of nuclear weapons. Embodying the values of peace and non-violence, she questioned the colonial, military and nuclear implications of US policy and its impact on Palauans.

Gabriela's commitment to peace has influenced and encouraged people around the world. Her gift to humanity has been her consistent determination to fight for the rights of her people to be free, to be safe. She is an inspiration to all of us wishing to live in a world free from the threat of nuclear war. She proved that small people can stand against giants.

radical Seifeddine Jlassi (Tunisia) is a performing artist and activist, the leader of the public street performance group, Fanni Raghman Anni (Tunisian Arabic, translated to English as “My Art In Spite of Myself” or “Artist Against My Will”) The group rose to prominence with their public protests in the wake of Tunisia’s revolution, before which performance art of any kind was rare outside of the formal setting of a theater. In their work, the group has brought both art and political activism to an audience which would usually not be exposed to them, the general public. As such, the group uses their originality to tackle the issues most fundamental to Tunisia’s society.

One such issue, which brought Fanni Raghman Anni much recent attention, has been death, confronted by the group both in the form of the country’s death penalty and in the high rate of youth suicide. the activists put up an abstract act criticizing capital punishment. They also began to travel across poverty-stricken areas and marginalized neighborhoods in the country not only to perform, but to find young hidden talents. Fanni Raghman Anni is also active abroad. Jlassi and a few of his group members traveled to a number of refugee camps and marginalized areas rehabilitating young people through teaching them arts and drama. “Our mission is to help young talents who come from marginalized areas and who could not find a chance to sing, or dance, or act,” Jlassi said.

The group’s performances have, however, come with resistance. In 2014, nineteen artists belonging to the group were arrested for their role in a performance entitled “They Killed Him,” referring to the 2013 assassination of democratic opposition leader Chokri Belaïd. During that same performance the artists were verbally and physically assaulted by radical Islamist leaders. The charges against the nineteen artists were dropped following an international advocacy campaign.

Furthermore, the day before January’s performance of “Thalaith Nikat” (Arabic for “Three Principles”) the group’s headquarters were torched by a yet-unknown group. The power of the group’s art to combat violence and death, even when confronted with attacks themselves, was made clear in their resolve to carry on the public protest. The group’s performances bring the issues usually hidden behind closed doors to the public eye. “We wanted to come up with new forms of protests, new forms of expressions and entertainment even, and performs them in alternative places such as the central market or simply the streets,” “An artist’s role is to plant happiness in the society and to bring about innovative ways to instill this culture to help in the democratic transition,” - Seifeddine Jlassi

radical Francisco Tapia aka “Papas Frita” (Chile) is a visual artist and activist recognized nationally and internationally by an artistic style of a deep radical political sense, called operational art, that is, art put at the service of criticism to established social order.

In one art project, Papas Frita reduced $500 million of actual student debt contracts to an ashen art exhibit. The destruction of the student debt documents occurred during a student “toma” — takeover — of the campus and means the embattled university owners must now individually sue each of its students to recover the debt payments, which will reportedly be a costly and time-consuming process for the university.

“It’s over, it’s finished,” Tapia said in his impassioned five minute video. “You don’t have to pay another peso [of your student loan debt]. We have to lose our fear, our fear of being thought of as criminals because we’re poor. — this is my act of love for you.”

radical Tenzin Gonpo (Tibet) is a popular singer musician and dancer, known for his Tibetan-language music promoting unity and self-determination, Tenzin has been released from prison after serving his full three-and-a-half year sentence. Tenzin’s music, always political in nature, is part of a wider independence movement that gained traction with massive protests across Chinese-occupied Tibet (and other Tibetan-populated Chinese provinces including Sichuan and Qinghai) This protest movement also brought on a heavy-handed crackdown by Beijing, which has become increasingly less tolerant of Tibetan art and culture over the past 10 years. Tenzin is one of many artists promoting Tibetan identity over the last decade.

"Born on the Roof of the World, in the land of gods and their legends, I remembers the vast landscapes of my childhood. Forced to leave the high plateau to escape the invader and the destruction they were to bring to my country, I began my life of exile in northern India. It was here that I learned to preserve the essence of my culture, the songs and the music of my proud nomadic ancestors. The arrangements retain the authenticity of Tibetan Music." - Gonpo Tenzin

radical Ngawang Gyaltsen (Tibet) In 1987, he was one of 21 monks from Drepung Monastery who staged the first and most significant pro-independence demonstration in Lhasa, setting in motion the modern wave of political protest in Tibet. On their release from a four-month prison sentence, following the protest, nine of the original group and one outsider formed the 'Group of Ten' to work for the independence of Tibet and the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people.

The ten monks' non-violent political activities included the use of carved wooden blocks to print copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They also printed a document outlining their vision for the future, based on the 1963 Constitution drafted in exile by the Dalai Lama, proposing a democratic Tibet free from Chinese occupation. radical

Hong Song-Dam (South Korea) is artist who works with woodcuts. He was born on the island of Hauido and raised in Gwangju, where he took part in the 1980 Gwangju uprising against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship. He became well known for making prints to spread the news of the violent abuse and oppression that happened inside the city at the time, and made many controversial pieces of art.

He is an acclaimed member of the Minjung art movement, a political and populist art movement, born in 1980 artistic response to the Gwangju Massacre by South Korean dictator General Chun Doo-hwan in May 1980. Minjung artists used visual arts, especially painting and woodblocks, to call for democratization and Korean reunification. Their artworks glorified nature, laborers, and peasants, and criticized imperialism, Americanization, and the authoritarian South Korean government.

Hong continues to produce politically oriented work, and is best known for his large canvases, and murals which have often focused on South Koreans who suffered at the hands of Authoritative political power.

“I would make it my lifetime duty to record and indict state brutality. Painting is my language, my picket protest, my placard.” - Hong Song-Dam

radical Margueritte Barankitse (Burundi) is a humanitarian activist who works to improve the welfare of children and challenge ethnic discrimination in Burundi. After rescuing 25 children from a massacre, she was forced to witness the conflicts between the Hutu and Tutsi in her country in 1993. She established Maison Shalom, a shelter that provided access to healthcare, education, and culture to over 20,000 orphan children in need. Because she protested against a third term for President Nkurunziza, she lives in exile. During the 26 years that it operated in Burundi, Maison Shalom grew into a large network of schools, hospitals, and healthcare services across the country. Its purpose was to improve the lives of Burundi's children, through integrated and sustainable development with the ultimate aim of fostering lasting peace in the country. Using her experience with Maison Shalom, she has since opened a new organization, Oasis of Peace, where she provides psychosocial support to victims of torture and rape, school programs for children, vocational training and income-generation programs for over 90,000 Burundian refugees in Rwanda.

"I have also learned that the word impossible is a lie. Nothing is impossible if you are driven by love and invest yourself fully. Hate will never have the last word.” - Margueritte Barankitse

radical Mutabar Tadjibayeva – ( Uzbekistan ) is an independent journalist and human rights activist. She is a founder of the international human rights organization ‘’Fiery Hearts Club’’. Tadjibayeva monitored human rights implementation and carried out journalist investigations. Tadjibayeva is also a founder of the Popular Movement ‘’Civil Society’’ In 2011 she wrote a book ‘’Prisoner of Torture Island’’. In the book, Tadjibayeva shares her memories and tells about the atrocities of the Uzbek government over its people. Today, Tadjibaeva lives in France in political exile and continues to do advocacy work remotely through the Fiery Hearts Club. Her work includes investigating and preparing complaints for the UN, documenting victim’s statements, and promoting immigrant rights.

radical Ursula Rakova (Papua New guinea), is an environmentalist and climate change activist born on the Carteret Islands in the Southwestern Pacific. Frustrated by inaction on the part of the Papua New Guinea government, Rakova’s community took matters into their own hands and formed Tulele Peisa in 2006, which means sailing the waves on our own. Rakova was asked by her elders to lead this local community organization through an unprecedented experience: relocating the entire island community of the Carterets to the safer ground of Bougainville, which is 80 kilometers, or up to five hours away by boat. The Carteret islands are expected to be uninhabitable by 2040, rendering Rakova's people the world's first climate refugees. Rakova also coordinated a landmark legal case whereby the Warangoi successfully sued illegal loggers and won compensation for their stolen forest resource. She established Bougainville Cocoa Net Limited to assist relocated Carteret Islanders with opportunities to produce fair trade cocoa.

“We are being forced from our ancient island homeland to the mainland, where we must start new lives and find sustainable means to produce our food and survive. I want to make sure that my people have a future life for generations to come." - Ursula Rakova

radical Ansar Burney (Pakistan) is a human and civil rights activist

Having been imprisoned himself, Ansar Burney witnessed, firsthand, the deplorable conditions and met numerous prisoners who had been imprisoned having committed no crime nor having been charged. So he set about immediately to help them. He began by visiting many prisons and mental institutions in Pakistan looking for individuals confined on false charges, locked away without charge or persons who had been framed. He also began to speak out for reforms in prisons and mental institutions; and as a result, he has made great progress over the last three decades. Ansar Burney has worked for the cause of justice for decades and has been successful in securing the release of around 900,000 confined persons from various sites around the world. As such, he is perhaps best known for his work for the release of illegally or wrongfully confined persons. These have included persons locked up for over 55 years on false charges or those confined in mental institutions even though they are perfectly sane or born in prisons. Burney Created the Ansar Burney Trust International, the first Pakistani organization to fight for the concept of human rights in Pakistan. The Trust is a network of human rights organisations and volunteers working to deliver justice, better treatment of human beings, and for the rights and freedoms of civil liberty. It works to raise awareness, provide free legal advice. and services and humanitarian assistance where needed.

Working at the forefront, Ansar Burney has fearlessly led legal missions, humanitarian relief teams and fought for the rights of the innocents in many parts of the world.

radical Pablo Sibas Sibas (Costa Rica) is an indigenous and land rights defender who works to peacefully recover the lands which have been subjected to illegal grabbing. He is one of the leaders of the Brörán indigenous people, who have been discriminated against by the Costa Rican authorities and targeted by land grabbers for over forty years. Since 1980, Pablo Sibas Sibas has continued courageously, beyond the death threats and arson attacks against him, to defend human rights in Costa Rica.

radical Caleb Orozco (Belize) is an LGBT activist in Belize. He was the chief litigant in a case successfully challenging the anti-sodomy laws of Belize and the co-founder of the only LGBT advocacy group in the country. On July 2010, Caleb Orozco filed a suit to challenge the constitutionality of Section 53 of the Criminal Code, which imposes up to ten year prison sentences for same-sex consensual sexual relations. As in many Caribbean countries, the law was not strictly enforced but was still routinely used to legitimise virulent institutional and societal discrimination against sexual minorities. Police in Belize are also known to extort bribes from same-sex couples in return for not turning them in, evidencing discrimination based on sexual orientation in the legal system. On 10 August 2016, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Caleb Orozco, striking down the law. Orozco's is the first legal challenge to the criminalisation of consensual same sex intercourse in Caribbean history, establishing an important precedent for a region where the vast majority of countries still retain similar laws in their statutes.

< “I am aware of the importance of inspiring others, and my desire to see better for all people who live in Belize. I have come to learn that death threats, physical assault, and humiliation will make a victim out of anyone, but it is principle that will allow you to stand your ground.” Caleb Orozco

radical Marta Matamoros (Panama) was a pioneer of the trade union movement and a labor rights leader. In the 1940s, the textile garment industry paid women less than half of men. Pregnant women had to work up until they went into labor and return promptly after giving birth so as not to lose their job. Matamoros fought tirelessly for better pay and better working conditions.

Matamoros is known for leading strikes in the 1940s which resulted in workers gaining maternity leave with pay and job security while they were on leave. In 1951, she became the first woman general secretary of the Trade Union Federation of Workers of Panama. "The Hunger and Desperation March" Matamoros led in 1959 resulted in the first minimum wage law in Panama.

radical Hector Barríos, (El Salvador) is an attorney and activist in San Isidro. Barrios and his partner Zenayda Serrano, both of whom have worked tirelessly over the last decade to prevent the contamination of their environment and society by invading transnational mining companies, mostly from Canada and the USA. Hector Berrios was the driving force behind the pressure exerted by the National Roundtable Against Metal Mining on the Salvadoran government to instigate and implement a ban on metal mining in the country. This was the first ban of its kind in the world.

The Canadian Pacific Rim mining company (which later was taken over by Oceana Gold) lost its lawsuit against the government of El Salvador at the International Court. The government had withdrawn the company’s concession to exploit gold deposits in the area of Cabañas and it was the efforts of MUFRAS-32 which had done so much to expose the damage and contamination caused by the company’s exploration processes.

Hector is also an active member of The Movimiento Unificado Francisco Sánchez-1932 (MUFRAS-32) is a community-based organization formed for those who struggle for the promotion and defense of human rights through organizing, trainings and awareness-raising for social justice. MUFRAS-32 engages in political advocacy and the development of productive activities to improve the standard of living of poor communities living in the Municipality of San Isidro in the Department of Cabañas, El Salvador, and promotes the rights to natural resources such as land and water.

radical Regina José Galindo (Guatemala) is a performance artist who specializes in body art. She has developed a socially and politically motivated practice in which she strives to acknowledge the thirty-six years of civil war endured by her country while looking forward to a more peaceful and productive future. she began her visual work in the context of political change in late-nineties Guatemala, and characterizes it as one way to build a “human bridge” between people and places, enabling a more empathetic understanding of power, life, and death.

One of her well-known acts include ¿Quién Puede Borrar las Huellas? (Translated: "Who Can Erase the Traces"), from 2003, in which she walked from the Congress of Guatemala building to the National Palace, dipping her bare feet at intervals in a white basin full of human blood as a vigorous protest against the presidential candidacy of Guatemala’s former dictator José Efraín Ríos Montt.

While Galindo places herself in vulnerable situations, she is never a victim. Her vulnerability has a way of exposing the susceptibilities of the viewers. Her work investigates the universal ethical implications of social injustice and discrimination related to race, gender, and other abuses inherent in the unequal power relations that operate in society. Galindo works beyond the limits of her own self, recreating and representing violent acts and the victims in a radical way, drawing the spectators into the discomfort of the situation, making them see and feel the situation as the victim, and creating an atmosphere of empathy and critical thinking.

“I believe in the potentiality of Art to generate dialogues between people, I believe in its capability to communicate, to break the order and make questions. I think Art is a free space, one of the few that remains.” —Regina José Galindo

radical Miriam Makeba ( South Africa ) was a singer and actress, civil rights activist, and powerful voice against segregation in Africa.

Makeba was among the most visible people campaigning against the apartheid system in South Africa, and was responsible for popularising several anti-apartheid songs. Due to her high profile, she became a spokesperson for Africans living under oppressive governments, and in particular for black South Africans living under apartheid. When the South African government prevented her from entering her home country, she became a symbol of "apartheid's cruelty", and she used her position as a celebrity by testifying against apartheid before the UN in 1962 and 1964. Many of her songs were banned within South Africa, leading to Makeba's records being distributed underground, and even her apolitical songs being seen as subversive. She thus became a symbol of resistance to the white-minority government both within and outside South Africa. In an interview in 2000, Masekela said that "there [was] nobody in Africa who made the world more aware of what was happening in South Africa than Miriam Makeba."

Makeba has also been associated with the movement against colonialism, with the civil rights and black power movements in the US, and with unity between black people of African descent across the world:

"Africans who live everywhere should fight everywhere. The struggle is no different in South Africa, the streets of Chicago, Trinidad or Canada. The Black people are the victims of capitalism, racism and oppression, period." - Miriam Makeba

radical Nicola Ussardi (Italy) is a housing activist, creating solutions to the housing crisis in Venice.

For ages, Venice has relied on mass tourism yet it has become increasingly obvious that it also has a negative impact on citizens. Ussardi’s plan to provide housing circumvents traditional methods of applying for and receiving public housing. Ussardi says that many public housing properties have fallen into disrepair. Even abandoned convents become hotels instead of public housing.

Ussardi co-founded Assemblea Sociale per la Casa (ASC) or Social Assembly for the House, a housing community that focuses on finding homes for Venetians who have to leave their residences due to the rising cost of rent. People who lose their homes can count on ASC to locate uninhabited, abandoned or dilapidated spaces, repair them for occupancy and move them in. The occupations are considered illegal, and Ussardi is proud of what ASC does. “We do not steal the house from anyone – we chose apartments that have been abandoned for years. ASC also works with residents to block evictions.

In six years ASC has taken over 70 apartments, all of them in Cannarego and Giudecca, another working class neighbourhood; they now host 150 people, including families, singles and young couples.

In essence, ASC not only lobbies the government for fairer housing practices they apply a communal face to the crisis in a kind, unconventional approach to ensuring shelter for the people of Venice. This uncommon approach from a nonprofit focused on ending the housing crisis in Venice is providing necessary housing assistance to citizens who otherwise would not have a roof over their heads. Ussardi is an inspiring example of a citizen taking action to solve a crisis that the government has overlooked.

"We have to give the Venetians the possibility of living in their own city." - Nicola Ussardi

radical Shaneel Lal (New Zealand) iTaukei (indigenous Fijian) Vakasalewalewa (third gender) LGBTQIA rights activist, known for spearheading the movement to ban conversion therapy in New Zealand. Conversion therapy is the dangerous and discredited practice that seeks to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Lal is the founder of the Conversion Therapy Action Group (CTAG), a group working to end conversion therapy in New Zealand, educate New Zealanders on the dangers of conversion therapy and advocate for support for survivors of conversion therapy.

In 2021, the Conversion Therapy Action Group helped deliver a petition with over 150,000 signatures to parliament, which responded when Lawmakers in New Zealand then passed a bill banning conversion therapy. Shaneel Lal, called the decision "a win for humanity, not just the queer community."

As a writer, Lal focuses on indigenous queerness and is involved in many organizations, such as Rainbow Youth and Auckland Pride Festival and Adhikaar Aotearoa, a non-profit charity that provides education, support and advocacy for queer South Asians.

"Queer rights are human rights. Queer people do not need to be tolerated or accepted, we need to be liberated.” - Shaneel Lal

radical Sombath Somphone (Laos) is an community development worker who empowered the rural poor in Laos, and pioneered the use of participatory rural appraisal, an approach that incorporates the knowledge and opinions of rural people in the planning and management of development projects and programmes. In 1996 he established the Participatory Development Training Center, PADETC, to foster sustainable, equitable, and self-reliant development in Laos. It uses participatory learning and training of young people, civil society groups, and community leaders to become the key change agents in their communities, with an emphasis on a balance of economic development, ecological sustainability, cultural integrity, and spiritual well-being. Sombath played an important role in introducing the concept of Gross National Happiness into Laos. and Sombath is involved in the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, a group that adresses environmental concerns, human rights, and conflict resolution. The work of Sombath Somphone was unfortunately cut short by his enforced disappearance on 15 December 2012. His disappearance is a great tragedy, not only for his family, friends and colleagues, but also a tragedy for the Lao people and the country as a whole.

“If the new generation, can regain the airwaves, and they take over the contents to be disseminated, they will be the ones who are the agents of change. We should give them this tool for change. Right now this tool is being used for change not in the positive way but for change that is more destructive because it promotes greed and consumption to the point that our Mother Earth cannot support. To tame this greed the young people must realise that what is left from this generation’s consumption will be left for them for the next generation.” - Sombath Somphone

radical Aviâja Egede Lynge (Greenland) is an Indigenous rights activist. Her work and activism focus on promoting the rights of indigenous Inuit peoples, specifically on equal access to education. She has developed learning modules for teachers on culture, identity, indigenous rights, and intercultural learning. Aviâja Egede Lynge has also worked with Canada and Alaska in connection with the development of school systems aimed at improving education for Inuit and other indigenous people.

"I came to a point in my life where I learned that I had to decolonize myself and find my identity. As part of that process, the passion for my people’s rights grew more and more, especially in relation to the educational system." - Aviâja Egede Lynge

radical Tampose Mothopeng (Lesotho) is a vibrant transgender leader, gender and sexuality activist, an HIV educator, human rights defender, and the Executive Director at The People’s Matrix Association. The Matrix engages with traditional leaders, teachers, and government officials. Its members speak on radio and television talk shows. The group runs campaigns on bodily autonomy, and hosts community dialogues. Mothopeng also recently developed a LGBTI youth network with the purpose of motivating, strengthening and building young leaders of Lesotho for a better future in Lesotho. He was the first transgender identifying person to receive the official recognition and appreciation for his commitment and dedication to the HIV/AIDS response in Lesotho by promoting the rights and interest of the marginalised group

Mothopeng has pioneered research on HIV, Human Rights and legal framework on LGBTIQ+ community, in sub-Saharan Africa and in Lesotho. He has a personal commitment to HIV education has illuminated all through his work ethic through research and published a number of research documents, and peer-reviewed journal articles that demonstrated the unique vulnerabilities to HIV

Mothopeng took a lead by challenging the national funding mechanism for the benefit of minority groups and influenced change in the legal framework, where he drew attention of law makers and law implementers on the legal gender recognition and protection of the rights of LGBTIQ+ community. Mothopeng is always working to serve the community through leadership, community

radical Anna Walentynowicz (Poland) was a crane-worker, trade union activist, co-founder of Solidarity, a trade union movement in the Eastern Bloc. Anna Walentynowicz was just months away from retirement when she was accused of being a troublemaker. Her firing triggered strikes across Poland involving more than a million workers overall. The shipyard workers stayed out on strike for 17 days forcing the government to agree, with slight modifications, to the strikers’ demands of Pay raise, free speech, rights to unionise, maternity and child care leave. And after martial law was imposed in December 1981 Walentynowicz was a key member of the underground movement which continued to defend workers' rights and campaign for democracy. Constantly harassed and arrested by the secret police she refused to be intimidated and was one of those who maintained rank and file organisation when the movement was at a low ebb. Anna Walentynowicz and others, including Lech Walesa, formed the Free Trade Union Committee, and publishing an underground newspaper. They linked up with other groups of workers as well as the student and intellectual opposition in Warsaw that organised the so-called Flying University. It was a secret organisation, though Walentynowicz never hid, taking up every individual case that she could and denouncing corrupt practices such as the embezzlement of union funds. Walentynowicz will be remembered as a leader who successfully motivated a nationwide solidarity movement over workers’ rights.

radical Gladys Habu, (Solomon Islands) is an environmental activist who has campaigned for many years on a local and international level to advocate for increased awareness of the impact of climate change.

When she was 14 years old, Gladys first saw how rising sea levels were starting to affect an island near her home. Five years later, Kale island, where her grandparents had lived, completely disappeared. Gladys is now working with other young people from across the world to drive forward greater awareness of the effects of climate change for Pacific Island countries. Gladys is also a UNICEF Pacific Supporter, focused on improving child and maternal health and acting as a role model to young women on the island. Gladys is a powerful advocate of the need to act now and a positive example to young people of how to bring about change.

“Climate change is not just an environmental crisis. It is a health crisis and a social crisis as well.

“In recognition of my work, you have also recognised our reality, living on the frontline of this climate crisis.

“Embracing nature has always been part of me.” Gladys Habu

radical Milikini Failautusi (Tuvalu) is an activist from Tuvalu working in the areas of youth, climate change, gender, human rights, indigenous rights, and sexual reproductive health and rights.

As the coordinator of the Tuvalu National Youth Council, she advocates for Tuvaluan youth in the country’s development agenda, and also works closely with the Pacific Youth Council on issues facing Pacific’s young people at the regional level.

Milikini is also a member of Pacific Young Women Leadership Alliance, which works to empower young women around the Pacific on issues affecting them. While she is deeply respectful of traditional culture and acknowledges the important role it plays, Milikini has been unafraid to take on long-standing cultural norms that stand in the way of progressing gender equality in Tuvalu. Milikini has been pushing for gender equality on a number of fronts in Tuvalu including equal participation of women in government and leadership, equal wages for women, and calling for a stop to domestic and gender based violence.

radical Brianna Fruean (Samoa) is a climate change activist, a founding member of the grassroots climate change movement 350.Samoa, and leader of the environmental group “Future Rush”, which have rallied youth and communities alike in Samoa and the wider Pacific region to tackle climate change and embrace sustainable development. Brianna continues to develop and strengthen the voice of young people in the Pacific on the key issues of environment and climate change through a variety of activities including visiting schools and teaching children and youth about climate change and empowering them to be agents of social change.

“We as youth may not hold all the power or money in the world but we have something more valuable in my opinion and that is passion.” - Brianna Fruean

radical Norma Yeeting, (Kiribati) is a Sexual and Reproductive Health Advocate,

Norma Yeeting is a sexual and reproductive health and rights champion in Kiribati, whose work has resulted in improvements in the lives of many I-Kiribati men and women.

Norma is the executive director of Kiribati Family Health Association (KFHA), the leading sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) NGO in Kiribati, where she heads up a team of 15, including clinical and professional staff.

Norma is a role model to both men and women of all ages. Through her leadership she is supporting positive change for the people of Kiribati.

radical Dulat Agadil (Kazakhstan) was a well-known human rights activist who lived in the village of Talapker near Nur-Sultan (Astana). Agadil repeatedly spoke for the civil rights and freedoms of Kazakhs, including the rights of political prisoners and for free and fair elections. He was one of the most well known leaders of the protest movement in Kazakhstan (especially in the Kazakh-speaking environment). He was one of the initiators of the opposition movement ‘Koshe Partiyasy’. and he was involved in the opposition movements ‘Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan’ (DCK).

Dulat Agadil demanded the release of political prisoners in Kazakhstan and was known for having publicly defended thousands of Kazakhstani people who have become victims of oppression in China’s Xinjiang province, and also known for criticizing the Chinese economic expansion in Kazakhstan. He was dedicated to fighting in the opposition against the Kazakhstan government, an opposition which eventually led to the resignation of President Nursultan of Kazakhstan.

radical Latoya Nugent (Jamaica) is the co-founder of Tambourine Army, a social justice movement that seeks to end impunity against sexual and gender violence, as well as of WE-Change (Women’s Empowerment for Change). Through the latter initiative, she provided training in public policy and advocacy to lesbian, bisexual and transgender women, as a means of fostering their social participation and the creation of safe spaces for exercising their rights. Since 2013, she worked to promote LGBTI rights at J-FLAG, one of the most well-known civil society organisation in Jamaica. in 2016, After recieving information from victims, Latoya Nugent exposed the sexual abuse of minors perpetrated by the Morovian Church ministers, of which two ministers have been charged.

“More and more LGBT people [are] standing for their rights, for equality before the law, for equity in social services and protection, and demanding that they be treated with the inherent dignity with which they were born. I am one of those LGBT people. And I remain committed to eliminating all forms of stigma and discrimination against my community in general and against the women in my community in particular,” - Latoya Nugent

radical Rafael Marques de Morais (Angola) is a journalist and anti-corruption activist who received several international awards for his reporting on conflict diamonds and government corruption in Angola. He currently heads the anti-corruption watchdog Maka Angola dedicated to exposing corruption and human rights abuses in his country.

“For there to be press freedom, people must speak freely, without fear. So, I have had to fight to help free the Angolan people from fear as well. Otherwise, journalism is like building a sand castle near a high tide”. - Rafael Marques de Morais

radical Greta Thunberg ( Sweden ) is an environmental activist known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation In 2018, the first day of the school year, 15-year-old school student Greta Thunberg began a solo school strike demanding government action on climate change. Instead of going to class, she printed leaflets declaring "My name is Greta and I’m in ninth grade. And I refuse school for the climate until the Swedish general election." Then she headed to the Swedish parliament building where she protested alone. Within a couple of days a handful of people began to join her, and she gave numerous interviews to journalists, making headlines around the world. Within a few months, hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren in hundreds of towns and cities around the world organised their own walkouts. Since then Greta Thunberg has been an strong voice for environmental protection and addressing climate change across the world.

“I’ve learnt that no one is too small to make a difference.” - Greta Thunberg

radical Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, (Marshall Islands) is a Poet, Climate Activist, Republic of the Marshall Islands

With her cousins, she co-founded  the environmental non-profit Jo-Jikum, which empowers Marshallese youth to seek solutions to climate change and other environmental impacts threatening their home island.

Her poetry, in her words, “mainly focuses on raising awareness surrounding the issues and threats faced by my people. Nuclear testing conducted in our islands, militarism, the rising sea level as a result of climate change, forced migration, adaptation and racism in America—these are just a few themes my poetry touches upon”.

hands reaching out, fists raising up,

banners unfurling, megaphones booming

and we are canoes blocking coal ships

we are the radiance of solar villages

we are the rich clean soil of the farmer’s past

we are petitions blooming from teenage fingertips

we are families biking, recycling, reusing,

engineers dreaming, designing, building,

artists painting, dancing, writing

we are spreading the word

and there are thousands out on the street,

marching with signs, hand in hand

chanting for change NOW

-Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner

radical Amelia Rokotuivuna was a Fijian socialist and feminist community leader and activist, who was known for her opposition to French nuclear tests in the Pacific and to the Fijian military coups in 1987 and 2000

Protests against French nuclear tests in the region, which Rokotuivuna played a leading role in organizing, became almost daily events. These were particularly organized outside the office of the French airline UTA, which serviced French territories and colonies. She was one of the founders of ATOM (Against Testing on Moruroa), FANG (Fiji Anti-Nuclear Group), and NFIP (Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific), which arose out of a regional conference called by ATOM and later became PCRC (Pacific Concerns Resource Centre). She was very much involved with that Conference, which was held in Suva in April, 1975. International awareness of her opposition to French testing led to an invitation to participate in an NGO meeting held in parallel with the first United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Mexico City in 1975, where she spoke out against nuclear testing in the Pacific by the French, American and British nuclear powers.

In 1980, Rokotuivuna co-organised a protest against the Chilean dictator, Augusto Pinochet, when his plane landed in Fiji for refuelling, throwing tomatoes at the plane and persuading the airport ground staff to refuse to refuel the plane,

During the two Fijian coups in 1987, which were aimed at ensuring that the indigenous Fijians would not lose power to the Indo-Fijians, Rokotuivuna has said that the major challenge for Fiji people was to understand human rights. She led a youth protest march after the first of the two coups. Later, she worked with the Citizens' Constitutional Forum in the 1990s to secure popular agreement on a new democratic constitution.

Shih Ming-te (Taiwan) commonly known as Nori Shih, is a human rights defender in Taiwan and was once a political prisoner. Shih was one of the most prominent personalities of the Tangwai movement and greatly contributed to Taiwan's democratization.

radical In 2006, Shih carried out a massive protest, known as Million Voices Against Corruption, President Chen Must Go, in an effort to force the embattled president Chen Shui-bian to resign. A month later, He led an around the clock sit-in in front of the Presidential Building and Taipei Railway Station in Taipei City, pledging to remain there until such time as President Chen resigned. On that day, over 300,000 people gathered on Ketagalan Avenue, in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei under the pouring rain. Shi Ming-te founded the Shih Ming-te Foundation, a non-governmental organization that aims to promote the advancement of ethnic reconciliation, free nations, equality, democracy and human rights.

Shih Ming-te’s 40 years of struggle for Taiwan's democracy, has proven him a visionary, making several pioneering proposals ahead of his time.

radical Robert Bradshaw (Saint. Kitts) was a labor activist and first premier of Saint Kitts. Bradshaw was fired from his job as a machinist in a sugar factory because of his participation in a 1940 strike. This precipitated his involvement with the St. aKitts-Nevis Trades and Labour Union—first as a member of the Executive Committee, and then as president from 1944 until his death. Bradshaw's prominence in ensuing strikes, as well as his charismatic self-presentation and forceful oratory, propelled him to the leadership (and unquestioned dominance) of the union's political branch, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party, thus setting the stage for his aggressive actions for self-government and social reform in the British colonies of St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla.

In 1946 Bradshaw was elected to the Legislative Council. From this arena he launched the thirteen-week strike of 1948, which almost brought the exploitative sugar industry on St. Kitts to a standstill. He also unleashed protests against European appointments to the island's government, including the 1947 candlelight procession demanding the removal of the St. Kitts administrator, Leslie Stuart Greening (with the crowd chanting "Greening Must Go") and the massive 1950 demonstration against the governor of the Leeward Islands, Kenneth Blackburne.

Bradshaw used his dual position as union leader and political leader to advance the welfare of workers, primarily on St. Kitts. He presided over the enactment of legislation providing for a social security system, free secondary education and health care, improved housing, road rebuilding programs, and other infrastructure development.

One of Bradshaw's major triumphs was in reversing the stranglehold the sugar plantations had over the St. Kitts economy and the subordination of workers to estate proprietors, by acquiring all the plantation land on the island, and returning it public ownership . Bradshaw with his life-long advocacy of economic and political autonomy has been hailed as the "architect of modern St. Kitts-Nevis" and officially recognized as a National Hero.

radical Salwa Bugaighis ( Libya) played an active role in the 2011 uprising against Colonel Gaddafi. The human rights lawyer was known for opposing armed militias and radical Islamic extremists. The lawyer and activist was a key figure in the fight against political oppression and to promote of civil and political rights in Libya. Salwa defended many political prisoners against the Gaddafi regime. With the help of some fellow lawyers and activists, she took part in the movement against Muammar Gaddafi from its very beginning in February 2011. She focused on trying to keep some order during the protests.

She played an important role in the transition of the country, working as a counsellor for Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTCL). Through her work at the Transitional Council, she focused on trying to bring order in the aftermath of Qaddafi’s fall. She advocated for more participation by women in politics, and criticised the absence of proper democratic practices in the emerging Libya.

Her optimism for her country combined with her promotion of a peaceful democracy remain the most important parts of her legacy.

Salwa Bughaighis was an extraordinary woman – a confident militant who stood up against the Islamist militias. Salwa has been an inspiration for Libyan women, a defender of women’s rights whose beliefs and actions were reflected in her actions.

radical Rosie Hackett ((Ireland ) Rosie Hackett (Ireland) was 18 when helped to organise more than 3000 women in the Jacobs Factory to withdraw their labour in protest. The women were successful and they received better working conditions and an increase in pay.

Two weeks later Rosie cofounded the Irish Women Worker Union, which was set up to protect women from the horrendous conditions which they were expected to work in. Being actively involved in the trade union movement, she once again helped to organise the women in Jacobs to strike and protest against poor working conditions. The Irish Women Workers Union organised over 70000 women. She then went on to work in the Eden Quay Co-Operative where she worked for over 40 years.

radical Adilur Rahman Khan Bangladesh is one of most devoted human rights defenders in the country. In his decades of activism, he has established a nationwide network of rights defenders and leads Odhikar, the country’s premier human rights organization. Odhikar monitors an extraordinary array of human rights violations in Bangladesh, including restrictions on freedom of expression, abuse by security forces, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial and border killings, torture, violence against women, and voter suppression.

From exposing the government's role in enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings to successfully campaigning for Bangladesh's first law against torture, Adil has courageously fought to protect human rights, even in the face of grave personal danger. Adil’s courageous work is critical in holding the Bangladeshi government to account and exposing the most serious human rights violations in the country.

radical Chavannes Jean-Baptiste (Haiti) is an Agronomist who founded the Peasant Movement of Papaye (MPP) in 1973 to teach the people of Haiti the principles of sustainable agriculture. It became one of the most effective environmental movements in Haitian history, successfully fostering economic development, environmental protection, and individual survival. Jean-Baptiste carried out his work despite Haiti’s extremely volatile political climate. He survived several assassination attempts, though death threats forced him into exile from 1993 to 1994. Jean-Baptiste and his colleagues train farmers to use water-saving drip irrigation systems, natural fertilizers and pesticides in place of toxic commercial products, and to build low-cost erosion-prevention structures. The resulting increase in long-term crop yields significantly decreased dependence on imported foods, reduced malnutrition rates in children, protected vital water supplies, and helped decrease overall poverty levels in central Haiti. Together MPP members have planted more than 20 million fruit and forest trees to help stabilize Haiti’s fragile soil and provide access to more food sources.

radical Tamara Bunke (Argentina) known as (Tania or Tania the Guerrillera), was a revolutionary and spy who played a prominent role in various Latin American revolutionary movements. She fought alongside guerrillas under Che Guevara during the Bolivian insurgency

She was later selected to take part in “Operation Fantasma”, Che Guevara’s guerrilla expedition to Bolivia aimed at sparking revolutionary uprising across South America, inspired by the Cuban Revolution. Styling herself as ‘Tania’, she quickly impressed many with her intelligence, stamina and skill for espionage.

In October 1964, Tania la Guerrilla traveled to Bolivia under the fake name of Laura Gutierrez Bauer, as a secret agent for Che Guevara's last campaign. Her first mission was to gather information about the Bolivian political elite and its armed forces. Posing as an Argentinean expert in folklore and right-wing sympathies, Tamara quickly managed to infiltrate the upper echelons. Using all her spy skills, she climbed up the ladder of La Paz society to the friendship of Bolivian President René Barrientos himself, with whom she even went on holiday to Peru. In order to maintain her cover she also did research on folk music, creating one of the most valuable collections of Bolivian music, and had a marriage of convenience with a young Bolivian to obtain citizenship. She sent coded messages to Fidel Castro, but also to the guerrillas in the field. In order not to be discovered, she pretended to be a radio host giving relationship advice to fictitious couples; this program, called Advice for Women, actually allowed her to transmit coded messages to her companions.

“there is nothing more beautiful to be in the middle of a critical situation, where the revolutionary struggle is the most difficult” - Tamara Bunke

radical Djamila Bouhired (Algeria) is a revolutionary and guerrilla fighter who opposed French colonial rule in Algeria. She was born in 1935 to a Tunisian mother and an Algerian father and was raised in middle class family. While staying at a French school in Algeria, she discovered her revolutionary spirit. When children would repeat every morning “France is our mother”, Bouhired would stand up and scream “Algeria is our mother!” At age 20, she started her national activism against the French colonization when the revolution broke in 1954 after 130 years of French occupation. In 1957, before a large planned demonstration in the Casbah, she was captured by the French. According to her personal account of her incredible story, she was tortured for 17 days to force her to reveal information about the FLD leader, yet she refused, and revealed nothing.

Bouhired was instrumental in sheltering countless FLN members, assisted and carried out many other missions against the French colonizers, and helped organize and sustain the famous and effective 7-day strike of Algerian workers in pied-noir territory.

She was sentenced to death by the guillotine. But because her imprisonment drew so much local and international media attention, the French colonial regime backed down and sentenced her to life imprisonment instead. was released from prison when the war came to an end; and she continues to be regarded as an icon of the Algerian Revolution. Djamila Bouhired resides in the capital of Algeria, Algiers, and continues to be a militant for several causes of which she participates in protests and marches, including the 2019 Algerian protests

“I know you will sentence me to death but do not forget that by killing me you will not only assassinate freedom in your country but you will not prevent Algeria from becoming free and independent,” - Djamila Bouhired

radical Carmen Gheorghe (Romania) is activist who works for Roma women’s rights. As a Roma woman who experienced multiple kinds of discrimination, Carmen sees her life work as building a new and collective pan-European narrative for Roma women, which considers their unique identities to reshape the mindset and the image of Roma women.

She is the president of E-Romnja the only feminist Roma organization in Romania, which promotes Roma women's rights. Long after Roma slavery ended, Roma women across Europe still face structural inequalities (social, cultural, economic), which prevent them from taking active societal roles. In this context, Carmen empowers Roma women to own their unique voice, become changemakers in their communities, and write a new narrative about themselves.

She encourages Roma sisters to be role models for the younger Roma generation that can put a dent on the cultural roles they are taught they need to fill. To ensure that Roma women claim their equal and unique role in society, Carmen is building national and international alliances with feminist, LGBTQI+, art organizations, and embassies, foundations, and policymakers.

She is empowering Roma women to shift the power dynamics in their communities and in their relationship with the authorities. They become bottom-up change agents that challenge and reshape mindsets and the law frameworks that exclude them. Through E-Romnja, Carmen developed a grassroots community intervention methodology called SORA (Study, Organize, Revendicate, Advocate) to work intersectionally with women. The intervention considers each community's micro-culture. Starting with an in-depth analysis of Roma women's lives, E-Romnja’s team designs a long-term master plan, women becoming sisters, part of the process. Together they plan monthly meetings, community events, workshops on specific topics (sexual education, maternity, etc.) and local advocacy interventions. After working with over 900 women in 7 communities across the country where mentalities have put Roma women on the outskirts of the society, significant changes happen. Roma women become aware of the multiple elements of their identity and how to use them to be active changemakers in their communities and in the relationships with the public authorities.

radical Xanana Gusmão (Timor-Leste) is a For over 40 years, Xanana Gusmão has worked for the freedom and development of his country, Timor-Leste. During these 40 years, Xanana Gusmão has held many roles, from resistance leader, political prisoner, and poet, to negotiator, diplomat, and politician.  Xanana Gusmão lead the East Timorese resistance movement, which continued to seek the independence of East Timor through both armed struggle and peaceful political activity. During his 17 years in the jungles of Timor-Leste, Gusmão became a vital leader in the organisation. He also wrote poetry and painted artworks that were sold to finance the resistance he continued to lead. Gusmão would spend seven years as a political prisoner, and although he was not released until late 1999, he continued to lead the resistance from within prison. Prison was tough and he repeatedly wrote about fear and mistreatment, noting that the authorities encouraged other prisoners to insult and harass him constantly. Gusmão was finally released, and upon his return to his native East Timor, he began a campaign of reconciliation and rebuilding. He became the first President of East Timor when it became formally independent on May 2002.

“We seek to build a society that is prosperous and participatory. The true wealth of our new nation will not be its oil or its gas, but its citizens. A country only develops successfully if its citizens are educated and of sound body.”

radical Irakli Kakabadze (Georgia) is a Georgian writer, performance artist, peace and human rights activist. He developed a new method of integrating performing arts and social sciences, called "Rethinking Tragedy" or "Transformative Performance. He has been a practitioner of nonviolent social change and conflict resolution for nearly two decades. He was an active participant of two peaceful revolutions in 1989 (as one of the leaders of student movement) and in 2003 (as one of the leaders of civil disobedience committee).

During his work as peace and human rights activist in 1988-2017, Kakabadze was arrested and assaulted a number of times by the Soviet and Georgian police. Irakli Kakabadze was advocating for political, social and economic rights of people in Georgia since 1988. His campaigns included the campaign against death penalty that was implemented in 1998, against 'Death Squads' in 2006 that has also brought some perpetrators to justice in 2013, and now he campaigns for socio-economic rights. Since 2015 Kakabadze has been actively involved in the movement of homeless and landless in Georgia, who are advocating for their own socio-economic rights as citizens of Georgia.

Kakabadze creative work has integrated performance and conflict resolution sessions Shmazi became synonymous with political performing arts, challenging the economic order of class domination. Kakabadze became a chair of Gandhi Foundation Georgia in July, 2014 and has hosted since number of events teaching Gandhian values and inviting number of well known Gandhian scholars and practitioners to Georgia and Armenia. In 2015 Kakabadze together with Arsen Kharatyan helped to co-found Gandhi Foundation Armenia. Since 1997 Kakabadze has worked tirelessly to bridge Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. In 2016 Gandhi Center of Nonviolence and Peace was founded in Batumi State University that is located in autonomous republic of Adjara, Georgia.

radical Asha Hagi Elmi (Somolia) has dedicated her life to gaining a better and more peaceful future for her war-torn country, Somalia. At great personal risk, she has fought for women to have a voice in the decisions that affect them. She has mobilized women in the cause of peace across clan and political divides and continues to play a vital role in mediating across warring clans in the ongoing peace process.

When the Somali civil war erupted in 1991, Hagi saw defenseless women and children become the prime victims of criminal atrocities, and went on to co-found ‘Save Somali Women and Children’ (SSWC) in the following year. As peace negotiations began in 2000, she founded and has since chaired the Sixth Clan: a brand new approach for an all-inclusive national peace and political decision-making process.

Women in Somalia are in a much stronger position today because of her courage, persistence and compassion.

"women are no longer passive observers, but active participants"

radical Shavarash Karapetyan (Armenia) was a 17-time world champion finswimmer in Armenia during the Soviet Union’s existence. Despite his success as an athlete, he is best known for his incredible heroism.

On a September day in 1976, while training, Karapetyan heard a trolley bus skid off the road and land in frigid Lake Yerevan. As the bus sank, Karapetyan stripped off his clothes and jumped into the lake. As it hit bottom, he broke the windows of the bus and started to pull people out, one by one. In about 20 minutes, he pulled out over 30 passengers, 20 of which survived with his efforts.

As a result of his selfless actions he contracted pneumonia, and when the broken glass-induced gashes on his legs became infected, he developed sepsis. He was hospitalized for weeks and was in serious condition, yet eventually recovered. His doctor said the only reason he survived was because he was in such prime physical shape due to his training.

Unlikely as it sounds, the trolleybus rescue was not the first time Shavarsh Karapetyan saved lives. In 1974 the young athlete prevented an accident involving a bus that carried 30 people. The driver had parked the bus to check on some mechanical issue, but left the engine running. Suddenly, the bus began rolling down an incline toward a mountain gorge. Karapetyan, who was on the bus, broke down the partition that separated the driver’s compartment, grabbed the wheel and steered the vehicle away from the abyss.

Also, Years after the Trolley incident, while walking in a neighborhood Karapetyan came by a burning building and, yet again without hesitation, ran in and saved people inside.

“In difficult moments like this, your love for fellow humans grows even stronger,” - Shavarash Karapetyan

radical Kenita Placide (Saint Lucia) is a human rights, HIV and LGBT activist, native of the island/country of Saint Lucia. They have advocated around HIV and human rights inclusive of women, youth and LGBTI issues, for over 16 years and has worn many hats to bring attention and funding to the smaller islands in the eastern part of the Caribbean. Placide was held up at knifepoint, once their identity and activism became known. But this hasn’t hasn’t stopped Placide’s pursuit and devotion for the liberation and acceptance of genders and sexualities, across the Carribean Islands. “The vision remains however, a united and strong front line of LGBTQI human rights defenders, standing shoulder to shoulder to stem the tide that erodes our freedoms.”

"I stand before you despite facing threats to my community, my advocacy and my life. The struggle is not over. My passion and commitment to social justice has made me what some may call aggressive or combative but what others call determined and brave.” - Kenita Placide

radical edwardLoure .jpg Edward Loure ( Tanzania) is a community leader and Maasai tribe member who led a grassroots organization that pioneered an approach that gives land titles to indigenous communities—instead of individuals—in northern Tanzania, ensuring the environmental stewardship of more than 200,000 acres of land for future generations. For years he has been fighting to demonstrate that native people are good stewards of the land and local ecosystems. Edward continues his work for all of Tanzania. The goal is to scale up efforts so that community-based land titling becomes a key component of land use planning and management that balances the needs of Tanzania’s people, its environment, and economy.

radical Sulak Sivaraksa (Thailand) is an intellectual and activist, who has played a leading role in the mobilisation of Thailand’s civil society. His life-long activism has involved the creation of a string of social welfare and development organisations; the proposal of alternatives to consumerism; and his concern for democracy, human rights and accountable government.

His work has been able to inspire people beyond the borders of Thailand and his concept of development has been of great influence worldwide. However, Sivaraksa’s activism has repeatedly brought him into conflict with the local authorities. He has spent time in jail after being charged with lèse majesté and has had to flee Thailand on several occasions. However, he has never lost his determination to mobilise Thai civil society. In 1963, he founded the Social Science Review, which soon became the most influential publication in Thailand. According to several testimonies, the Review played a crucial role in awakening the student awareness that led to the overthrow of the military regime in 1973.

Sivaraksa is credited with starting the country’s indigenous NGO movement through his creation of a string of social welfare and development organisations rooted in different aspects of Thai society. Running through these organisations is an emphasis on the importance of the spiritual and religious dimension of human life, rooted in his own deep Buddhist sensibility. Sivaraksa developed several new initiatives. One was an international network on "Alternatives to Consumerism" - aiming to record sustainable alternatives to the Western consumer model with different spiritual motivations. The other - the Spirit in Education Movement - developed an alternative approach to mainstream education.

Through his prolific writings and speeches, at home and abroad, as well as through his activism and organisational initiatives, Sivaraksa’s concept of development has been of great influence worldwide.

radical Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal (Thailand) At just 21 years old, Chotiphatphaisal has grown to become the face of Thailand’s emerging anti-junta movement. His leadership has driven thousands of Thais, many of them very young like him, to stand up to the rule of the current military junta, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO,) which seized power from the democratically-elected government in May 2014.

The anti-junta movement protests the military’s restrictions on human rights and civil liberties, including Internet use and its lèse-majesté law – the strictest of its kind on earth – which subjects harsh criminal penalties on anyone accused of insulting the monarchy or government. Chotiphatphaisal’s passion, however, is in education reform. He has founded two organizations, Thailand Education Revolution Alliance (TERA) and Education for Liberation of Siam (ELS,) which provide platforms for further activism.

radical Thích Nhất Hạnh (Vietnam) is a Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet, and peace activist who promotes non-violence towards humans and animals. Thich became one of the world's most influential zen masters, campaigning for peace and urging the practice of mindfulness meditation. While still living in Vietnam, he started a movement called Engaged Buddhism, which combined meditation and anti-war work, and applys Buddhist insights to problems of social, political, economic, and environmental nature. He established dozens of monasteries around the world, the largest in southwest France. Hạnh, is fluent in 7 languages, has written over 100 books.

radical Ahmed Mansoor (United Arab Emirates) is an engineer and member of the Human Rights Watch organization. He was one of the “UAE Five” who were arrested in 2011 for speaking out in opposition to the UAE government. Mansoor in particular was punished for signing a pro-democracy petition. The “UAE Five” eventually received a pardon after serving partial sentences although Mansoor’s passport was revoked and he cannot freely leave the UAE. Since his release, Mansoor has continued to speak out against human rights abuses in his country.

radical Mohammed Alfazari (Oman) is an journalist, blogger, political activist and human rights defender. Alfazari is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Mowatin (“Citizen”) Magazine, an independent electronic journal founded in 2013 that discusses news and community events in Oman and the Arabian Gulf. The journal features the diversity of ideas and freedom of expression with a focus on human rights. The magazine serves as a journal for issues that have been silenced by the Omanian press, advocating for the protection of public freedoms in Oman. Throughout Oman, security forces harass and prosecute activists and critics on vague charges such as insulting the sultan and undermining the prestige of the state. There is a law that penalizes any person who sends, by means of telecommunications system, a message that violates public order or public morals. As a journalist and blogger, Alfazari has been arrested numerous times for his activism. In 2011, he took part in the Arab Spring protest and advocated for democracy, a real parliament with legislative powers, a new contractual constitution, transparency and separation of powers.

radical Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (United Arab Emirates) Known as the Mother of Sheikhs and the Mother of the Nation, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is the country’s pioneering advocate for female rights and has spent decades in her work towards the development and empowerment of women regionally and internationally. Just a few of her current positions include Founder and Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood. Her sponsorship of the Red Crescent Society for charitable aid and humanitarian projects has exceeded millions of dirhams. The Mother of the Nation’s resolute campaigning and numerous establishments have led to landmark breakthroughs in female literacy, representation in government, sports, and culture, successfully raising Arab women’s status globally.

radical Aisha Al-Qahtani, (Qatar) daughter of a powerful military figure, ran away from a life of repression, fled to London in December 2019 while on a trip to Kuwait with her brother, yet has been forced to move constantly since landing in Britain, and has faced harassment from relatives and QAisha Al-Qahtaniatari officials, and now faces a fight for freedom in the UK. “When I walked out of that hotel (in Kuwait) it was the first time in my life that I opened a door without permission,” she said. “The law (in Qatar) doesn’t offer basic human rights for women. They have allowed this crazy, barbaric behavior. Every second I remember how abused I was,” she added. “I am optimistic — that’s how I’ve got this far. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have gone through this crazy journey in the hope of finding a better life.”

Now she lives in the world that spawned the creative spirit that prompted her to break free. Yet she must still question everything: She has cut off contact with everyone she knew in Qatar, uses private networks to communicate and access the internet, and cannot reveal her location for fear of being traced. “I ran away to be free,” she said, “but at the same time there is this fear, so it is not full freedom.” 

Now Aisha uses her voice to speak out and against the oppression of women in Qatar

“It is absolutely urgent that we spread this reality, that oppression against Qatari women is getting worse with time, not because we seek to slander any name, but because we deserve to be an equal citizen and an equal human.” - Aisha Al-Qahtani

radical Tigilau Ness (Niue) is a Niuean New Zealand activist and reggae artist, and performs as Unity Pacific.

Ness is a political activist and first generation Pacific Island New Zealander. After being expelled from high school in 1971 for refusing to cut his afro, he was involved in founding the Polynesian Panthers, a Polynesian rights group modeled after the Black Panthers.

He was active in opposing apartheid and the 1981 Springbok Tour. He was arrested during a protest march and spent nine months in Mount Eden Prison. Ness also took part in Maori land protests including the occupation of Bastion Point. He converted to Rastafarianism during this period.

A veteran musician, Ness was one the founders of the reggae group the Twelve Tribes of Israel in the 1970s, and started a band called Unity in 1975. He formed the Unity Reggae Band in 1985, released an album until 2003. His struggles against injustice and problems faced growing up in New Zealand, feature on "From Street to Sky". He is a caring rebel, a protester, and a talented musician whose songs reflect a life devoted to unity and compassion.

radical Aya Virginie Touré (Ivory Coast (Côte D’Ivoire) is a peace activist and politician in Ivory Coast (Côte D’Ivoire). Touré was the organizer of many political demonstrations and peaceful protests, specifically during the Second Ivorian Civil War in opposition to former President Laurent Gbagbo’s reign. Gbagbo lost the December 2010 presidential election to Alasanne Outtarra, but weaponized violent tactics to stay in power. 

Touré was the president of a women’s group in support of Alassane Ouattara, and in March 2011, a women’s march was organized in part by Aya to advocate for the removal of Gbagbo. There were thousands of women gathered in the streets, dressed in natural materials like clay and sticks with black clothing, peacefully protesting. Upon the arrival of military troops, they opened fire on the crowd and killed seven women, with many more injured. In a show of resilience, many women turned out a week later for a march on International Women’s Day to protest the violence.

Historically, the women of Côte D’Ivoire have had crucial roles in protests and advocacy for political causes. Aya Virginie Touré is an inspiring force for women across Côte D’Ivoire)

radical Diadji Diouf (Sengal) is an LGBTI activist and the head of AIDES Senegal, an organization that provides HIV prevention services to homosexual men in Senegal, a country which has strict anti-gay laws. In December of 2008, Diadji along with 9 other men were arrested and charged with “establishing an illegal organization” and “committing acts against the order of nature” and sentenced to eight years in jail. The men were released in 2009 largely due to pressure placed on the government by international organizations which, while fortunate, was also problematic. The intense media coverage surrounding Diadji’s case made him the target of abuse and discrimination. Despite dangerous circumstances, Diadji uses his visibility and status as one of the country’s only openly gay leaders to continue to fight for LGBTI rights in Senegal and throughout the African continent.

radical Mariam Diallo Dramé (Mali) is a Malian human rights activist focused not only on standing up for the rights of underrepresented people, but also the rights of fellow advocates to continue their work in the face of oppression. She has received global notoriety for establishing several organizations dedicated to helping protect the rights of women and children. 

At the age of thirteen Mariam founded the Children’s Parliament of Mali after seeing the suffering of children living in the streets of Mali’s capital, Bamako. Establishing this organization would serve as the starting point for Mariam’s lifelong commitment to bettering the world. After fifteen years of humanitarian efforts Diallo Dramé would go on to become the founder and president of the Association of Women’s Leadership and Sustainable Development, an organization that advocates for women’s health and reproductive rights, as well as, advancing opportunities for education and leadership. 

Despite her attempts to protect basic human rights in Mali, Mariam has faced intense adversity in her pursuits. Due to the volatile, militarized political state of Mali, her efforts have resulted in attacks on her character and threats against her life, a reality all too common for many human rights defenders. For this reason, Diallo Dramé has joined other advocates to form the Front Line Defenders, a collective dedicated to the creation and implementation of legal policy to ensure proper protections for human rights defenders in Mali to be able to safely conduct their work.

radical Josina Machel (Mozambique)was a hero of Mozambique's freedom struggle. Josina Machel fought for women's rights and encouraged other women to join the fight against Portuguese Colonizers. She died at 25 without seeing her dream of an independent Mozambique become a reality. Because of her dedication to the independence cause - she even refused a scholarship to study in Switzerland, preferring to stay and continue to fight in the guerrilla war against the Portuguese. She also fought for the right of women to take part in the liberation struggle, from bearing arms to being politically active. Josina Machel's legacy is evoked each year on the day of her death on April 7. On this day, Mozambique celebrates its National Day of Women, honoring her engagement for equal rights.

radical Norry Schneider Luxembourg is an environmental activist and a member of the Luxembourg High Council for Sustainable Development (CSDD). Schneider has over a decade of experience working in natural sciences and systems analysis for a multitude of social and environmental NGOs. In 2011 he co-founded Transition Minett, a sustainability and urban gardening initiative in Luxembourg. With a focus on eliminating dependency on fossil fuels, this organization promotes sustainable living and helps the people of Luxembourg learn how to reduce their environmental impact. Appointed to the CSDD in 2016, Norry has been a leading voice in the fight against climate change in his home country. With the aid of the government he has been able to further spread the importance of sustainability. Working on a local level, Schneider has informed local authorities and continues to encourage citizens to participate in the pressing issues of climate action.

radical Melitta Marxer (Liechtenstein) was an activist and suffragist who played a crucial role in women gaining the right to vote in Liechtenstein, making it the last European country to do so. The mother of three daughters, Marxer began her involvement in women’s rights to provide a better life for her children. During the 1960’s she joined a successful effort that would allow for Liechtensteiner girls to attend high school. After this victory, Marxer and other feminists turned their focus to granting women the right to vote but were immediately met with resistance. Following multiple failed referendums, Marxer and her colleagues formed the activist group Aktion Dornröschen which means “thorny rose” and was a play on words for the German name of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The group produced informative literature, held lectures, and lobbied the government to enact the change. 

After years of opposition within Liechtenstein, Marxer and her fellow Aktion Dornröschen activists began a campaign across Europe to spread awareness of their cause, eventually appealing to the Council of Europe in 1983. With international attention on Liechtenstein’s antiquated laws a new referendum was introduced and on July 2, 1984, male voters voted in favor of women’s suffrage. Marxer passed in 2015 at the age of 91.

radical Janis Lipke was a Latvian humanitarian who risked his life countless times to save the lives of Jews facing persecution in Latvia.

Working on the docks in the Latvian capital of Riga, Lipke joined the underground leftist movement. Because of his work in the country’s main port, he was able to harbor and transport fleeing social democrats and communists following the coup d’etat of Kārlis Ulmanis in 1934. His willingness and ability to help political prisoners would foreshadow Lipke’s most noteworthy humanitarian effort.

After the Nazi occupation of Riga during World War II Janis Lipke trained and found work in a “Luftwaffe” (Nazi air force) warehouse. Gaining the trust of his superiors, Lipke began to manage the transportation of the Jews from the Riga Ghetto in and out of the factory to work. Through forgery and bribery he was able to extract people from the factory who could then escape via a system of underground tunnels and shelters built by Lipke and his wife, as well as other supporters in Riga. Later in the war Lipke, operating under the cover of darkness, would begin to rescue Jews from the local concentration camp, taking only a few at a time so they could go undetected. 

Because of Janis Lipke’s bravery, he managed to help save roughly one fifth of the Latvian Jewish population that survived the Holocaust.

radical Fatima Naza (MonteNegro) is a women’s and children’s rights activist and the co-founder of the Center for Roma Initiatives (CRI). CRI is the only organization in Montenegro working to promote the rights of Romani (Roma) women. Roma women face many challenges and abuses due to the strong patriarchal culture within their own community as well as blatant racism from institutions of the state. Roma women are seldom allowed to leave their own homes and between 40% – 70% of Roma women in Montenegro contend that they were forced into marriage before the age of eighteen. Fatima Naza has been fighting against child marriage and violence against women for over 10 years. In 2004, Fatima and her colleagues, began to lead discussion groups for Roma women on the importance of education and taking control of their own lives. The number of Roma children attending public schools and Roma women with university degrees has greatly increased over the years as a result of Naza and the CRI’s continuous efforts. The rise in educated Roma women has also led to them working outside the home which was almost unheard of as little as ten years ago.

Fatima has also starred in the play “Sedam (Seven)”, a drama based on the life stories of seven women rights activists from various parts of the world. Naza played the role of Mukhtar Mai, the sexual assault survivor who has gone on to be a leading voice in the fight for women’s rights in Pakistan. In 2012, Naza, her colleagues Mrkaic and Delija were presented the Anna Lindh Award in the field of women’s participation and leadership. Naza and CRI have also been recognized by the European Commission for their role in the integration of Roma peoples in Montenegro.

radical Halima Hima (Niger) is an advocate for women and children’s rights who has worked with over 100 villages and youth across Niger to understand and find solutions for the many issues that face the nation. Born and raised in Arlit, a small town in the middle of the sub-Saharan desert in northern Niger, Halima grew up focused on her education and became the president of Niger’s Youth Parliament at the age of 15. During this time Halima worked on national campaigns focused on improving education for girls, especially in rural areas. She also spearheaded work targeting juvenile prison reforms, HIV aid for youths, as well as environmental and civic action. Graciously, Halima often refers back to the notion of illimi, a concept passed on by her great-grandmother which translates to “Knowledge, Humility, Purpose” as her motivation to be a force for change in Niger. <

radical Jonah Ratsimbazafy (Madagascar) is a primatologist who advocates for the protection of Madagascar’s lemurs and other wildlife. He leads a team of 20 Malagasy staff who work with the community to preserve the last remaining rainforests linking the northern and southern regions of Madagascar. In 2015, Jonah was named a Conservation Hero for his work to protect Madagascar’s lemurs.

radical Clovis Razafimalala (Madagascar) is a Malagasy environmental activist who combats the illegal trafficking of Madagascar’s natural resources, as well as the political corruption that allows for it to continue. As the coordinator of the Lampogno Network, Clovis has made it his mission to end the trafficking of rosewood in Madagascar. Despite being made illegal in 1975, the exportation of rosewood runs rampant as the bright red bark is highly sought after for luxury products. In order to protect the fragile ecosystems of Madagascar’s forests, Clovis has advocated for an end to this illegal industry. In 2016, Clovis was falsely accused of organizing a riot and committing arson following the arrest of a fellow timber advocate. Although he was not present at the violent protest, Clovis was jailed for these crimes. Following an outpouring of support and a surprise trial, he was released from prison. Unfortunately for the many activists who support this cause, it has become the norm to falsely imprison people who speak out against the illegal trafficking of rosewood. Despite the intimidation they face, Clovis Razafimalala and his supporters remain vocal about protecting the unique beauty of Madagascar.

“The forest is my life” - Clovis Razafimalala

radical Karuna Rana is a Mauritian environmental activist, social entrepreneur, and community organizer. In addition to her work in Mauritius, she has influenced global change through her work. A crucial aspect of Karuna’s work is the connecting, inspiring, and involvement of people around the world to help drive and affect change. Karuna is one of the founders and current leaders of the non-profit SYAH. This organization spreads environmentally sustainable practices and awareness in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) throughout Africa and Asia. SYAH has been able to spread awareness of climate change and ways to combat it in these nations with limited resources and infrastructure. Looking toward the future, Rana By getting more directly involved, she hopes to create future environmental protection policies vital to the well-being of Mauritius. /div>

radical Shahindha Ismail (Maldives) is an activist working to protect human rights in the still developing and tumultuous democracy being established in the Maldives. 

Ismail is the founder and Executive Director of the Maldivian Democracy Network, the first and longest running NGO in the country. This non-profit aims to protect the rights and freedoms of Maldivians, who have witnessed decades of political turmoil as the country has transitioned from a British colony to an independent republic. Through her organization, Shahindaha campaigns for government transparency, free speech, and upholding the Constitution of the Maldives.

In 2017 Ismail publicly supported Maldivians’ right to practice the religion of their choice. As a result, Ismail was publicly denounced by several local news outlets, many of which labeled her an apostate. Shortly after, the police began an investigation of Ismail as a form of intimidation, keen on derailing her humanitarian pursuits. Despite the persecution she has faced, Ismail has stood by her comments and continues to advocate for freedom of religion in the face of fundamentalism along with democratic and basic human rights for all Maldivians.

radical Paul Rusesabagina (Rwanda) is a human rights activist and author who famously hid and protected 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees from the Interahamwe militia while working as a concierge at the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali in the midst of the Rwandan Genocide. His heroism was the subject of the film Hotel Rwanda. Rusesabagina has gone on to establish the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation which fights for human rights around the world.

“Kindness is not an illusion and violence is not a rule.” - Paul Rusesabagina

radical Nicole Sylvester (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) was a prominent Vincentian lawyer and activist who served as president of both the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Bar Association and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association. Sylvester was renowned for love of country and democracy, often using her position to fight for the rights of Vincentians pro bono and working to promote free and fair elections. Nicole rose to national attention in 2008 when she took on a case involving the rape and cover-up of a woman by St. Vincent’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves. In later years, Nicole pioneered, initiated and successfully ran the annual Law Fair. The Law Fair has grown from strength to strength, and is now so well established that it can be described as one of Nicole’s most enduring monuments.

radical Fatmire Feka (Albania) is a peace activist based in Kosovo. She is the founder of Kids Club For Peace movement, a program created to promote conflict resolution, reconciliation, and peace among the children and young adults of Kosovo.

As a child, Fatmire was directly impacted by the growing Serbian-inflicted violence against the nation’s population of Muslim Albanians during the Kosovo War. In the spring of 1999, Serbian troops began to round up Muslim Albanian in Fatmire’s village for execution. Fatmire and her family fled into the woods as their house burned and gunshots rang out in the distance. She would then lose her brother and sister soon after while trying to escape north. While the war ended later that year, Fatmire, just 11 years old, found herself living in a camp  with other families who had been displaced by the war. Fatmire became interested in peace-building thanks to the reconciliation projects at the camp, and founded “Kids Clubs for Peace”, a club that uses meetings, skits and songs to bring youth from all of the different ethnicities in Kosovo together. Feka’s message of reconciliation was difficult for some of her fellow Muslims to hear and she often faced harsh criticism from her own people. Nevertheless, Fatmire persisted in her efforts.

Feka and her younger sisters would eventually emigrate to Toronto, Canada though she continues her peace work for her homeland in Kosovo and has expanded the Kids Club for Peace movement to 14 multi-ethnic clubs in English, Albanian, and Serbian languages to promote tolerance and understanding of ethnicity, race, and religion in conflict zones.

radical Orden David, (Antigua and Barbuda ) is an LGBT rights advocate and president of  Meeting Emotional and Social Needs Holistically (MESH), an organization serving the LGBT community and gender-based violence survivors as well as marginalized and vulnerable groups. Orden David brought the case that challenged the criminalization of consensual same sex partners to Antigua and Barbuda’s High Court. On July 7, 2022— Barbuda High Court of Justice effectively decriminalised consensual same-sex sexual activity. The court held that the criminalisation of consensual sexual acts between same-sex, adult partners infringes the rights to liberty, legal protection, freedom of expression, privacy and protection from discrimination based on sex. This success is a significant milestone in the history of Antigua and Barbuda, and another welcome step forward for LGBT+ rights globally

radical Gerald Bigurube (Tanzania) in a conservationist who has spent his life fighting against poaching and protecting the environment, relentlessly campaigning for nature and wildlife conservation in Tanzania for 44 years. For 16 years he worked for the Tanzanian National Park Authority. Under his leadership, poaching was drastically reduced and wildlife populations recovered significantly. Mr. Bigurube follows the approach that nature conservation can only be sustainable if the local population is involved. He played a crucial role in the development of the Wildlife Management Areas, which helped to ensure that the income from safari tourism also benefits the people living there.

radical Daphne Caruana Galizia (Malta) was a journalist, writer, blogger and anti-corruption activist, who reported on political events in Malta, believing in the power of journalism to build a more just society.. In particular, she focused on investigative journalism, reporting on government corruption, and on the system that enables crimes, like the links between politicians and organized criminals. Caruana Galizia's national and international reputation was built on her regular reporting of misconduct by Maltese politicians and politically exposed persons. Caruana Galizia continued to publish articles for decades, despite intimidation and threats, libel suits and other lawsuits. She relentlessly accused Maltese politicians and other officials of corruption in her popular Running Commentary blog. She was a harsh critic of government. In 2017 she effectively triggered an early election by publishing allegations linking the prime minister Joseph Muscat to the Panama Papers scandal, which exposed the use of tax havens by the rich.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was and remains a formidable force. Her name has become synonymous with truth, strength, perseverance, and exceptionally hard-hitting journalism. She was meticulous and dedicated, unearthing countless scandals that went right to the core of the Maltese government. Daphne was fearless and an inspiration to generations of current and future journalists.

“It’s true that life is unfair, and much of it can’t be helped. Where I can do anything to avoid unfairness, or to set it straight, then I will.” - Daphne Caruana Galizia

radical Birgitta Jónsdóttir (Iceland) is a 'poetician', anarchist, and activist. she co-founded the Icelandic Pirate Party, becoming their first MP.

When The Pirate Party started in 2006, it only had one agenda: to change draconian copyright laws. Since then it has changed primarily because the questions of human rights and cyber protection have become much more relevant. It's a party that has its roots in civilian rights. Though not like many left parties that want to regulate citizens and create nanny states. The Pirate Party believes that regulation should be on the powerful, not the individuals.

Jónsdóttir believes “If you live in a democracy and don't have freedom of information, it's not a democracy. And people have to understand that if you don't have freedom of information online, it's not going to be offline, either.”

Jónsdóttir is a relentless devotee to freedom of information, expression & privacy, and a member of the Icelandic Parliament and chairperson of the International Modern Media Institute. Birgitta has broken ground in the international battle against government secrecy and surveillance laws as the Spokesperson for IMMI and a former WikiLeaks volunteer. She is a supporter of whistleblowers Chelsea Manning, Snowden, and other cyber-activists and played a crucial role in WikiLeak’s release of the Collateral Murder, footage of a US military helicopter as it killed 12 people and wounded two children in 2007. She went to trial against the USA in 2011 to protect the privacy of social media accounts from government investigation. In 2012 she participated in the NDAA class action Hedges vs Obama, challenging the U.S. government’s permission to indefinitely detain people. Birgitta is a regular contributor to the Guardian newspaper. She specializes in 21st century lawmaking.

“I feel it is important to point out that individuals can make a difference, that things that seem impossible one day might suddenly shift into a possibility the next day.” - Birgitta Jónsdóttir

radical Farida Nabourema (Togo) is a key voice in Togo’s pro-democracy movement. A political activist and writer, Farida Nabourema has been a fearless advocate for democracy and human rights in Togo since she was a teenager. Through more than 400 articles, she denounces corruption and dictatorship and promotes a form of progressive pan-Africanism. In 2014, she published La Pression de l'Oppression (The Pressure of Oppression), in which she discussed the different forms of oppression that people face throughout Africa and highlighted the need for oppressed people to fight back.

Nabourema is also the engagement and collaboration coordinator of Africans Rising, a pan-African movement that fights for justice, peace and dignity through grassroots organizing, civic education and advocacy. She cofounded Togolese Civil League, an NGO that promotes democracy through civil resistance. In 2001, at age 20, Nabourema founded the "Faure Must Go" movement, where she supported and organized with Togolese youths to stand against the dictatorial regime of Faure Gnassingbé. "Faure Must Go" has become the slogan for the civil resistance movement in Togo, of which Nabourema is one of the most well-known leaders. 

radical Marc Ona (Gabon) is an environmental Protector, founder of the environmental NGO Brainforest and president of Environment Gabon, a network of NGOs. Marc Ona Essangui led efforts to expose agreements behind a Chinese mining project in Gabon, that threatened equatorial rainforest ecosystems. Deep inside Gabon's rainforest, is a sacred place bathed in a permanent rainbow. The breathtaking Kangou Falls have inspired awe among the local pygmy and Bantu ethnic groups for centuries. They believe that many of their ancestors originated in these frothy pools, explains Marc Ona Essangui, an environmentalist who has been jailed for his fight to protect Gabon's rainforest. Because of Marc Ona’s efforts, the mining project is now on hold, the area to be affected by the dam has been substantially reduced, and to assure environmental protection, two representatives from Environment Gabon monitor the project. This represents an unprecedented victory for civil society in Gabon.

"My fight is the fight of all the people concerned with the survival of the planet. Our forest is home to the most extraordinary biodiversity. It is also a huge natural pharmacy. To destroy it would mean the ruin of humanity." - Marc Ona

radical Pierre M'Pelé (Republic of Congo) is an African public health personality, HIV/AIDS and Tropical disease specialist, M'Pele has been, since the beginning of the HIV pandemic, a pioneer and advocate of the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa and human rights activist for the People Living with HIV. M’Pelé published in February 2019 his first autobiography: An African Doctor’s Journey: From The Beginning To The Near-End Of The AIDS Epidemic In Africa .

radical

Andrée Blouin (Central African Republic) was a political activist, human rights advocate, and writer from Bessou, a village in Oubangui-Chari (later the Central African Republic).

Blouin came to political activism in the Belgian Congo armed with insight gained from her intimate knowledge of colonial violence under French rule. She led a mass grassroots effort to mobilise Congolese women to participate in the independence movement. She stated that “one could not separate the problem of the African continent’s resources from the problem of the African woman.” Blouin criticised colonial education, which limited women and girls to training such as housekeeping and needlework and advocated for a more comprehensive vision of education to be implemented in the new, independent nation.

She worked with the Feminine Movement for African Solidarity, founded on 1960. and their numbers had grown to 45,000 registered members. As their political influence grew, the colonial administration banned their meetings. Congolese politicians, in turn, tried to capitalise on the movement to boost their own popularity. The organisation remained focused on women’s enfranchisement. They outlined a vision for women’s health, literacy, and recognition as citizens of the emerging postcolonial nation. They also created chapters throughout the provinces and empowered local women to take up leadership roles in the movement.

Days before the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared independence, Andree Blouin walked onto the Congolese airport with quick, assured steps. She was being deported by the Belgian government.

Though few knew that she had hidden, in her glamorous chignon hairdo, a political document that bore the signatures of Congo’s nationalist leaders. She planned to take advantage of her expulsion to call an international press conference at which she would reveal evidence of Belgium’s interference in the transition to independence.

During the later part of her years, Blouin lived in exile in France, and welcomed her home to opposition figures and revolutionaries who needed a place to stay, while publishing her: My Country, Africa. Autobiography of the Black Pasionaria

“I want Africa to be loved. I speak of my country, Africa, because I want her to be known. We cannot love what we do not know. Knowing comes first, the love follows. Where there is knowledge, surely there will be love,” said Blouin.” - Andrée Blouin

radical Iason Apostolopoulos (Greece) is the field coordinator of the humanitarian organization Mediterranea Saving Humans, where he leads the Search and Rescue operations in the central Mediterranean Sea onboard the Mare Jonio rescue vessel. He has in-depth knowledge and understanding of migration in Europe and its socio-political context. Iason has been involved in humanitarian and solidarity projects since 2015, most of which were responses to the ongoing refugee reception crises at the borders of Europe, particularly in Italy and Greece. He also spent a year working in South Sudan with Médicins Sans Frontières. In addition to his work onboard the Mare Jonio rescue vessel, Iason actively organizes political and cultural events with Mediterrana Saving Humans. These events include grassroots actions for defending public spaces and oppressed minorities. He is often invited to public events, radio as well as television programs, and universities to speak about the refugee reception crises in addition to other social issues.

“Every human life has equal value. Nobody should be left to die helpless in the seas of Europe because of their race, ethnicity, or legal status. Sea rescue is not a crime. It is an obligation under international law and a universal human right.” - Iason Apostolopoulos

Magda Zenon (Cyprus) radical has been a life-long peace and human rights activist, her context shaped by living in South Africa, Greece, and now Cyprus, where she has resided for the past 16 years. Since moving to Cyprus she has focused on gender violence and women‘s participation and the integration of the gender perspective in the peace process. She is a founding member of Hands Across the Divide, the island’s first women’s organisation, an active member of the Cyprus Women’s Lobby as well as the Gender Advisory Team, an ad hoc group of women that developed specific proposals with a gender perspective. Finally, Magda is a great believer in the power of storytelling—to this end, she has spent the last four years as the host of kaleid’HER’scope, an online radio programme for MYCYradio. Kaleid’HER’scope is a forum for women’s voices that might not otherwise have access to traditional media. Magda has conversations about gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive rights, trafficking, women and peace and women’s participation in decision-making.

radical Lucien Bourjeily (Lebanon) is a writer and director widely known for his work in immersive and interactive theater. Over the past few years he has held numerous interactive plays and workshops all over the world.

Currently based in Lebanon, the activist has been a leading figure in anti-government and anti-corruption campaigns launched by the “You Stink,” movement.  

During heated anti-government protests in 2015, Bourjeily was severely beaten and had to be hospitalized. Bourjeily is also an outspoken critic of film and media censorship in Lebanon.  His anti-censorship play titled “Will it pass or not?” was banned by the Lebanese general security and eventually created widespread backlash against the bureau.  Bourjeily is celebrated for his activism against censorship, across Lebanon, and the world.

“The great thing about improvisation is that it allows us to establish an uncensored form of theater. Freedom of speech is absolutely inherent to artistic expression.” — Lucien Bourjeily

<radical Oleg Sentsov (Ukraine) is a filmmaker Best known for his 2011 film Gamer, In 2013 he became an active member of the AutoMaidan movement, which called for freedom and human rights and helped fuel the EuroMaidan Revolution. Sentsov lived in Crimea’s capital of Simferopol and was active in protests against then-President of Ukraine Viktor F. Yanukovych, who led a pro-Kremlin government before he was removed from office in February 2014. As Russia took control of Crimea in 2014, Sentsov became an outspoken critic of Putin’s disregard for the sovereignty of Ukraine and delivered food to Ukrainian soldiers blockaded in bases by Russian military, and to Ukrainian military servicemen trapped in their Crimean bases. Through his courage and determination, by putting his life in danger, the filmmaker Oleg Sentsov has become a symbol of the struggle for the release of political prisoners held in Russia and around the world. In 2022, As a reservist volunteer, Sentsov is actively fighting the Russian invasion, as are many notable figures in the country.

"Well, if you tell the truth, it doesn’t mean that you’re right. In addition to the truth, there’s also justice and fairness. Think about that! - Oleg Sentsov

radical Yana Buhrer Tavanier (Bulgaria) is the cofounder and executive director of Fine Acts, a global creative studio that encourages collaboration between activists and artists to produce social change-inspiring art. Fine Acts create and commission art that raises awareness, triggers action, and fosters greater support for human rights campaigns. Buhrer Tavanier has coined the term "playtivism" to describe her work: the process of incorporating play into activism. And together with Fine Acts, she consults and trains civil society organizations in creative thinking, utilizing art and embracing play as a tool for social change. She's also the cofounder of TimeHeroes.org, which aims to establish volunteering culture in developing societies.

<radical Maurice Bishop (Grenada) was a revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement. The New Jewel Movement had overthrown the corrupt and unpopular dictator Eric Gairy in an almost bloodless coup. For years, Gairy ruled through fear. His secret police, the “Mongoose Gang,” had been supplied by the U.S.-backed Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. The revolution launched by the New Jewel Movement — the “Revo,” as it was affectionately dubbed — was immensely popular. Bishop became Prime Minister of Grenada and suspended the constitution.

Bishop advocated for workers’ rights, women’s rights and African liberation. He believed this could be achieved through mass education of the people, visionary leadership, self-reliance and economic interdependence among sovereign nations. Bishop also introduced a system of direct democracy, where citizens were able to voice their opinions on matters of the country, and even give input into the island’s budget. Under his administration, Grenada developed relations with Cuba, Libya, Soviet Union, Nicaragua and other socialist and anti-imperial states. By 1982, a literacy campaign was under way, new schools had been built, and unemployed youth in the countryside benefited from new agricultural cooperatives. Grenada welcomed Cuban aid: teachers, health professionals, and construction workers on the new international airport who aimed to replace the antiquated and dangerous airstrip up in the mountains.

In just four years, employment rose by 350 %. Instead of advertising cigarettes and booze, colorful billboards throughout the island promoted education: “Each One Teach One,” “If You Know, Teach; If You Don’t, Learn,” and “Education Is Production, Too.” Although the revolution was short-lived, Bishop was able to transform an entire society, and restore hope and order to an oppressed people.

“Forward ever, backward never.” - Maurice Bishop

<radical Ronelle King (Barbados) is an Afro-Barbadian human rights activist and intersectional Caribbean feminist. In 2016, she founded the viral social media movement #lifeinleggings, which later evolved into a grassroots organization, Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-based Violence through Education, Empowerment & Community Outreach. As the director, she is committed to reducing the region’s pervasive rape culture and eradicating regional occurrences of gender-based violence. In 2019, she co-founded Pink Parliament, an initiative that encourages girls between the ages of 14-20 to consider careers in politics. Through her work, she has been a driving force in highlighting key issues pertaining to gender rights, youth development, and marginalized communities’ protection.

“What motivated me was that I got frustrated with how things are being done, and I wanted to do more. I wanted to do better to create the change I knew could be possible.” - Ronelle King

<radical Atherton Martin (Dominica) is an agronomist and environmentalist, successfully organized opposition to halt a copper mine that would have devastated 10% of the original tropical rainforests covering Dominica, known as the nature island for its rich biodiversity. Two thirds of Dominica is covered by dense tropical forests,The deep ocean surrounding the island is equally rich in biodiversity. With so many of its natural resources left intact, a rarity among Caribbean nations, Dominica has become known as the nature island. Atherton Martin successfully protected this lush tropical island from being devastated by a major copper mine. Now through his work with the Development Institute, where he served as executive director, Martin continued to promote ecologically sound and economically viable development programs that center around public participation.

radical Kristal Ambrose (Bahamas) is an environment activist and marine biologist who convinced the government of The Bahamas to ban single-use plastic bags, plastic cutlery, straws, and Styrofoam containers and cups. The nationwide ban went into effect in January 2020. Ambrose first became concerned about the issue a decade ago when she had to extricate plastic that had been swallowed by a sea turtle. The traumatic operation took two days and left her with a conviction that she would never drop waste on the ground again. At the age of 22, she was invited on an expedition to study the Pacific Ocean, where she sailed through the vast mass of marine and household debris known as the western garbage patch. This brought home how individual consumer habits had global environmental consequences. A short while later she began the campaign that was to become the Bahamas Plastic Movement. Ambrose has engaged youths through many programs in order to inspire and empower them. She designed an upcycle program to motivate them to come up with original ideas about how to repurpose plastic waste. A Junior Plastic Warriors environmental education program was soon created that included music, dance, and art.

“It doesn’t matter how young you are, where you are from or what color you are. This is your world. This is your future. You deserve a seat at the table in making decisions that impact you.” - Kristal Ambrose

Elma Francois (trinidad) (1897–1944) was renowned for her Afro-Caribbean activism known for her pro-trade union, anti-war and anti-colonial work, fighting against the deplorable living conditions of the poor in the British colonies of the English-speaking Caribbean. She led many public demonstrations to highlight the plight of persons living in poverty. She made her greatest contribution as one of the first women in the trade union movement in Trinidad. Francois worked as a community organizer in grass-roots communities, educating people about the importance of exercising their voices.

Ever conscious of her African heritage , she formed the National Unemployed Movement(NUM) later known as the Negro Welfare Cultural and Social Association (NWSA). NWSA sought to empower Black people, particularly Black women, socially, politically and economically. Elma became “Comrade Francois” and the chief ideologue of the organization. At NWSA, both women and men were treated fairly and unlike other movements of the time, NWSA did not form a separate women’s wing. It is credited as being the first gender-neutral organization of its time. It was also the first and only organization in the Caribbean that registered the unemployed.

Her approach to community organizing followed a process where she immersed herself in communities and built strong relationships with members, so she could really understand their plight and so gain their trust. Francois was from a very deprived background and was not formally educated. She was the first woman to be charged and acquitted for sedition in Trinidad during the rise of the trade union movement. Applying her intelligence and eloquence,  Francois successfully defended herself before an all male jury and beat the charge.

“I know that my speeches create a fire in the minds of people so as to change the conditions which now exist…” Elma Francois

radical Godfrey Nzamujo (Benin) is the founder and director of Songhai, his zero waste farm in Benin. Nzamujo began devising a "zero waste" agriculture system that would not only increase food security, it would also help the environment and create jobs. Zero waste agriculture, a type of sustainable farming, takes these principles even further by introducing a regenerative loop, where waste in one area produces feed, fuel or nutrients for another. Songhai has several "eco-literacy" development programs. They range from 18-month training courses for farmer-entrepreneurs, to shorter stays to learn techniques like irrigation. People come from all over the world to study Nzamujo's methods. After seeing success on his first zero waste farm, he expanded throughout Benin and western Africa.

Today, the Songhai model is implemented across the continent, including in Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Nzamujo says they've trained more than 7,000 farmer-entrepreneurs and more than 30,000 people in total since it began. Nzamujo believes zero waste agriculture is now steadily tackling the issues he set out to defeat three decades ago: hunger, unemployment and environmental degradation. And he wants to see it go further.

"Yes, it is a revolution. yet it's a revolution that is not them against us, "It is a revolution that is inviting every people to a new way of seeing things." - Godfrey Nzamujo

radical Abebech Gobena Ethiopian was an humanitarian, and the founder and manager of AGOHELMA, one of the oldest orphanages in Ethiopia. At the age of 10, Gobena was married without her consent, so she she ran away to the capital, Addis Ababa. There, she managed to get basic education and later worked as a quality controller at a coffee and grain company. In 1973 she visited Wollo Province, an area was severely stricken by famine. In a feeding center, Gobena saw a child next to her dead mother. She distributed the only thing she had to other victims, a loaf of bread and five liters of water, and brought the child along with another orphan to her home in Addis Ababa. In one year, she brought 21 children to her home.

In 1980 Gobena created (AGOHELMA) and it has become one of the earliest orphanages serving youth in the Ethiopia. AGOHELMA provides various services in addition to the orphanage itself, including formal and non-formal education, HIV/AIDS prevention activities, habitat improvement and infrastructure development, empowerment of women, among others. Additionally, it provides institutional care for 150 orphans. Since its establishment, over 12,000 needy children have been supported by the association with over 1.5 million people having benefited either directly or indirectly from the association in different regions of the country.

<radical Amina Idan Paul (Djibouti) is an environmental activist, a blogger, and the founder of an environmental movement called Ecolo à Djibouti. Through these initiatives, she raises awareness about environmental issues and the importance of changing our attitude towards nature. “It is futile for us to say we can do nothing to protect the environment because others are causing more damage. We have to act. Now. I’m convinced that we need to stop waiting for change to come from the outside, and instead start thinking about what we can do today. There is no such thing as small actions. Every action counts, and it all builds towards us reducing our impact on the environment. These small gestures, when put together, can make a big difference.”

<radical Martha Mebrahtu (Eritrea) was one of the hero of the Eritrean struggle, a young eccentric Eritrean feminist and a revolutionary during the rule of Emperor Haile Selassie. Martha was a seventh-year medical student when she started fighting against injustice, inequality, and oppression. Parallel to her academic career, she was the elected president of the University Medical Students’ Association. She unshakably criticized the feudal system that exploited the poor and passionately advocated for social change. Along with her colleagues, she hijacked an Ethiopian Airlines commercial plane to demonstrate their disapproval of the way Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was governing the country. The night before the hijacking, Martha wrote her manifesto.

Mebrahtu was an inspiration for many women across Eritrea, inspiring young minds that passionately fought against injustice, inequality and oppression, and eventually brought down King Haile Sellasie and dictator Mengistu Hailemariam.

"We, women of Eritrea and Ethiopia, are not only exploited as members of the working classes and peasants, we are also victims of gender inequality, treated as second class citizens. Therefore, our participation in this struggle must double the efforts of other oppressed groups; we must fight harder, we must be at the forefront.” - Martha Mebrahtu

radical Maxwell Dlamini (Eswali)is a Swazi activist and high-ranking member of the banned political party PUDEMO, which demands democratic change and socio-economic justice in Eswali. Maxwell helped to organize pro-democracy student groups in opposition to Swaziland’s strict monarchical control.

“I hope that I can inspire others to rise out of their fear and challenge this backward and archaic system of royal supremacy, not through desktop and boardroom activism, but through open defiance”. - Maxwell Dlamini

radical Dorottya Redai (Hungary) is a writer who spearheaded the publication of “Meseorszag Mindenkie” ("Fairyland is for Everyone"), a children's book that retells classic fairytales. The book features disabled children, Roma people, LGBT protagonists and members of other minority groups as characters. Among the new protagonists are a Roma Cinderella, a lesbian Snow Queen, and a gender non-conforming deer, and a trans greek boy, Caenis, based on Ovid's story from the Metamorphoses. This work shows so beautifully how colorful life is. It makes young people believe that - no matter who you are - there is a fairy tale waiting for you that is your life.

The book a caused tsunami of response from media and politicians, and the The uproar also made the book a bestseller in Hungary, and led to international publishers seeking to release editions in numerous other languages.

Redai also works as an LGBTQI+ activist for the lesbian organization Labrisz, among others. On her behalf, she gives lectures on homophobia and bullying in schools and runs programs to get to know LGBT people better.

Standing up to hate against LGBTQI+ in Hungary takes a lot of courage. And Redai's efforts to publish and defend the collection of tales make her a “symbol of courage” in a “hostile societal environment.

radical Zana Fabjan Blažič (Slovenia) is an Organiser & DJ who has been active in the field of support and solidarity for refugees since 2015. Together with the collective Ambasda Rog, she has been offering refugees the legal, emotional, political, and other support necessary for survival in recent years. Together, Zana has crucially contributed to making Ambasada Rog a safe place, outside racism and market relations. It was a space of socialising, freedom, mutual care, legal support, joint preparation of lunches, and common adventures, as well as a space for planning strategies of freeing people from the claws of the centre for foreigners and deportation. She was present at Ambasada Rog every day from its beginnings. She has collaborated with individuals in their preparation for interviews in the international protection procedure, supported them in preparation for legal processes upon complaints about denied international protection, cooked lunches, and organised numerous community events.

Zana is a tireless fighter for a world without borders, racism, and incarceration of people. Her experience in avoiding state violence did not stop Zana’s anti-racist work. She continues to establish relationships with people who are detained in the centre for foreigners, and is in constant engagement in how to get people free. Zana fights against racism and capitalism both on the structural level and in everyday interpersonal relations. Zana is a fighter against racism and capitalism on a structural level and in everyday human relations.

radical Smirna Kulenović (Bosnia) is a transdisciplinary artist, activist and researcher. Her practice focuses on performance, participatory, and public art.

She is the founder and artistic coordinator of ‘Dobre Kote’ the Collective for the direct liberation of public spaces in Sarajevo.

“I was sitting in a park and listening to two teenagers talking about the park as a good “Kota” So, this word was the key to the idea. In Bosnian, it means “a good location”, and when teenagers use it locally, it implies being a “good location for illegal activities”.

“We wanted to take an abandoned space and create a place out of it. A place where people will feel inspired to hang out, meet their neighbors, play, create art. First, we found a space that was previously abandoned, unsafe for people to hang out in, gray and unused. Then, we circulated a questionnaire among 250 people who live in the buildings that surround this space and tried to gather their ideas and wishes about the possible new use for it and and the look of it. And then finally, we sat down together and made an initial drawing of the space, which we transformed in only seven days of constant work. (Painting, rebuilding, cleaning). At the same time, we announced a photo contest where we collected a wall full of photos that tell a story about Sarajevo. In the end, we assembled a public exhibition of the 30 best photos from the contest, and installed it in this place. Since the opening, we have started holding art workshops in this place every week, with local kids. We draw, dance and talk about the meaning of life together.”

radical Ana Čolović Lešoska (Macedonia) is a biologist who since 2011 Ana Colovic Lesoska led a seven-year campaign to cut off international funding for two large hydropower plants planned for inside Mavrovo National Park—North Macedonia’s oldest and largest national park—thereby protecting the habitat of the nearly-extinct Balkan lynx. As a result, finance for the hydropower project was withdrawn, and its loan was canceled. While seven months pregnant, Lešoska went door to door in the villages near Mavrovo informing locals about the impacts of the projects. And succesfully convinced the Government of North Macedonia to suspend further work on dams in the national park.

Lešoska created the Eko-Svest Center for Environmental Research and Information, to safeguard North Macedonia’s national parks and cultural heritage from large infrastructure projects, encourage citizen participation in the country’s national energy strategy, and promote sustainable transport, waste management, and energy sources.

Despite threats to her safety from the North Macedonian government and ELEM, she protected North Macedonia’s oldest national park and stood up for the critically endangered Balkan lynx.

"I felt that it was a matter of injustice, it's not as if a meteor dropped on the middle of the park and destroyed the lynx, it's a decision... It was a decision by the banks to contribute to the extinction of the Balkan lynx.” - Ana Čolović Lešoska

radical Dana Mills (Israel) is an activist and political theorist who has written extensively on dance, history, and politics. Her first book from 2016, Dance and Politics: Moving Beyond Boundaries, examines a range of historical dances within their political contexts. Her book, Dance and Activism: A Century of Radical Dance, which was published 2022, further explores the role of dance in social justice. When speaking about dance and activism Mills says, “When planning a big march, I have to think about where do we start, where do we go, what will be the physicality of it, what will the pictures look like. If you are an activist, you are choreographing bodies in space.” In 2021, Mills decided to leave academia and moved back home to Israel to work full-time as an activist. She now lives in Tel Aviv and is the Director of Development and External Relations for the Israeli activist peace movement, Peace Now, the largest and longest-standing Israeli anti-occupation movement advocating for peace through public pressure, and direct action.

Peace Now was a key advocate of Israel's 2004 Disengagement Plan, the unilateral dismantling of the 21 Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Israeli settlers and army from inside the Gaza Strip. Peace Now continues to organise demonstrations and rallies in support of peace and human rights, along with its ongoing Settlement Watch project which monitors and protests against the building of Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

“I continue my daily work because I believe ending the occupation is the most urgent and necessary step and stopping the circle of violence and especially the bombardment of Gaza is crucial. We are grateful to those who choose to support us, Israelis and Palestinians, who are fighting the occupation on the ground. As I wake up to another day of work, this sustains me. Until the next alarm, we continue to fight for peace.” - Dana Mills

radical Věra Chytilová (Czech Republic) was an avant-garde Czech film director and a pioneer of the Czech cinema. In the 1980s, she was banned by the Czechoslovak government. She was best known for her Czech New Wave film, Sedmikrásky. (Daisies)

Věra produced pioneering work often commenting on the political corruption and media censorship of the Czech socialist regime and, although she refuted the feminist label, her work was often categorised as “women’s cinema” due to its candid presentation of women’s lives and its anarchic streak.

radical Alexandra David-Neel (Belgium) b.1868 – 1969, was an explorer, anarchist, and Buddhist. She would complete over 30 works and travel the world in search of spiritual answers, rejecting the status quo and social norms of the French society she grew up in. Not only did she travel into Tibet, which was forbidden to any foreigners at the time, in search of spiritual teachings from Tibetan monks, she also lived in a cave for two years. She then traveled to Japan. There, she met a Japanese monk who became her travel partner, and they made a 3,200-kilometer (2,000 mi) journey, some of it on foot, back to Tibet. The two disguised themselves as monks and completed their voyage into the sacred Tibetan city of Lhasa in 1924. There, she translated many of the sacred Tibetan works into French.

"To the one who knows how to look and feel, every moment of this free wandering life is an enchantment, " said David-Neel who lived to the ripe old age of 100 and would continue to write alternative spiritual philosophy until her death.

“No commandments! Live your life! Live your instinct!” - Alexandra David-Neel

radical Lucien Tronchet (Switzerland) was an anarchist and activist. An emblematic figure of trade unionism in Geneva, who took action alongside Italian anti-fascist refugees and Spanish libertarians during the Spanish Civil War.

Between the world wars, it was hard times for the workers' movement and the unions were forced to start all over again. Lucien Tronchet threw himself into this work in a social climate of increasing tension. On May 1928 Lucien Tronchet led a wildcat strike that broke out in the building sector. it lasted 15 days, and the bosses finally gave in to the demands of the reduction of working time, and providing the minimum wage. In the 1930s, he was one of the leaders of the Building Action League, practicing direct action against the bosses. In Easter 1946, another strike erupted, organized by Tronchet. Which led to storming of the town hall in Geneva. The bosses caved in and agreed to award paid holidays.

The fight for workers' dignity was and remained for Trochet an all-round struggle for human dignity.

After the war, he continued his work as a trade union activist, and also fought for the right to abortion, anti-militarism, and the creation of cooperatives. In 1978, he supported the Geneva squatters movement, and continued to live in the pursuit of his beliefs.

radical Helen Tavares, (Cape Verde), is the president of the LGBTQI Association in Santiago, Cape Verde, Launched in 2015 to raise awareness of LGBTQI rights and fight discrimination based on sexual orientation, on gender equality and eliminating violence

“Being LGBT means fighting against prejudice and violence every day,” - Helen Tavares

radical Janet Badjan-Young (Gambia) is a playwright and Founder of the Ebunjan Theatre Troup.

After spending a major part of her life working abroad in Sierra Leone, Kenya, Nigeria and in the Caribbean,she returned to Gambia and has devoted her time to developing of a truly Gambian Theatre which ‘infuses traditional music, dance and acrobatic movement to enhance presentations based on the rich cultural heritage of her people’. After securing land, the Ebunjan Theatre was officially opened in 2011. The structure was built with environmentally friendly earth bricks and is one of the largest domes of its kind in The Gambia and in the Sub-Region. It is the first professional theatre in the Gambia. The performance at the official opening was a Dance/Drama, Chains of inspiration based on the Transatlantic Slave Trade, written and directed by Janet Badjan-Young. She has written plays on HIV/AIDS, Women and Children’s Rights and on historical events and folklore.

“go into anything determined to excel, do not be overconfident, obsserve and learn, and always have in the back of your mind, that you must do well.” - Janet Badjan-Young

radical Mafory Bangoura (Guinea) was an anti-colonialist activist for an independent Guinea.

In 1953, there was a General Strike, intended to force the French government to abide by the Overseas Labour Code. She led the presence of women at the strike committee meeting that followed, and spoke on the behalf of many women, saying they were ready to join the front line and fight for their beliefs. The strike lasted 72 days and Bangoura gave speeches as well as organising women's participation.

After the strike, Bangoura was elected to the African Democratic Rally (RDA) as president of the Women's Committee. In 1954, during an RDA rally, Bangoura encouraged women across the country to go on sex strike. The move was designed to encourage men to join the RDA. She also encouraged women to sell jewelry and clothing to financially support members of the RDA. It is said that Bangoura also designed the uniforms of the RDA and chose the white color, which became their emblem.

During this period, Bangoura also organised a 'popular militia' made up of women, who learned to handle weapons and attack their enemies. Eventually every major neighbourhood in Conakry had its own female militia. Bangoura was also head of the Conakry Red Cross who provided first aid and home-care for all those who were injured during anti-colonialist demonstrations.

In post-independence Guinea, Bangoura held several government positions. She became a leader of the Democratic Party of Guinea (PDG) and a leading activist on women's rights in Guinea, where she represented women's issues.

radical Jeremy Raguain ( Seychelles) is an environmental leader and conservationist primarily working with the Seychelles Islands Foundation, a leading environmental non-profit in Seychelles. He brings a from-the-field perspective to international negotiations. Jeremy has led several projects at SIF, most notably the Aldabra Clean-Up Project to tackle the issue of marine plastic pollution, and supporting the council’s formulation of a “global blue new deal” by assessing young people's priorities for a blue economy. “For me island living entails being close and dependent on our ocean, for food, livelihood, health, recreation and so much more. I advocate for climate action and believe in fighting for a Blue Economy that is sustainable and equitable, having no extractive or fossil fuel industries included,” he says.

Jeremy has a particular focus in determining how small island/ large ocean developing states can better leverage themselves in international politics to protect their biodiversity and human rights by way of global challenges such as climate change, invasive species, plastic pollution and security.

“In the protection of life, life and water are inseparable. The symptom of our greed and disrespect of the Earth’s boundaries manifests itself in many ways; climate change, biodiversity loss, and much more. Plastic pollution is one of the easiest ways to see it. We should not only go out and clean waterways, we should also prevent people and corporations from creating the problem in the first place.” - Jeremy Raguain

radical Kirsten Han (Singapore)

Kirsten Han is an independent journalist and activist. She runs the newsletter We, The Citizens, covering Singapore from a rights-based perspective. Since 2010 Han has been an anti-death penalty activist, working closely with families of prisoners on death row, and she also works with the Transformative Justice Collective, a group committed to seeking the reform of Singapore’s criminal punishment system, starting with the abolition of the death penalty, Together with the collective, she assists inmates on death row and their families, deepens public understanding and discourse around the death penalty and drug control regime in Singapore, builds a movement of people calling for the abolition of the death penalty and a public health approach to drugs in Singapore, Advocating for the human rights of prisoners, especially those on death row.

radical Maryan Abdulkarim (Finland) is writer, journalist, feminist, and activist adressing themes relating to freedom. She participates actively in public discussion as a political commentator and a columnist. Abdulkarim grew up in the central western Finnish city of Tampere.

She collaborates regularly with choreographer Sonya Lindfors and is a member of Miracle Workers Collective, a group that articulates miracles as poetic vehicles from which to expand what can be perceived, experienced, done, and imagined, through spiritual and political resistance as an act of community.

Abdulkarim is also a founding member of the Nordic Feminist Network, including policymakers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sami regions. In 2018 Abdulkarim co-published and the book, ‘About ten myths on feminism’

“Stories humanize and connect us, this is something that is generally agreed upon, and the diversity of stories allows us to find ourselves and our stories narrated, to feel seen in our societies.” - Maryan Abdulkarim

radical Heinz Valk (Estonia) is an social activist, and a witty caricature artist. He is credited for coining the term "Singing Revolution" and its slogan "One day, no matter what, we will win!" some of the most famous sentences from the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, to describe Estonia's struggle for regaining independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. During the “Singing Revolution,” large groups of people managed to organize for independence under the guise of gathering to sing. In June 1988, 100,000 Estonians to sing protest songs until daybreak. Later that year, during an annual song festival known as Laulupidu, bringing choirs from around the country together for a multi-day celebration, with as many as 25,000 people singing on stage at the same time, the Estonians turned again to song. Over 300,000 Estonians gathered for the 1988 song festival. And in another peaceful demonstration, in 1989, people from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia held hands to create the 'Baltic Chain,' a human chain that stretched over 360 miles from Tallinn, Estonia to Vilnius in Lithuania. Activists and the Estonian people kept peacefully pushing and exerting independence. One of the remarkable strategic dimensions of the Estonian nonviolent independence movement was its emphasis on culture. Music—primarily the country’s rich choral tradition—played a central role in producing a sense of unity, defiance, and hope. For centuries, foreign domination had threatened Estonian national and cultural identity. yet the Estonians refused to give up their unique culture. And Heinz Valk was a voice in the larger story of Estonia’s independence sung throughout the country.

radical Jacob Mchangama (Denmark) is a lawyer, human-rights advocate, global expert within free speech and social commentator. He is the founder and director of Justitia, a Copenhagen-based think tank focusing on human rights, freedom of speech, and the rule of law. In 2018, Mchangama wrote and narrated a serial podcast, Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech. An indepth exploration, Interspersed with expert opinion throughout, where Mchangama’s talent at guiding questions leads to a vibrant, insightful talk.

Machangama believes that freedom and democracy do not come naturally, they need to be fought for as hard in a country like Denmark as in any other part of the world.

“No one has won freedom by being silent,” - Jacob Mchangama

radical Fridtjof Nansen (Norway) (1861 – 1930) was an explorer, historian, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian

In his youth, a champion skier and ice skater, he led the team that made the first crossing of the Greenland interior in 1888, and won international fame after reaching a record northern latitude of 86°14′ during his North Pole expedition of 1893–96. His techniques of polar travel and his innovations in equipment and clothing influenced a generation of subsequent Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.

In the final decade of his life Nansen devoted himself primarily to the League of Nations, as the League's High Commissioner for Refugees. In the spring of 1920, Nansen undertake the task of repatriating the prisoners of war, many of them held in Russia. Moving with his customary boldness and ingenuity, and despite restricted funds, Nansen repatriated 450,000 prisoners in the next year and a half.

For the stateless refugees under his care Nansen invented the «Nansen Passport: a document of identification which was eventually recognized by fifty-two governments. In the nine-year life of this Office, Nansen ministered to hundreds of thousands of refugees – Russian, Turkish, Armenian, Assyrian, Assyro-Chaldean – utilizing the methods that were to become classic: custodial care, repatriation, rehabilitation, resettlement, emigration, integration.

In 1921 Nansen directed the relief for millions of Russians dying in the famine of 1921-1922. Help for Russia, then suspect in the eyes of most of the Western nations, was hard to muster, yet Nansen pursued his task with awesome energy. In the end he gathered and distributed enough supplies to save a staggering number of people, the figures quoted ranging from 7,000,000 to 22,000,000.

He worked on behalf of refugees until his end, after which the League established the Nansen International Office for Refugees to ensure that his work continued.

“The difficult is what takes a little time, the impossible is what takes a little longer.” ― Fridtjof Nansen

radical Rodrigo Ghattas-Peréz (Norway) is based in Oslo, Norway, is a Peruvian-Palestinian artist and ‘restivist’

“I’m an independent visual artist, libertarian socialist, creative laborer, cultural mediator, radical community arts organizer. My work explores the intersections of community networks, performativity theories, community intelligence, and life practices of multidirectional care in public space,” says Rodrigo Ghattas-Pérez

Early in 2020, he co-initiated Verdensrommet, a mutual support network for immigrant artists in Norway. Verdensrommet creates art and political activism, guidance, advocacy, creative networks, and provides tools to strengthen interdiasporic art practices. Addressing critical migratory, economic, and labor concerns of this arts community. As many live in Norway without the security of citizenship, Verdensrommet’s ultimate goal is to fight for a change in immigration policy. Ghattas is also co-founder of the artist-led mediation platform The Union and is the founder of the indigenous-contemporary art center and social housing Machaqmara Civic Art House.

“In 2016, I self-exiled from the art market, refusing to take part any longer in commercial exhibit platforms and object-based practices. Rather, my project(s) take the form of autonomous “institutions”, artist-powered initiatives, and counterpower networks as a kind of future-oriented critical exercise. An anti-spectacular, post-studio, commons-minded and participatory practice. I believe in self-organized utopias!” - Rodrigo Ghattas-Pérez

radical Kwame Sousa (São Tomé e Príncipe)

Kwame Sousa is a self-taught artist. In 2014 he participated in the Architecture Biennale in Venice and at the Lisbon Cinema Festival with the video ‘Moinga House’, a project in collaboration with artists René Tavares. Sousa is also teacher at Atelier M, the art school of São Tomé. He creates installations, paintings and sculpture, in which he aims to challenge general societal standards.

Kwame Sousa sees the visual arts as human, social and economic development capital: a source of self-esteem, vertical solidarity and social cohesion, favoring the emotional perception of belonging to an identity, self-knowledge, freedom of speech and intercultural dialogue as social values. His most recent work, ‘O Reino Angolar a Origem’, Origin of the Angolar Kingdom, researches and traces the largely unknown origin of the Angolares, a group of Santomense people with a distinctive culture and language of their own.

radical Vibeke Brask Thomsen (Monaco) is gender-rights advocate based in Monaco. She worked in Bruxelles for various think-thanks and NGOs on arms control, disarmament, and on policies to protect women in conflict zones. She founded the NGO GenderHopes., a Monaco-based non-profit that aims to combat gender-based violence and discrimination by raising awareness, informing policy-makers and the general public and by highlighting negative stereotypes that promote gender-based violence and discrimination. One of their objectives is to raise awareness about gender-based discrimination and violence.

In 2011, she moved to Monaco where she founded SheCanHeCan, a Monaco-based organisation that aims to inspire and support girls to take leadership roles. It encourage young people to challenge deeply-held, life-limiting gender stereotypes and to realize their full potential, independent of their gender. SheCanHeCan also works to recognize the achievements and contributions of great female leaders throughout herstory and to mark the International Day of the Girl every year.

“Equality: it starts with yourself. You can make a difference. You don’t have to change every aspect of your life, though just by making a small commitment, it may have long lasting consequences” - Vibeke Brask Thomsen

radical Vanessa Mendoza Cortés (Andorra) is a human rights activist and psychologist from Andorra. She is the president of Stop Violències, an organisation that campaigns against gender based violence and campaigns for the decriminalisation of abortion in Andorra. In 2018 Mendoza organised the first Andorran street protest, calling for the decriminalisation of abortion.

“Stop Violències’ goal is to fight for women’s human rights. We carry out workshops, awareness-raising and violence-preventing projects as well as classes in self-defense. And above all, we fight for rights and assist women who are in violent situations.” - Vanessa Mendoza Cortés