On September 17, 2018, some of the world’s bravest activists and dissidents came to New York to meet with leaders from technology, business, fashion, philanthropy, music, and art at the 2018 Oslo Freedom Forum in New York.
At New York City’s historic Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, attendees heard powerful talks, participated in workshops with world-class thinkers, watched performances by dissident artists, explored an interactive expo of creative brands on the forefront of sustainable change, and met a community of people dedicated to making the world more peaceful, prosperous, and free. Watch this short trailer from our 2017 OFF in New York to get a feel for the event.
The forum took place on Monday, September 17, from 9:00am to 5:00pm EST. Confirmed speakers for the 2018 OFF in New York included Russian democracy advocate Garry Kasparov, New York Knicks basketball player and Turkish activist Enes Kanter, North Korean defector Yeonmi Park, Venezuelan opposition leader Antonio Ledezma, Vietnamese pop star Mai Khoi, captain of Afghanistan’s all-female robotics team Fatemah Qaderyan, Tiananmen Square survivor Fang Zheng, Togolese blogger Farida Nabourema, South Sudanese hip-hop artist and former child soldier Emmanuel Jal, Saudi women’s rights activist Manal al-Sharif, former American ambassador to Georgia Ian C. Kelly, and PTSD researcher Rick Doblin.
Programming also included an interactive expo, themed working lunches, networking breaks, and musical performances.
The Interactive Expo explored the intersection of human rights and creative industries, highlighting innovative companies at the forefront of arts and culture, decentralized computing, citizen journalism, and video game design, featuring exhibits, demos, one-on-one conversations, and interactive art projects.
The Oslo Freedom Forum conference series is produced by the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies.