WE ARE FORMING APARTHEID FREE ZONES ACROSS DENMARK

We are coming together as local cultural organizations, business and associations to make spaces for social justice and to refrain from providing financial, administrative and organisational support to ongoing oppression and Apartheid.

APARTHEID FREE ZONES ARE TOOLS TO END OUR COMPLICITY WITH APARTHEID

We are publicly committing to a systemic review of our financial, organisational, and administrative ties and supply chains. From here, we will continue our principled and practical work for social justice and equality for all human beings. You can join our (un)learning work.

THIS IS HOW WE WILL BECOME APARTHEID FREE ZONES ACROSS DENMARK

1. We will publicly commit to become Apartheid Free Zones and support other’s declarations.
2. We will systematically review our organisational, financial, cultural and administrative ties.
3. We will cut ties within our own supply chains and put pressure on institutions, if they operate against the AFZ Guidelines.

WE WILL LEARN FROM AND LISTEN TO THE GLOBAL BDS MOVEMENT

We are working towards cutting ties with Boycott, Divest and Sanction priority targets, starting with changing banks, divesting from AirBnB and other companies on UN ’black lists’, and by shifting to ethical online drives and Cloud-servers. We do this together to continue our work to stand intersectionally in solidarity with all justice struggles.

WHO ARE WE?

We are Danish cultural organisations, curatorial platforms and local businesses. We are all part of the new network Not Just Art.

Q & A

What are Apartheid-Free Zones?

We are a network of artists, platforms, and cultural workers in Denmark who participate in the BDS campaign and are working to become apartheid-free zones. BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) is an international, Palestinian-led movement that organizes and mobilizes resistance against the State of Israel’s apartheid regime and its illegal settlements in Palestine. Apartheid-Free Zone is a campaign under BDS that fights financial and other forms of support for Israel by refusing collaboration with companies that profit from Israel’s apartheid regime and settlement policy.

How do you become an Apartheid-Free Zone?

To become an Apartheid-Free Zone, we follow the campaign’s recommendations and commit to not collaborating with or having ties to a number of companies selected and prioritized by BDS that directly or indirectly support the Israeli state. Read more on the BDS website: https://www.bdsmovement.net/apartheid-free-zones

Why are you doing this?

The arts and cultural field is increasingly funded by foundation money that is partly generated through problematic investments in Israel. As recipients of foundation funding, we become indirectly complicit in the oppression of the Palestinian people. We do not want our work to legitimize oppressive regimes and therefore choose to fight unethical investments that support the Israeli state within the cultural sector. At the same time, it is important for us to draw attention to the problem and help other actors move in the same direction.

Is it possible to break with all financial ties to the State of Israel?

It is difficult to disentangle oneself from problematic economies. The structures of the global financial market mean that it does not take many layers of transactions before most funds have been entangled in destructive investments. Despite this, it is crucial that we work together and fight for greater transparency and more ethical economies within the cultural sector. This is only possible if we organize across the field and work collectively to put pressure on foundations and other funders. We encourage all colleagues and friends within and beyond the arts and cultural scene to join the campaign — we are happy to help.

Does this campaign mean that you will no longer accept funding that, for example, has been earned through investments related to Israel?

No. It is practically impossible to opt out of those parts of the economy that are linked to companies which, in one way or another, profit from the State of Israel’s genocide and its illegal settlements. The focus of Apartheid-Free Zones is on following BDS guidelines to boycott a number of prioritized targets, so that we stand together in applying pressure on these companies. We commit to boycotting these companies and minimizing our financial ties to them, but as participants in the Danish cultural sector it is difficult to completely avoid any form of indirect support.

When will you be disentangled from problematic investments?

We are many different actors in the network, with very different capacities to carry out the work required to succeed in becoming an apartheid-free zone. For some, the campaign’s goals can be realized quickly and relatively easily, while for others it will be more difficult and take longer. What matters most is that we commit to reaching the goal and continuously work to limit our ties to the Israeli state.

Will this make a difference?

Yes. All change begins with small steps. We believe that most cultural practitioners in Denmark do not wish to contribute to the violence of the Israeli state. It is therefore crucial that we begin the conversation about where the money in the cultural sector comes from, and this initiative is an attempt to do exactly that.