Ezenwa Okoro - Nigeria

“As a human rights activist and social justice advocate, my work within the performing arts space heavily revolves around these themes. I started a youth movement called “ARTvocacy” inside a jail after being arrested for leading a nationwide protest against the government. Currently, I have established ARTvocacy movement chapters across six cities in Nigeria, reaching over fifty thousand youths, a strategic platform where young talented changemakers are using their creativity in music, dance, drama, poetry and filmmaking to move the needle on social transformation. Now I am ready to explore international collaborations that will focus on global citizenship, pluralism, cross-cultural understanding and peace-building.”

Gabrielle Bae - Republic of Korea

"After working with a government organisation that supports disability art in Korea, I have refocused my artistic practice on disability art and aesthetic potential as a theme that permeates my past and present works. However, I also reconsider why I have not considered myself a disabled artist and why I still hesitate. How is disability art defined under current legislation? There is a related argument and I want to introduce it with my experience in the public sector."

Joanne Kee - Australia

“I am a catalyst for inclusive and authentic representation in the Australian theatre sector. On reflection the work I have produced is bold and diverse with fresh stories that hadn’t been reaching Australian main stages. The shift happened because I had the opportunity to produce the stories I wanted to see and hear and my commitment to telling these with authenticity.  This approach has led to providing career opportunities for under represented voices and shifting the status quo. I am working on how to disrupt current models to create an environment that genuinely values artists and arts workers.”

Martha Hincapie - Germany/Colombia

“My curatorial and artistic gaze reflects on the processes of (de)coloniality through the forms of survival of artists who migrate to Europe or are involved in the geopolitical approaches of the Abyayala native peoples.

I will share about the transversal bridge I have built between Europe and the so-called Americas by deploying diverse unlearning spaces centred on underrepresented BIPoC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) expressions.

I'll unfold about my facilitation of dialogue between continents with an ancestral wisdom perspective, while addressing issues such as climate chaos, human/more-than-human kinship through transdisciplinary media, and facing the challenges of being a non male, non white, non privileged artist and curator in Europe.”

Emile Saba - Palestine

"The role of theater extends beyond art; in times of conflict, it becomes an essential form of resistance, preserving identity and culture. As an artist living in Palestine and the Artistic Director of Ashtar Theater, I have been deeply involved in creating work that speaks first to Palestinians and to the world, highlighting the human aspect of Palestinian identity. The programmes and projects we lead at Ashtar are integral to the fabric of society, offering a vital space for storytelling, resilience, and resistance in times of war and genocide."

Pedro de Freitas - Brazil

"In the course of my career as director of Périplo and previously as producer of Lume Teatro, I've realised that the meaning of my work lies in the love and affection established in interpersonal relationships. Being open to new passions and wanting to create opportunities to be with the people I love is the force that drives my action and connect me with the world.
I will talk a little more about this, sharing my experiences as a cultural producer in Brazil and my current process of professional repositioning."

Gisemba Ursula - Kenya

"I consider myself a writer of performative texts – allowing my work to transform and shape shift through media. Whether with myself leading as director or through active collaboration with other artists. My focus is to create work that encourages a shift in perspective: through process or the final product. I shall invite you to a glimpse of my artistic journey: on-going collaborative projects, interest in adding to the pot of African narratives and project dreams!"

Emre Yıldızlar - Turkey

“As a performer, trainer and artistic director, I try to think and act globally in whatever I do. In this short introduction, I would like to tell the story of the Istanbul Fringe Festival by giving creative collaboration examples which have made it possible to sustain our work in a region of obscurity in terms of arts and culture.”

Jesús Domínguez - Colombia

"My life is the theater, it is my centre of gravity. I love theater people and my mission in Medellin and Colombia has been to congregate spaces for training, reflection and dissemination of the performing arts in all its dimensions. Especially for the new theatrical generations.

I believe in the power of creating networks from the passion for art and I believe that this can generate changes in society.
I will speak at this meeting about the spaces of creation and training that I inhabit: collective club of dramaturgy, center of thought and theatrical creation, and my research process on the symbolic self-reparation from the theater that victims and survivors of the armed conflict have created in Colombia."

Tatiana Luján Valdez - Argentina

“My work is characterised by direction in performing arts, as well as cultural management and production, within multidisciplinary and performative projects that incorporate a gender perspective, LGBTQ+ rights, and human rights with a community-based approach. I will discuss the social and cultural reality of the northwest region of Argentina and present two independently developed projects in this context. The objective is to share our management strategies in the territory and foster alliances with those interested in becoming involved in our activities."

Marwa Manai - Tunisia

"I’m a theatre-maker and tenured associate professor whose work blurs the lines between research and practice. I’ve led and participated in international programs, residencies, and workshops, always seeking new ways to create theatre that is experiential—where the audience becomes a true collaborator. 

My dramaturgy explores scenography, lighting, and objects as storytelling tools. A Chevening scholar with an MA in Theatre-making from the UK, I’m based in Tunisia but work globally, believing that strong cultural roots in the Global South allow stories to resonate universally. My latest work, In the Belly of the Whale—a coproduction between the Tunisian and Croatian National Theatres—is currently touring in Europe, continuing my exploration of the human condition across borders and languages."