wakeup
We are wakeup.
a global movement waking up societies through an artistic revolution.
we collaborate with exiled artists to promote their work, challenge migration narratives and bring people together.
WAKEUP FESTIVALS
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On the first of December, WAKEUP, in collaboration with Collectif nocturne and Palestine Filmer c’est Exister, and tens of artists from around Switzerland and the SWANA region, created ‘Hikayat’.
Hikayat’ ‘حكايات’ meaning ‘stories’ or ‘tellings’, was an evening drawing together poetry, photography, visual arts, live performances and DJ sets from artists from the SWANA region, many from Palestine.
WAKEUP has watched in horror at the war crimes and atrocities that have been committed first on October 7th against Israeli people and after through the several months of military bombardment against Palestinian people which has resulted in tens of thousands of tragic losses of lives and the destruction of most of Gaza’s infrastructure. Our goal with this event was to provide a platform for artists to share their art, culture and stories and to enable people to engage in conversations and support in a human-way.
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300 million people around the world celebrate Nowrouz. Nowrouz, which means new day, marks the triumph of light over darkness.
The past year has been marked by unrest, human rights violations and government crackdowns on Afghans, Iranians and Kurds. Under the Taliban regime the situation for women and artists remains dire. Meanwhile in Iran, the world watched in horror as Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was murdered, triggering nationwide protests that led to the imprisonment of over 120,000 people.
In the light of all these events, Nowrouz, the festival celebrating the triumph of light over darkness, takes on even greater importance. In collaboration with over 25 artists from Afghanistan, Iran and Kurdistan, we created the Nowrouz festival, which created synergies between artists, challenged media narratives, and created space for Nowrouz Celebrations in Geneva's cultural space.
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In Afghanistan, under the current Taliban regime, music and non-religious arts are banned. One year after the Taliban took power, in partnership with Afghan artists from across Europe we created the Kushi Festival, meaning joy in Persian, to provide a platform for Afghan stories.
With the KUSHI FESTIVAL, we brought together Afghan artists, activists, musicians, cooks and community members to tell their stories. For 4 days, the citizens of Geneva were able to witness the transformation of cultural spaces across the city, through photo exhibitions, home cooked meals, storytelling, dance lessons, panel discussions and a series of concerts and DJ sets.
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Between 2020 and 2022 Ethiopian government forces and their allies were fighting against the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the ruling party of the country’s northern region. Mass atrocities have been committed by all sides and the toll on civilians has been collosal, including a famine as a result of a blockade that affected hundreds of thousands of people.
In light of this conflict, which has ben bubbling for decades, and the large community of Ethiopians in Geneva, WAKEUP launched a weekend of events dedicated to drawing together Ethiopian voices. From renowned keyboardist and producer Dawit Tilahun who lit up les Grottes, to Swiss Ethiopian DJ Sam and local band led by Yohannan, alongside voices from the association Enem Le Wegenem.
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In December 2018, mass protests broke out in several cities and by January 2019 hundreds of civic and political organizations came together to form the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), a nonviolent resistance movement.
This movement was comprised of people from all levels of society, and defined by civil disobedience and non-violence. Artists played a crucial role, with street art and murals appearing daily, fliers being distributed and chants and protest songs being sung during sit-ins.
To commemorate this national scale civil disobedience and draw people's attention to the situation in Sudan WAKEUP had the pleasure of inviting Lamma Orchestra, a Sudanese group based in Paris, to a week of events in Barcelona.
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Palestinian artists are leading an important resistance against the erasure of Palestinian voices and stories in the public sphere.
We collaborated with Palestinian group Al-Raseef, a band who play Arabic and Balkan sounds, to create events across Barcelona. WAKEUP organized three days of non-stop events with Al-Raseef, including a conference with Ateneu de Raval, Comunitat Palestina en Catalunya, Junts, SodePau and Al Raseef, called 'Entre dos muros'.
