A/HRC/46/34 37. During these difficult times, wonderful works of art have been created despite the virus, such as those created by Kashmira Sarode from Bangalore, India, who emphasized the importance of social networks in the pandemic.96 Kenyan artist Anthony Musiyo explained his experience in 2020: “This has been a period of self-reflection – to try and understand what kind of world I’d like to live in, to deeply value and treasure the already beautiful and meaningful connections I have managed to build with people I care for and finally, to always hope.”97 Popular cultural initiatives such as music jams on balconies in Sicily, public singing, including to support health-care workers, in Spain or New York City, and shared chanting from windows in Wuhan were vital means of bringing people together when they had to be physically apart. Some academic institutions have promoted the use of culture and cultural rights as pandemic relief measures.98 38. Artists and cultural workers and institutions around the world have worked to share public health messages, such as the song and video “Corona Virus Alert” by Ugandan musicians Bobi Wine and Nubian Li, which were widely played on radio and television. 99 The lyrics remind us that: “The bad news is that everyone is a potential victim. But the good news is that everyone is a potential solution.” 39. Around the world, the arts provide a mirror of what is happening around us, improving the ability to cope and building connection, including through the work of those who are themselves ill. For example, Somali artist Nujuum Hashi Ahmed painted while battling COVID-19, producing a picture of herself punching the virus. She has argued that in a context where many are illiterate and uneducated, “art reaches many more people… they need art to understand how dangerous this problem is”.100 40. Some artists and cultural workers faced the challenge of showing support to populations simultaneously affected by repression and COVID-19. For example, during the 2020 crackdown on pro-democracy protests and faced with the virus, the severity of which was denied by the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarus Free Theatre produced “Love Over Virus”, livestreaming free readings of fairy tales by actors so children could listen and parents could have a break.101 They also launched Theatre Live(s) Online with a production performed live from bedrooms and kitchens in Minsk by self-isolating performers. The company’s continued digital work was reported to have been a source of emotional support for some of those detained during protests. 41. Cultural workers in many countries also made direct contributions to public health efforts, such as through the involvement of museum and theatre workers in creating threedimensional and sewn masks. 102 Cultural institutions, such as Kunstmuseum Basel, in Switzerland, projected public health messages on their buildings. 42. Cultural initiatives memorialized COVID-19 victims, trying to “humanize the statistics and create spaces for mourning”.103 One featured an enormous field – 1.4 hectares – of white flags, one for each victim of the virus in the United States of America; 104 another, a public installation entitled CoVida, displayed the names of victims on ribbons. 105 In Uruguay, the World Memorial to the Pandemic, the first large-scale monument to the victims around the world, is intended to be an environmentally conscious space for mourning and 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 12 See www.cnn.com/style/article/artists-share-artworks-made-during-the-pandemic/index.html. Ibid. See www.hrdhub.org/arctivism. See www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/3/26/ugandas-bobi-wine-releases-song-to-fight-coronaviruspandemic. See www.dailysabah.com/arts/artists-raise-virus-awareness-reaching-people-with-arts-insomalia/news. See http://belarusfreetheatre.com/15th/. See, e.g., contribution 2 from Argentina and contribution from Panama. See www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-art-helps-us-make-sense-of-covid-19-s-incomprehensibletoll/ar-BB1b8YDE?ocid=msedgdhp. Ibid. See www.morrisjumel.org/covida.