What is the current state of freedom of speech and knowledge under attack? Is it worse now than ever before – as might be judged from some coverage? What’s the state of international censorship? What difference has social media made? Are we, in fact, more tolerant now?

In this event which starts the debate, Tsitsi Dangarembga – recently shortlisted for the Booker Prize for This Mournable Body and currently freed on bail after her arrest during anti-corruption protests in Zimbabwe – talks about her work in a special pre-recorded interview. Her interview will be followed by a panel discussion: Daniel Gorman (director, English PEN); Rachael Jolley (award-winning editor-in-chief of Index on Censorship magazine for seven years) and Richard Ovenden (Bodley’s Librarian and author of the recent Burning the Books).

This is part of Bristol Festival of Ideas The Great Reset programme, looking at the challenges facing us and the solutions to these. The programme starts in November 2020 and runs to November 2021. Future themes include: freedom of speech and democracy (Spring-October 2021); the Bristol Constitutional Convention (Spring 2021) and a new future for cities in Festival of the Future City (October 2021). Ongoing events in the Festival of Ideas throughout 2021 will also focus on challenges and solutions.

This event is part of  year-long partnership with Bristol Cultural Development Partnership and the Common Currency programme exploring  the theme ‘Free Speech and Democracy’.

Common Currency is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Tsitsi Dangarembga, by David Clarke, Ayebia. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.