Tag: Oslo Scholars

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From Oslo to Luanda

by María Martinez Meza

On June 23, 2024, I found myself driving through the streets of Luanda, travelling from Luanda International Airport to the apartment I would call home for the next month. Just a few months earlier, I would have been in disbelief if told that I would be interning for the UFOLO Centre for Good Governance. Unsurprisingly, the experience proved to be life-changing. 

The UFOLO Centre for Good Governance is a NGO that aims for the betterment of Angolan society through inclusion, democracy, and responsible governance. Their projects focus on mobility struggles related to education, human rights training within prisons, and active condemnation of corruption.  

Living in Angola while I worked with UFOLO allowed me to immerse myself in the culture and work from a more informed and involved standpoint. In my daily life in Angola, I witnessed drastic wealth disparities caused by corruption, inadequate educational infrastructure, and, above all, the inextinguishable spirit and love for their country among Angolan people. In the UFOLO office, I put my experiences and observations to practice and engaged in conversations about the role of corruption in the state of Angolan society; the impact of the country’s long drawn violent war on the country’s economy; the indispensable role that art plays in the country’s fight for human rights. Participating in this process under the guidance of people who have dedicated their life to Angola, and who are fearless in the face of government backlash, made the experience even more transformative. 

Although my focus was on Angola, this experience also gave me a more nuanced understanding of the struggles faced by the African continent and the Global South as a whole. I compared my experience in Angola with my previous experiences in Tanzania, identifying similarities and differences between their current struggles and examining them in their respective historical contexts. Furthermore, observing the parallels between Angolan struggles and the challenges I grew up facing in El Salvador  deepened my understanding of colonialism, imperialism, and the fight towards self determination. 

A vital part of my experience as an Oslo Scholar was attending the Oslo Freedom Forum. There, I was surrounded by individuals who have devoted themselves to the fight for human rights and democracy, which made me eager to follow in their footsteps. This gave me the push I needed to become more determined in my own fight to denounce the worsening situation in my home country. Not only did the Oslo Freedom Forum introduce me to admirable people, but it also humanised them by allowing me to exist in the same space as they did. Additionally, I connected with a group of passionate and determined peers my age. Suffice it to say, my experience this summer has filled me with a new, brighter, and more irrepressible spark. 

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Strategies for Democratic Activism and Global Solidarity

by Imanol Varela

Attending the Oslo Freedom Forum was a transformative experience, deepening my understanding of human rights and democracy. Among the many inspiring sessions, one led by Leopoldo Lopez, the Venezuelan democratic activist, stood out. His discussion focused on the strategies necessary to build and unite global grassroots movements, a topic that resonated deeply with me.


Leopoldo Lopez, a prominent figure in the fight for democracy in Venezuela, shared invaluable insights on mobilizing and sustaining grassroots efforts. He emphasized the importance of storytelling, highlighting how personal narratives can galvanize communities and foster a sense of shared purpose. Lopez argued that grassroots movements thrive when they are rooted in the lived experiences of individuals, making the struggle for democracy relatable and urgent.


A key takeaway from his session was the significance of global solidarity. Lopez underscored the need for activists worldwide to support each other, sharing resources, strategies, and moral support. He called for the creation of international networks that can amplify local efforts and apply pressure on authoritarian regimes from multiple fronts.Lopez also stressed the role of digital platforms in modern activism. He pointed out that social media and other digital tools are crucial for organizing, disseminating information, and connecting with a global audience. However, he cautioned about the importance of digital security to protect activists from surveillance and repression.
Reflecting on Lopez’s discussion, I felt inspired by the power of collective action and the potential of united grassroots movements to effect change. His insights reinforced my commitment to advocating for democracy and human rights, and I left the forum with renewed hope and determination to contribute to this vital cause.

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Latin American Stories Present in the Oslo Freedom Forum

by Ariadna Condezo Trinidad

I arrived in Oslo a day before the conference started. The Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) is an international human rights conference that brings together human rights activists, journalists, world leaders, and other important stakeholders. I attended the forum with other Tufts undergraduates. During the three days of the conference, I got the opportunity to hear the stories and testimonies of prominent activists who are fighting against authoritarian regimes in their home countries. As an Oslo Scholar, I was grateful to be able to hear inspirational stories that reaffirm my commitment in working with human rights in the future and I was also motivated by hearing stories from Latin American activists —I was born and raised in Peru— since I want to focus my career in Latin American affairs.


One of the first surprises I got from the OFF was hearing Marina Corina Machado, leader of the opposition in Venezuela. She stated that more than 80% of the population in Venezuela want change. “This has turned much more than an electoral struggle, this has turned into an ethical, an existential, and even a spiritual fight for dignity, for freedom, and for having our children come back home.” Her words deeply impacted me. The fight for democracy in Venezuela is something I grew up watching in the news. It is something that I witnessed as thousands of people emigrated from Venezuela to Peru. It is something that I heard from my neighbors in Peru. During the last months, I have seen in the news that Venezuelans have hope for change and they are counting on Marina Corina to lead the country out of the hands of the authoritarian regime of Nicolas Maduro. The opposition has been able to mobilize the whole country and restore hope for a free Venezuela. As the electoral votes are being counted, it has been emotional to watch the country to not give up despite the government attempts to prevent a fair election such as changing people’s voting locations, closing the land border with Colombia, or canceling flights of former leaders of multiple Latin American countries who would act as observers during the election process.


The other story was from Carlos Chamorro, a Nicaraguan journalist in exile. Carlos Chamorro has faced harassment during years due to his work in his newspaper Confidencial, which exposes the dictatorship’s abuses. He was eventually forced into exile for his safety. He began the story by giving background information on the Nicaragua dictatorship led by Daniel Ortega. He talked about the 2018 protests were the dictatorship responded with a bloody massacre that took the lives of 350 people. He mentioned how in 2021, Ortega put in prison the seven aspiring political candidates of the opposition in order to eliminate competition. So far during the dictatorship 317 people have been declared stateless, including 222 former political prisoners, political and civil leaders, human rights activisits, students, more than 15 journalists, and more. Chamorro was declared stateless by the dictatorship in 2023. Chamorro’s story is inspirational because he still fights for a Nicaragua that will be a republic again, he continues to perform his journalism in order to maintained the world informed of the human rights abuses happening in Nicaragua and the struggles of the people who live under the dictatorship.

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Oslo Freedom Forum: Gender and Human Rights

By: Abigail Elsbree

Among the many new concepts that I learned during my three days at the Oslo Freedom Forum, I was particularly interested in the term “gender apartheid.” I first heard it used during an afternoon panel on the first day titled “Iran: The Final Revolution?” Human rights attorney Gissou Nia defined gender apartheid by reminding the audience that an apartheid is “the domination of one group over another in order to cement power relations,” and then adding that in the context of gender, an apartheid is “sex segregation to maintain a regime.” Unfortunately, gender apartheid is currently not criminalized under international law, even though racial apartheid is. However, Nia shared that the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity is currently occurring, and with enough advocacy and education, gender apartheid could get included in the convention, and then be used to hold Iran accountable for their heavy repression of Iranian women. 

Another mention of gender apartheid came on day three of the conference, during a conversation between Afghan activist and Hazara woman, Soomaya Javadi, and BBC commentator Suzanne Kianpour. Javadi built the case of an ongoing gender apartheid by providing many examples of the Taliban’s violence and mistreatment toward women, such as the 2020 attack at a maternity hospital in the majority Hazara area of West Kabul, where 16 mothers were killed. Javadi also brought light to a 2022 suicide bombing in a West Kabul classroom that killed 35 Hazara women and girls, as well as her personal experiences being forced to wear a veil. When asked why the Taliban goes after women specifically, Javadi explained that women pose a threat to the Taliban should they gain education and a platform in society to where their voices are heard. In this way, the actions of the Taliban line right up with Nia’s definition of gender apartheid, as the Taliban subjugates women in order to ensure the success of the regime.

After learning about the term gender apartheid, I could not help but consider what other stories from OFF 2023 could possibly fall under the definition as well. In addition to being a racial apartheid and genocide, the Chinese government’s treatment of its Uyghur peoples has put the Uyghur women at the disposal of the CCP. In her remarks on the main stage, Uyghur woman and camp survivor Gulbahar Haitiwaji painfully shared that many Uyghur women are forced to sexually entertain male “Han relatives” who come to Uyghur women’s houses when the men of the family are detained in the camps. This sexual exchange is an example of the Chinese government dominating Uyghurs, and specifically Uyghur women, by forcing them into relations.

Another potential example of gender apartheid may be found in some of the African state where women are not granted property rights. Speaking on a panel about the issue, Atlas group member and Sudanese woman Magatte Wade shared that “if you are about human rights, you must be about property rights,” since disallowing women financial freedoms such as the opportunity to build independent wealth has been demonstrated to keep them in abusive relationships, and push women into deep poverty if they become widowed. Also on the panel, Aimable Manirakiza shared that before his group’s efforts, it was written into Burundi law that women did not have property rights, effectively rendering them second class citizens. In the aftermath of OFF, I plan to look more into the potential for gender apartheid being added into the Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity. While simply labelling a situation a “gender apartheid” does not automatically push regimes towards equality, it may be a crucial first step toward accountability and justice among the international community.

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Stories and Connections at the Oslo Freedom Forum

By: Michaela Weinstein

Everyone I spoke to this weekend had a story. Some stories were about the innovative, impactful organizations they ran. Some were about how they got there in the first place. Some were the stories they were able to capture on their media platforms, or the stories they were able to support through their international alliances. These captivating stories came to life not only through panels and keynote speeches but also in intimate one-on-one conversations. This quickly became one of the highlights of the conference. What truly stood out was the abundant opportunity we had throughout the event to cultivate personal connections with a multitude of inspiring activists. 

People from all over the human rights spectrum attended; lawyers defending political prisoners, journalists covering war zones and revolutions, tech developers creating innovative solutions for disrupting dictatorial control, heads of opposition parties fighting against tyrannical leaders, researchers exposing human traffickers, and so many other inspiring people. As an Oslo Scholar, these activists were so accessible to learn from and connect with. Merely attending the conference is an amazing experience, but being in the Oslo Scholars program became a platform to connect with other activists while there.  

I also loved spending so much time with the other Oslo Scholars, both from my year and those from previous years. We explored Oslo, swam in the fjords, tried Norwegian snacks  and attempted(and failed miserably) to pronounce Norwegian words on street signs or menus. Having a group to come back to at the end of the day to recuperate and laugh with made the conference that much better, and I’m so excited to see all of them back at Tufts in the fall! 

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Oslo Freedom Forum Day 3

A group of people sitting on a stage Description automatically generated with medium confidence

By: Chasya Cohen

Today is the third and final day of the 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum. Though the past couple days have been filled with an abundance of new experiences, today definitely felt the most unique.

During yesterday’s theatre session it was announced that the final day of OFF would be different this year: the forum would take over a festival venue called SALT located on the beautiful Oslo waterfront. The day would be filled not only with OFF’s regular panels and discussions, but also art, food-trucks, music, and saunas. This was not what I had in mind when picturing a prominent human rights conference, but it was definitely intriguing.

When we arrived at SALT the set-up was exactly as they had described, like a human rights festival. Some rooms were filled with art-installation while others had interactive booths, food, or drinks. At first it seemed odd to me that a human rights conference could be so casual and lively. But I quickly realised that OFF’s purpose is to bring human rights defenders from all corners of the world together so that they can support one another, and the best way to bring people together is through celebration. In effect, this joyful environment fostered the most profound and productive conversations about human rights and cemented long-lasting bonds between all attendees. Plus, it was fun!

During my day at SALT I attended a panel on Property Rights for Women in Africa as well as a panel on Rethinking ESG: Prioritising Human Rights and Democracy in Corporate Ratings.

The first panel on property rights was particularly striking to me because I learned from Senegalese activist Magatte Wade that women are denied land in Africa because they are considered minors under law. This ultimately affects women’s treatment in society, how their families treat them, their ability to work, and more. The panel emphasised the importance of both cultural change, through educating women on their constitutional rights, as well as policy change, through advocating for new laws. Possibly the most memorable point made during this panel was that alleviating poverty cannot just mean giving individuals more money, but it must mean building long-term prosperity, as these activists are doing for women in Africa.

The other panel about the human rights approach to ESGs, was much less suited to my knowledge. However I did learn from prominent economist Marcos Buscaglia that democracies are proven to be much more prone to long-term economic growth than autocracies, which is why it is better to invest in democracies. Towards the end of the panel Jianli Yang powerfully declared that if human rights are not adhered to by autocracies the ‘S’ in ESG must be dropped. Ultimately the panel called for a divestment of autocratic nations in the name of human rights.

Other than attending panels, my mentor Pema Doma from Students from a Free Tibet spent a lot of time introducing me to some of the leaders of the human rights world. Most notably she introduced me to many allies from the cross-cultural movement, including Uyghur, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese activists. As someone who experienced China’s brutal lawfare and human rights abuse in Hong Kong, I found it energising to be in a group of people who were all so passionately fighting against the same authoritarian regime. I had some amazing conversations and was really able to connect with people over our shared goals and priorities in the human rights field. This was a truly fulfilling final day at OFF.