Ramy Essam

In 2013, musician Ramy Essam was banned from performing in his home country of Egypt, and in late 2014 he arrived in Helsinki to work in a Safe Haven residence. In this interview, Essam talks about musical activism, exile and his own music, which is a fascinating mix of hard rock, hip hop and Egyptian melodies. ”People in the Nordic countries have a really big space for freedom of expression that they don’t use enough,” Essam says.

The first episode of the FMQ Podcast deals with artist residencies. Ivor Stodolsky and Marita Muukkonen from the Artists at Risk institution tell us about their work with artists who have had to flee their home country due to pressing political situations.