For the past 50 days, a Muslim working-class neighbourhood, Shaheen Bagh, has been at the epicentre of protests against a new citizenship law that activists have dubbed anti-national. Even though protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) have taken place throughout the country at a huge scale, the Shaheen Bagh protest is significant in the sense that it is being led single-handedly by Muslim women in a peaceful manner. It has therefore become a space of emancipation, giving voice to an issue which has ruptured the very basis of democracy in India. The protesters have also supported unions opposing the government’s anti-labour policies, as well as the attack on JNU students, along with showing solidarity with Kashmiri Pandits.
Recently two different shooters opened fired at anti-CAA protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University and Shaheen Bagh. Along with this, the recent threats and the increasing incidents of violence, have led the protestors at Shaheen Bagh to host “Artists against Communalism”. An initiative to join hands against communalism, it is an event featuring a series of performances by musicians, rappers, poets, actors, comedians and other artists from around the country and will take place from February 2nd to February 7th.
The artists on this list thus far include the likes of Prateek Kuhad, PeterCatRecordingCo., Lifafa, Sobha Mudgal, Aisi Taisi Democracy, Ankur Tewari, Madan Gopal Singh, Sumit Roy, Saba Sultana Azad, Kusha Kapila, Iyer Camp and more.
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