MAGAZINE

 

LATEST ISSUE: VOLUME 52.04 WINTER 2023

Having the last laugh: The comedians who will not be silenced

The Winter 2023 issue of Index looks at how comedy is being censored around the world. Comedy has always been a powerful tool of dissent, but many comedians are being threatened, imprisoned or even killed by oppressive regimes wishing to silence them. Laughter is often the best medicine in dark times, and to target comedy is to try to extinguish hope itself. We highlight the extent of the problem in our magazine, with stories from Russia to Uganda to Brazil reminding us that the dangers of censorship can be experienced everywhere.

Outside of our special report, Sasha Dovzhk looks at how libraries in Ukraine have played a pivotal part in the war against Russia, and we publish short stories by Alhierd Bacharevic and Xue Yiwei. Elsewhere, Samir El-Youssef highlights Palestinians who have been silenced in Gaza and Israel, Winthrop Rodgers interviews Kurdish journalist Guhdar Zebari about his lengthy imprisonment in Iraq, and Martin Bright speaks to Russian artists facing cancellation.

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