“I have something to say”: Advocating for Human Rights Through Artmaking

Laurie Anderson and Mohammed el Gharani, who was detained at Guántanamo Bay from 2002 to 2009, joined activist and film producer Kweku Mandela to explore the intersection of art, storytelling, human rights and incarceration. Anderson and el Ghrani collaborated on the monumental video installation Habeas Corpus (2015), in which el Gharani, projected on a 14-foot sculpture modeled after the Lincoln Memorial, shares his recollections of Guantánamo and reflections on unlawful imprisonment.

Habeas Corpus is currently on view in Laurie Anderson: The Weather at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

This program was recorded live on May 3 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership wth the Anacostia Community Museum, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and National Museum of African Art.