George Steer: Picasso had no interest in the beginning of that when he was given the commission. And it was until he read a journalist's account of what was happening to Spanish Civil War. He also had this extraordinary instinct that will, I think, mean something to both Maria and Shoshana. The idea that an image can actually drive a movement. Yeah. Well, sorry to interrupt, but it's pretty. But I think it didn't necessarily think it would drive a movements. It was exactly what Maria has said. She thought it would stop forgetfulness, oblivion. Yes. This morning, on social media, there was a moment of truth on Russian state television,.
The Nobel peace prize-winner Maria Ressa is a journalist who has spent decades speaking truth to power in the country of her birth, the Philippines. She looks back at her life, and her ongoing battle against disinformation and political lies in How To Stand Up To A Dictator. She tells Kirsty Wark that although she is hounded by the state and faces threats of imprisonment, she is determined to continue fighting for the truth.
Zsuzsanna Szelényi was once one of the leading politicians in Hungary’s ruling party, Fidesz, but now sits in opposition. In Tainted Democracy she charts what she calls her country’s descent into autocracy. She explores how the populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has consolidated his grip on power, reining in the media and making sweeping changes to legal and economic frameworks.
In his latest three part series for BBC television, History of Now, Simon Schama looks back at the dramatic history that has played out in the decades of his own life from 1945. He explores the vital role of artists, writers and musicians in fighting for democracy and equality post-war. The series reveals the extraordinary power of art to shape the world, and the immense personal cost of creating work that dares to take a stand.
Producer: Katy Hickman
Image: Simon Schama in front of Picasso’s 'Guernica'. From Simon Schama's 'History of Now', Episode 1, BBC 2 (Credit: BBC/Oxford Films/Eddie Knox)