The Independent Media Arts Alliance supports the Palestinian Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

The Independent Media Arts Alliance announces that its Board of Directors
voted for the organization to endorse the Palestinian Academic and Cultural
Boycott of Israel (PACBI). The IMAA team is pleased to join the Board of Directors in affirming the principles outlined in our Basis of Unity, specifically in working against oppression and settler colonialism at home and in solidarity with international efforts.

IMAA’s role is to support and strengthen the media arts community in so-called Canada. This means ensuring that members of this community, specifically artists and cultural workers who belong to marginalized groups, are supported when they face discrimination, oppression and censorship. As stated by our colleagues at the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition (alongside whom IMAA has endorsed PACBI): “as organizations committed to the principles of anti-oppression, we affirm our support for the Palestinian people and their struggle for freedom and self-determination. We believe that culture and knowledge are powerful levers for social transformation, and that they must be mobilized in favor of justice.”

Supporting PACBI means that IMAA will be reviewing the initiatives it is engaged in to ensure that their funding is not complicit in the ongoing occupation of Palestine. It commits to not engage in cultural or academic projects that are funded by the state of Israel or foundations or institutions that donate to support normalization of the State of Israel and/or the illegal occupation of Palestine.

This commitment is internal to the organization. However, we hope that IMAA’s public endorsement of PACBI will encourage our members and the Media Arts community at large to actively seek out IMAA for more information about PACBI or for support in navigating the implications of making the commitment to support the Campaign.