We kicked off our mini event on 10 December to celebrate Human Rights Day. The festival committee launched an exhibition asking a single, powerful question: What do human rights mean to you?
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Students across Oxford Brookes University stepped up to the challenge. They filled A3 sheets with bold ideas and creative energy, using everything from sketches to poetry. The result was a striking collection of personal stories and diverse perspectives on what human rights mean to them.
Friday
13 MARCH 2026
Annual Nabeel Hamdi Lecture: Delivering Social Value in Architectural Practice by Award-Winning Architect Peter Clegg OBE
17:30-19:30
Venue:
JHB Main Lecture Theatre,
John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
Join us for the Annual Nabeel Hamdi Lecture, featuring award winning Architect Peter Clegg, who received an OBE in 2025 for his social and environmental contributions. This event opens the Oxford Human Rights Festival 2026 with an introduction by Professor Helen Laville, Vice-Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University. Peter will discuss his studio’s mission to prioritise social value and sustainable design through community-informed architecture. He will also reflect on twenty years of educational projects across East Africa with the Feilden Foundation. Light refreshments will be provided at the end of the lecture.
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Saturday
14 MARCH 2026
Resistance Through Tatreez: Traditional Palestinian Embroidery Workshop
13:00-16:15
Venue:
JHB B08 Lecture Theatre (Basement), John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
Experience the Resistance Through Tatreez workshop, which starts with a display of heritage items from the Al Amari Refugee Camp and an introduction to Palestinian embroidery history. You will hear from the Al Amari Women’s Centre about the importance of this craft and the current reality for families in the camp. This event includes an immersive workshop where you learn stitches and symbols rooted in resilience, identity, and resistance. Participants are invited to discuss cultural preservation and human rights while creating their own work with provided materials. Refreshments will be provided.
Sunday
15 MARCH 2026
13:00-16:00
Voice, Rhythm, and Resistance: Short Films from Gaza, Poetry, and Dabke
Venue:
JHB B08 Lecture Theatre (Basement), John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
This event begins with short film screenings from the Gaza Hands Up Project. These works create a space for reflection, storytelling, and collective listening around themes of memory, belonging, resistance, and hope. Following a presentation of poetry and a break with traditional bread and Za’atar, the programme moves into Joy in Dabke. This energetic Palestinian dance celebrates unity, cultural identity, and collective resilience through shared movement. Led by the Oxford Dabke Group, the session invites you to learn the traditional steps and dance together. Refreshments will be provided.
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Monday
16 MARCH 2026
Incarcerating Eve by Mandala Theatre Company
16:45-18:30
Venue:
CLC G.03 (SKW Hall Flat), Clerici Building,
Oxford Brookes University
Through 2000 years of patriarchy, women have faced imprisonment and torture for perceived crimes like witchcraft or hysteria. Today, women’s freedoms face a disturbing global retreat through the rollback of reproductive rights and rising domestic abuse. Incarcerating Eve exposes the narratives used by organised religion and politics to suppress women throughout history. The play unearths Herstory to reveal ancient wisdom where feminine and masculine energies existed in balance. By connecting these origins to modern stories, the performance asks how we can build a world rooted in love rather than violence.
Monday
16 MARCH 2026
Dancing with the Devil: Film Screening and Discussion with Academy Award winning director, Jon Blair CBE
Film screening of Dancing with the Devil, a documentary by Academy Award-winning director Jon Blair. Dancing with the Devil provides an unfiltered look into the drug war in Rio de Janeiro. The film follows three individuals on different sides of the conflict: a gang leader in the favelas; a police inspector from the elite civil police; and a pastor who mediates between the two worlds. Through these personal accounts; the documentary examines the moral choices and human cost of living within a cycle of systemic violence. It offers a rare perspective on the complexity of law enforcement; crime; and the struggle for peace in one of the most violent urban environments in the world. Event include a post-film Q&A with the director, Jon Blair.
19:00-20:00
Venue:
JHB 308 (Kennedy Lecture Theatre), John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
Tuesday
17 MARCH 2026
The Phoenix of Gaza: Film Screening and Q&A with Yousef Al Helou
19:00-21:00
This film captures the final records of cultural and social life in Gaza before the widespread destruction began in October 2023. Journalist Yousef Alhelou traveled back to his childhood home to document the hidden beauty of the enclave, including historic buildings and vibrant community spaces. His footage now serves as a rare and vital archive of a community under blockade through the eyes of a person returning home. Following the screening, Yousef Alhelou will lead a live discussion and Q&A session regarding the film and the current situation in Gaza.
Venue:
JHB Main Lecture Theatre,
John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
Venue:
JHB Main Lecture Theatre,
John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
Wednesday
18 MARCH 2026
I am Cuba: Breaking Free in Revolutionary Cinema
Experience the visual masterpiece I Am Cuba, a Soviet-Cuban co-production that remains one of the most stylistically ambitious films in cinema history. The session begins with a short introduction to the historical context of the 1960s and the film’s revolutionary production techniques. The screening is followed by a discussion on the portrayal of resistance with Dr Francesco Sticchi and Dr Neil Harris. We will examine the lasting effects of the revolution on the Cuban people and reflect on the film’s hopeful imagery in contrast to the subsequent challenges and oppression under the Castro regime.
18:00-21:30
Thursday
19 MARCH 2026
Venue:
Oxford Castle & Prison, Oxford Castle
​Right Behind Bars: Oxford Prison Tour
Step inside the walls of Oxford’s historic Prison for an immersive exploration of justice, punishment, and human rights! This guided tour uncovers centuries of prison life, from harsh conditions and punitive practices to evolving rehabilitation. Discover how ideas of confinement and punishment have changed over time, and reflect on their relevance to modern human rights in prisons.
10:15-11:45
Thursday
19 MARCH 2026
Venue:
JHB 304,
John Henry Brookes Building,
Oxford Brookes University
​Right Behind Bars: Panel Discussion
How far have we really come in protecting the human rights of people in prison?
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Join leading experts from law, criminal justice, and human rights to examine historical and contemporary prison issues! The panel will explore rehabilitation, reintegration, dignity, and ethical questions in incarceration, blending research and lived experience. Reflect on past violations, current challenges, and the evolving concept of prisoners’ rights, and engage in a critical conversation about justice behind bars. Refreshments will be provided, and there will also be a short opportunity to network and meet other attendees.
14:00-16:00
Friday
20 MARCH 2026
Venue:
CLC 1.02, Clerici Building, Oxford Brookes University
Creative Workshop: Exploring Women’s Empowerment and Oppression by Mandala Theatre Company
Join Yasmin Sidhwa from Mandala Theatre Company for a creative workshop exploring women’s empowerment and the history of gender based oppression. This session focuses on the silencing of the feminine principle, reproductive rights, domestic abuse, and postpartum mental health. Participants will learn to express their perspectives through drama, creative writing, and poster making. You will be guided to devise monologues and poetry in a supportive environment. No prior experience in the arts is necessary.
15:00-17:00
Venue:
JHB 308 (Kennedy Lecture Theatre), John Henry Brookes Building, Oxford Brookes University
Friday
20 MARCH 2026
19:00-21:30
​Gentle Angry Women: Film Screening and Discussion
Join us for a screening and discussion of Gentle Angry Women. This coming of age documentary follows three young activists as they uncover the history of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Movement and the reality of British nuclear armament. The film bridges past courage with present hope through intergenerational dialogue and stories of peaceful protest. Following the screening, Dr Michele Paule will moderate a discussion with filmmaker Barbara Santi and activists Nuala Young and Di McDonald. This event is open to everyone above 12 years old.
Monday to Friday
16-20 MARCH 2026
Venue:
Glass Tank, Abercrombie Building, Oxford Brookes University
​Discover what ‘freedom’ means across generations. Join us for a powerful art exhibition that brings together voices, stories, and visions of liberation from youth to elders. Step into a reflective and insightful experience that challenges, inspires, and reveals new ways of seeing freedom.
9:00-18:00
Intergenerational Freedom Exhibition
