Music / NewsWatch M.I.A.’s panel with Julian Assange and Slavoj ŽižekThe musician was joined by the Wikileaks founder and pop philosopher to discuss ‘the complexities of global activism and art in a changing world’ShareLink copied ✔️June 12, 2017MusicNewsTextSelim Bulut M.I.A. is the curator of this year’s Meltdown Festival, which kicked off at London’s Southbank Centre this weekend and runs until June 18. Besides bringing artists as musically distinct as Soulwax, Mykki Blanco, MHD, and JD Samson to the city, she also announced last week that she’d be hosting a panel discussion with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and philosophers Slavoj Žižek, and Srećko Horvat titled ‘What’s Coming Next’. The panel was billed by the Southbank Centre as a discussion of “the complexities of global activism and art in a changing world”. Now, a video of the session has appeared on YouTube. The talk sees M.I.A., Horvat, and Žižek joined by Assange via a remote video link from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where Assange has been since 2012. The Swedish authorities recently dropped their sexual assault investigation into Assange – to which M.I.A. penned a statement defending him – though he can’t leave as there is still a warrant for his arrest from the Metropolitan Police. Watch the talk below, and revisit M.I.A.’s recently released new song “GOALS”. Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MORE2Slimey isn’t here to be a meme artist: ‘I want a fucking Grammy’ Nourished by Time: ‘Music should be fun – but it can’t be fun all the time’K-pop has an AI problemCoals are kickstarting Poland’s dream pop sceneEvilgiane’s camera roll from his tour with Snow StrippersFinnish alt-pop star Pehmoaino: ‘Art helps us survive this dark country’10 great albums you may have missed in the last three monthsLamb is making ‘electronic lyrical’ music that sounds like no one elseArabic shoegaze duo Kiss Facility speak a language deeper than words‘Nazis can’t dance’: Photos from London’s House Against Hate protest rave5 tracks you can’t miss from March 2026ADL: The best and worst tracks on Yeat’s new albumEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy