Activism Archives - The Skylark

Frank Turner: An artist has one responsibility, and one only, which is to their art

Marking 20 years since his first headline tour, the folk‑punk veteran explains why he's sceptical of celebrity activism, the causes he champions from the

April 21, 2026

CREATIVITY·MORALITY

Maria Alyokhina: Dictators will always do two things when they want more power – oppress women and ban jokes

The Russian political activist and Pussy Riot member on life under Putin, how repression works, and the cost of dissent in Russia.

November 29, 2025

POWER

James Murray: The simplest and most powerful thing anyone can do is to take the story and pass it on

The actor, artist and campaigner on polluted rivers, the race to save wild salmon and why most activism should always begin with a story.

June 5, 2025

CREATIVITY·PLANET

Ed Vere: Being compassionate, kind, gentle, empathetic and creative isn’t a weakness, it’s part of being a fully rounded human being

The author-illustrator on teaching children to notice things, why boredom is underrated, and how the fences we build – on farms, in classrooms, around

May 6, 2025

CREATIVITY·EDUCATION·PLANET

Stuart Semple: I’ve met people who say they got to the steps of Tate Britain and were scared to walk up them

The Britsh artist on class wars, cuddling aardvarks and the long overdue democratisation of the arts. His latest work, Bloom, a sea of 5,000

May 5, 2025

CREATIVITY·MORALITY·PLANET

Kumi Naidoo: How did we move people into the struggle against apartheid? Music, dance, and theatre

The human rights and climate justice activist, now President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative on why climate activism needs art, storytelling, and

March 11, 2024

CREATIVITY·PLANET·POWER

Captain Paul Watson: We’ve become a bunch of conceited naked apes, divine legends in our minds

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson on extinction economics, humanity’s delusions, and the power of individual action.

September 12, 2020

PLANET·POWER

Activism

Frank Turner: An artist has one responsibility, and one only, which is to their art

James Murray: The simplest and most powerful thing anyone can do is to take the story and pass it on

Ed Vere: Being compassionate, kind, gentle, empathetic and creative isn’t a weakness, it’s part of being a fully rounded human being

Stuart Semple: I’ve met people who say they got to the steps of Tate Britain and were scared to walk up them

Kumi Naidoo: How did we move people into the struggle against apartheid? Music, dance, and theatre

Captain Paul Watson: We’ve become a bunch of conceited naked apes, divine legends in our minds

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Julia Shaw: Why do clever people destroy the planet?

Chloe Slater: Put that damn phone down and think for a while

Ben Okri: AI cannot read the spirit of the times. AI cannot catch lightning

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