Human rights advocate and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will be the Guest Director of Brighton Festival 2011. 

Aung San Suu Kyi has fought for over two decades for democracy and human rights in Burma and taken to the heart of this year’s Brighton Festival is her plea ‘use your liberty to promote ours’, with artists, both local and international, presenting a powerful and wide-ranging programme of events.
 
Brighton, as the UK’s most liberal city, is the ideal place to host a festival celebrating themes of freedom of expression, liberty and the power of the individual voice in society.
 
Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration to many people around the world and particularly to many within the arts community. Brighton Festival is a unique opportunity for a collection of artists, who are passionate supporters, to respond to her and create headline events.
 
The Festival’s two previous Guest Directors, Anish Kapoor in 2009 and Brian Eno in 2010, have reflected on the purpose of art and the cumulative effect a Festival can create. With Aung San Suu Kyi as Guest Director this year, the Festival becomes a powerful celebration of the resilience of the human spirit, of creativity in the face of oppression and the power of art to promote understanding between cultures.  
 
Aung San Suu Kyi says:
“It is especially pleasing for me to see, albeit remotely, Brighton Festival taking shape this year, and to think that so many people will come together in May to celebrate great art and experience the inner peace it brings. It is wonderful too to know that there is such support for the effort to bring democracy and freedom to Burma, for which the Burmese people have been diligently working for so long. I wish everyone involved in Brighton Festival this year – the artists and the audience – the happiest of times. And thank you – please continue to use your liberty to promote ours.”
 
Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Brighton Dome and Festival says:
“It is a great honour to build a Festival around Aung San Suu Kyi and to take our inspiration from her. I hope this programme reflects some of her extraordinary spirit. I’ve been heartened that an incredible collection of artists have been so eager to come together under the umbrella of Brighton Festival to celebrate this iconic woman who is an inspiration to so many.”
 
Burma Campaign director Anna Roberts says:
“It’s fantastic that a Festival of this calibre can celebrate Aung San Suu Kyi and keep Burma’s cause and the fight for human rights in the public eye at such a critical time”