In Lagos - a city charged with a simmering new artistic energy - a singer/musician, a visual artist, a performance artist, and a Canadian/Nigerian poet provoke political debate.

In Moscow a member of feminist punk rock group Pussy Riot, a performance artist, an actionist, a duo of quiet protesters/poets, and a photographer disrupt the prevailing climate of repression.

In Jerusalem a choreographer, a visual artist, a rabbi-dancer, a female hip-hop singer, and a comedy writer/performer struggle to find a place amidst the underlying tensions of an ancient city.

In Havana a dissident filmmaker, a contemporary dancer, an Afro-Cuban DJ, and a Canadian Emcee/Beatmaker insist on pushing artistic boundaries on an insulated island unmoored from the world.

In Manila a performance artist, a pole dancer, a rap battle champion, a visual artist, and a painter explore the multiple facets of a city now in the grip of a new government engaged in a drug war.

In Mexico City a graphic artist, a sculptor, a group of naked performance artists, and a photographer disrupt the apathy of Mexicans towards femicide and their country’s rampant violence.

A feminist singer, visual artist, transgender performance artist, and the country’s first female Muslim stand-up comedian struggle to preserve the increasingly restrictive space for free expression.

In Nairobi a political cartoonist, a hip-hop drummer queen, a filmmaker, and a disabled contemporary dancer challenge the corruption of an ossified political class.

In Chicago a poet/rapper, a mural artist, an actor/writer, and a footwork dance crew empower their communities to fight the city’s segregation problem.

In Karachi an illustrator, a graffiti artist, a video artist, and an underground rap group defiantly persist in reclaiming their city despite the ongoing terror.

In Warsaw a singer/songwriter, an actor/playwright, and a queer performance artist confront the rise of right-wing nationalism and state authoritarianism in Poland.