The University of Bath is proud to announce the launch of a new Global Webinar Series on Disappearance, featuring acclaimed Panamanian musician, songwriter, activist, and former politician Rubén Blades — a multi-Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winner and one of Latin America’s most powerful voices on social justice.
This inaugural event, taking place on 9 June 2025 at 4pm BST / 11am EST, marks the University’s commitment to confronting global human rights issues through cross-disciplinary dialogue.
The series builds on the recent donation of State of Disappearance, a powerful collection of works by Mexican artist Chantal Meza, now permanently housed at the University. It aims to spark urgent conversations around enforced disappearances, which continue to devastate communities from Latin America to Asia and beyond.
Blades, the author of the haunting 1984 ballad "Desapariciones" ("Disappearances") — one of the most iconic Latin American songs addressing the issue — will headline the launch. The song, a lyrical chronicle of four ordinary lives that vanish without a trace, has since become an anthem of remembrance and resistance across the continent.
The idea for the series emerged from conversations between Professor Manuel Barcia, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), and Professor Brad Evans, Director of the Centre for the Study of Violence at Bath. Together, they envisioned a platform that merges politics, art, and ethical reflection to address some of the world’s most harrowing realities.
Professor Manuel Barcia said:
When I arrived at the University of Bath, I was struck by the commitment some colleagues show to tackling the most difficult and pressing of all global issues. One of those which stood out was the visible work done to respond to the horrifying practice of disappearance. It's a real honour for us to be able to host Rubén Blades, who is widely respected for his commitment to social justice. I am also delighted to be able to bring him into conversation with the artist Chantal Meza, whose campus exhibition has already brought global visibility to our community.
Disappearance remains a stark and ongoing occurrence. In Mexico alone, more than 120,000 people have been reported missing since 2006, largely due to cartel violence and the ongoing war on drugs.
Professor Brad Evans said:
Disappearance is a form of violence that seems unimaginable. It weaponises the sense of absence and robs the victim of all claims to dignity and life. There is, as such, no better way to respond than by bringing politics and the arts together. As we have learned through the art on campus, new conversations are possible, and the intolerable can be confronted.
The Global Webinar Series: The Disappeared of History will run throughout 2025–26, curated and chaired by Professor Barcia, hosted by Professor Evans, and supported by Chantal Meza. It will bring together leading voices from across the worlds of culture, academia, activism, and policy.