|
The fourth triennial World Summit on Arts
and Culture will look at using the arts to bridge social and cultural divides.
The World Summit on Arts and Culture will take place at Museum Africa
TOPICAL issues like cultural diversity and intercultural
dialogue in a globalised world will be under the spotlight at the fourth
triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture (WSoAC), which will be hosted in Africa - in Joburg - for the first time.
It will run from 22 to 25 September at
Museum Africa, in the heart of the Newtown cultural precinct, coinciding with
national Heritage Day on 24 September and Arts Alive, Joburg's arts and culture
festival, held annually in that month.
Themed Meeting of cultures: creating meaning
through the arts, the summit will be used to foster intercultural dialogue,
which will ultimately bridge the divides between people of different cultures,
notes Mike van Graan, the executive director of the African Arts Institute
(AFAI).
According to the director of arts, culture and heritage in the City of Johannesburg, Steven Sack, the summit will be an opportunity for the City to show off its significant art and culture infrastructure and artists to delegates from many parts of the world.
On the hosting of
the World Summit
MIKE van Graan, the executive director of the African Arts Institute, talks about some of the topics to be tackled.
See the video. |
"The fourth WSoAC theme provides a base for
deep and broad-ranging engagement," adds Van Graan, a Cape Town playwright and the summit's
programme director.
Explaining the theme, he says it is placed
in a world which is increasingly divided by cultural rather than political
ideology, where feelings of being threatened by others are largely based on
ignorance.
Divisions
"We are living in a post-9/11 world where communities are increasingly divided
by values, beliefs and religion - their culture, rather than political
ideology. Whether in Europe, Africa or Asia,
immigrants often suffer the effects of xenophobia based on fear and perceived
vulnerability largely based on ignorance. The fourth WSoAC theme will explore
how the arts can play a meaningful role in intercultural dialogue and social
cohesion."
Symposiums, workshops and roundtable
discussions will be held over the four-day summit. "The first day's
workshop will focus on theoretical issues ... the second day's sessions will
focus on practical ideas that could be catalysed at the summit," reads the WSoAC
website.
The summit will look at creating meaning through the arts
Weighty discussions, with titles like "Sword
or plough, bridge or dynamite: the arts as vehicles for intercultural dialogue
in a globalised world"; "Cultural diversity: essential for peace or the root of
all conflict?" and "Saving the arts ... so the arts can save the world", are
expected.
Issues pertinent to the future of arts and
culture in the world will also be discussed, with a look at questions like, How
do we continue these discussions in our own countries? How do we advocate for
the arts, nationally and internationally?
Other topics on the agenda will include how
public arts policy can contribute towards creating decent jobs; the importance
of intercultural dialogue; art as an instrument for public good; freedom of
expression; the global economic downturn; art in conflict zones; climate change;
and the arts and culture in post-apartheid South Africa.
Support
The WSoAC will also be used as a platform to examine various ways in which
countries can support the arts. Overall, it aims to resolve how the arts can fit
into a world were people are culturally divided and how they can be used to build
multicultural societies, and foster social cohesion or development between
people of different backgrounds.
One of the confirmed speakers is Professor
Njabulo Ndebele, an academic and author who has served as a vice-chancellor at
the University of the North; chair and head of the department of African literature
at the University of the Witwatersrand; and vice-chancellor,
dean and head of the English department at the National University of Lesotho.
Ndebele is the author of Fools and Other
Stories, which won the Noma Award in 1983 for the best book published in Africa, and the novel, The Cry of Winnie Mandela. He is a
graduate of Lesotho, Cambridge, and Denver
universities.
Other confirmed speakers include Dr Stojan
Pelko, a film publicist, essay writer and the state secretary for culture of Slovenia, and Madeeha Gauhar from Pakistan, who has a masters degree in theatre studies
from the University
of London.
More than 500 delegates from over 70
countries are expected to attend, among them International Federation of Arts
Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) members and affiliates; representatives
of international, national and regional artists' networks; ministries of
culture and arts; cultural policy makers; researchers, arts educators and
administrators; artists; and supporters of the arts.
Policy
"The real target market of this event is people involved in policy formulation
and implementation of policy; arts councils; ministries responsible for arts
and culture; culture funders; and the like," confirms Van Graan.
Sarah Gardner, the executive director of IFACCA,
says: "Each year, the discourse and resulting practice is enriched through the
increasing numbers and variety of delegates and evolving global significance of
this event."
Members of the public are also invited to
attend. "The artists and civil society are obviously crucial because ultimately
they are the people who will be affected by these policies. But they are not
the primary target of this particular summit," Van Graan explains, adding that
"probably" only about 20 to 25 percent of seats will be allocated to artists
and the public.
"We anticipate the highest-ever number of
delegates from the African continent and look forward to an event featuring
dialogue and outcomes that propel significant advancement for Africa's
arts and culture sector," notes Goodwin Mnisi, the acting chief executive of
the National Arts Council.
"Winning the bid to host the fourth WSoAC
is a significant achievement for the National Arts Council of South Africa and
a major opportunity for Africa."
Triennial event
A triennial event, the summit was first held in Canada
in 2000; it was held again in Singapore
in 2003 and in the United
Kingdom in 2006.
It is endorsed by the City of Johannesburg's
directorate of arts, culture and heritage. The City will also be hosting a panel looking at the concept of Johannesburg as a cultural capital.
WSoAC is hosted under the auspices of IFACCA,
the National Arts Council, the national Department of Arts and Culture, the
provincial department of sport, arts, culture and recreation, the Johannesburg
Tourism Company and Business and Arts South Africa.
"Intercultural dialogue has emerged as a
critical issue for the world. The previous three summits have seen insightful
dialogue and debate around issues of policy development for the arts across the
globe," Gardner
explains.
Van Graan says this year's summit will be
different in two ways. "Both from the perspective of the number of Africans who
will participate to ensure that African ideas are articulated through a very
visible African presence [and] ... The second way in which we hope to make it
different is that rather than speak about these particular themes, we want to
show them through the arts.
Performers
"So we will have particular artistic interventions that will try to show how
the arts can be used to explore different cultures. You might have an opera
singer performing with a traditional musician from Zimbabwe, practically demonstrating
the role of the arts in intercultural dialogue."
Van Graan says it will also attempt to
explore the possibility of turning Joburg into a cultural capital for Africa, so that after the summit, there will be a legacy
left for arts and culture.
"I think Joburg would be an ideal city to
be the first cultural capital of Africa
because there is just so much that is happening in the city in terms of
infrastructure that is available and new venues opening up. They provide an
incredible vibrancy of artistic and creative practice."
Delegates will be taken on a tour of Joburg
and on the final day, the organisers will announce the host of the fifth
triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture.
Registration for the fourth WSoAC is R9 900
per delegate from the European Union, the United
States, Canada,
Japan, China, Australia,
New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea. This fee will cover
catering for two-and-a-half days of the summit, the official summit dinner
and all summit material.
National and affiliate members of IFACCA only
pay R7 500. Professional artists and arts administrators, including members of the
public pay R3 300. Book early as seats are limited; to register, click here .
For more information about the WSoAC visit
the arts summit website ;
send an email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
; or
telephone Rosie Katz, the summit co-ordinator on 011 838 1383 or email her
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
Related stories:
|
