DEFINITION AND MISSION

The Festival of Nations is a philanthropic collaborative that recognizes cultural engagement as a highly effective, yet largely untapped means to address ideological ignorance, extremism, and sectarian violence. Arts, culture and media can make significant inroads in fostering engagement and co-existence between peoples, cultures, and regions in conflict. Authentic co-productions and collaborations featuring diverse arts and cultural leaders, promote understanding, tolerance and progress, which ultimately, positively impact all segments of society - in particular, disenfranchised youth.

The Festival of Nations’ mission is to back and partner with NGOs and arts & culture leaders who support and practice this kind of collaboration in the service of reconciliation and conflict resolution. Our goal is to foster dialogue, dignity and pluralism in the place of prejudice and sectarian divisions.

WHY ARTS, CULTURE & MEDIA TO ADDRESS RELIGIOUS AND SECTARIAN DIVISIONS?

Arts & culture relay engaging stories that inspire recognition of shared interests and values, naturally weaving between generations, languages and religions. They create media messaging from identifiable, authentic sources, with legacy impact and geographic reach in today’s new media landscape. For these reasons, the value of creative expression in all its forms needs to be incorporated once again into broader strategies of diplomacy, development and social change.

Contemporary and historical culture are integral to a community’s sense of identity. Given that a strong sense of identity is a pillar of healthy and vibrant communities, and that cultural identity provides a bulwark against extremism, it is no wonder that extremists target icons of history and culture, most recently from the Buddhas of Bamiyan, to the art galleries in Tunis, to the music and world heritage sites of the Sahara. While all religions share founding tenets of tolerance, peace and plurality, these core ideals are increasingly overwhelmed by simple misinformation, conspiracy theories and opportunists exploiting rifts for fundamentally political goals - all exacerbated by today’s 24 hour news cycle and its disproportionate attention to violence.

When arts & cultures’ elite messengers join forces in cross-cultural collaboration to address crises, their messaging and solidarity truly impact global audiences. They are our most effective ambassadors of change, our educational bridge to a more peaceful co-existence.

To support the Festival of Nations mission,

we are guided by the following understandings:

• Arts & culture are an effective means of education, of undermining stereotypes and highlighting the common humanity that binds us all together.

• Artists & cultural leaders and personalities are frequently our inspiring agents of change, and proverbial “canaries in the coal mine”. They are authentically at the forefront in holding institutions and governments accountable and mobilizing society for positive social and political change.

• Where emerging political figures often lack the courage to condemn and objectify militant extremist strains, the arts & cultural community do not.

• Creative expression can evade censors while captivating the public, in particular the skyrocketing numbers of youth made vulnerable by extreme poverty, conflict or lack of community.

• Ideas conveyed through the arts and media can penetrate deeply into societies and spread rapidly in today’s connected, transnational world.

• The convergence of social media, mobile video technology and broadband speeds must be incorporated in arts & culture initiatives to bridge humanity like never before.

Please send all requests to: inquiries@fn.org

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