Wikimedia UK, with the support of the Khalili Foundation, has initiated a global movement to make Wikipedia more inclusive by integrating content from underrepresented cultures through institutional partnerships and editathons.
Menu
World Festival
of Cultural Diversity
A global, year-round celebration of the world’s culture, created by the Khalili Foundation, culminating in the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on 21st May.
“Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth, and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace – respect for diversity.”
John Hume
from his 1998 Nobel Prize lecture
Play Video
A Global, Year-round Celebration
The World Festival of Cultural Diversity is a global, synchronised celebration of cultural diversity supported by UNESCO. It is a year-round programme of events and activities leading up to the UN World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on 21st May.
The Festival is created and coordinated by the Khalili Foundation to spotlight efforts around the world to preserve and promote cultural diversity, especially through the cultural sector.
Special Festival section on GA&C spotlighting various technological features and digital exhibits that showcase the world’s cultural expressions.
A campaign to tackle the cultural bias on Wikipedia including the engagement of non-Western cultural institutions to digitize and release more content on open access.
Six stellar panel discussions (webinars) over 12 months exploring how cross-cultural dialogue can be fostered through communities,
Special event on the World Day of Cultural Diversity (May 21st 2023) at the UNESCO HQ in Paris. This will include talks, performances, film screenings, a reception and fundraising dinner.
A Festival of ideas with the theme of “thinking through music” drawing from world music, dance, film and visual arts.
World Festival
of Cultural Diversity
Special Festival section on the Europeana platform, bringing together stories of European culture in all its diversity.
A series of lectures that explore the story and evolution of science throughout history and in different cultural contexts.
An architectural design competition for resilient and adaptable houses that advance, adapt and update specific local building traditions to meet 21st century needs.
An intercultural research project looking at how deliberate spaces can be created for greater cross-cultural dialogue and peacebuilding
A short film to show how young people in the UK are using global citizenship to advance their career and learning opportunities.
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their colour.”
Maya Angelou
Aspen UK Webinar Series
As part of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity, Aspen UK is hosting 6 webinars during the course of the year, each exploring Cultural Diversity in different areas of modern life with some of the leading thinkers and practitioners in each area.
INTBAU Architectural Design Challenge
As part of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity, INTBAU is organising an architectural design competition for resilient and adaptable houses that advance, adapt and update specific local building traditions to meet 21st century needs.
SOAS Festival of Ideas
The 2022 SOAS Festival of Ideas was themed “Thinking through Music” and offered live music, hands-on workshops, specialist panels and intimate discussions with music theorists & music makers on diaspora, decolonising music education, dance, DJ culture and more. A highlight concert from leading kora player Ballaké Sissoko from Mali closed the festival.
“Diversity is not an abnormality but the very reality of our planet. The human world manifests the same reality and will not seek our permission to celebrate itself in the magnificence of its endless varieties.”
CHINUA ACHEBE
Publication and
Webinar Series
The themes explored are set by the recently published Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity 20th anniversary book, published by the Khalili Foundation. You can learn more here.
Over the coming months, we are working with Aspen Institute UK to arrange 6 seminal webinars, each with a stellar panel discussing a particular aspect of cultural diversity. These include:
- Cities and Communities
- Schools and Education
- Organisations and Workplaces
- Digital and Conventional Media
- Arts and Culture
- Activism and Social Justice
“It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength.”
Maya Angelou
To participate,
please contact us
We encourage you to nominate your exhibition, performance, lecture or special event to be part of the World Festival of Cultural Diversity.