World Village Festival is the largest virtual festival and international discussion arena organized in Finland during the covid-pandemic. The festival begins this Saturday 29 May at 11am. Sign in to use the online festival platform at maailmakylassa.fi.
The theme of the festival is the future, which will be explored from many different perspectives and through the voices of people joining from all corners of the world. The weekend consists of 60 programme numbers, 100 speakers and a vast group of artists all sharing their own views and thoughts about the future.
”During these hard times, culture can help us to stay together and be hopeful for the future. Culture is the essence of humanity. With progressive cultural vision and awareness, we can form a better future for our children. Better culture means more efficient politics, a healthier economy, and less political corruption.” Master of Persian music, Kayhan Kalhor (IRN), Sunday 30 May at 3.30pm, Music Stage.
“If you are a young person, it does not matter what you choose in studies or profession, everything has to change. Fashion, design, construction, architecture, farming, waste management, transport, tourism. Almost everything has to be rethought and redesigned.” Author Andri Snær Magnason (ISL): On Time and Water – the language of climate change, Saturday 19 May at 7.10pm, Speaker’s Stage.
“One of the biggest questions of our society will be how we can get along with each other and how we can foster peaceful coexistence between different people and different groups.” Katja Mannerström, Head of Public Affairs, Finnish Refugee Council, Sustainable Future – Powered by PechaKucha, Saturday 30 May at 3pm, Speaker’s Stage.
“Inside our town, El Clavo, we have focused our energies towards self-sustainability, creating a humanitarian program, a public lunchroom operated by community members. The aim of this project is to support children from local families in a situation of malnutrition, as a way for the community to generate its own resources staying active, healthy and united.” Venezuelan world music star Betsayda Machado & Parranda El Clavo (VEN), Sunday 30 May at 6.15pm, Music Stage.
”In our quest for a better life, the need to improve our standard of living is emphasized. It is like a backdrop in a play. It’s based on material goods – but there is a limit to how much material goods we have at our disposal: one earth’s worth. A play needs a backdrop, but it also needs a good plot – without it, a play isn’t a play. Our quality of life is what builds the plot of our lives. Improving the quality and richness of the content of our lives has to be based on things that are, by nature, available in abundance, renewable and available to everyone.” Professor Arto O. Salonen, A Good and a Sustainable Life – A paradox or a way to the future? Saturday 29 May, 11.30am, Speaker’s Stage.
Read more about the programme, check out the weekend schedule and sign in to use the virtual festival platform through maailmakylassa.fi -front page.
The programme numbers can be viewed according to the schedule on Saturday from 11am to 9pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm, as well as the following week 31 May–4 June. All programme numbers are free of charge. Participation requires only your email address.
The event is organized by Finnish Development NGOs Fingo, which is an umbrella organization for approximately 300 development organizations. The main partners of the festival are the Helsinki Federation of Parishes, Ministry of Environment, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, European Commission in Finland, European Parliament Information Office in Finland and Maailman Kuvalehti -magazine.
For more information
Nelli Korpi, Communications Manager, nelli.korpi@fingo.fi, +358 50 317 6698
Johanna Eurakoski, Programme Manager, johanna.eurakoski@fingo.fi, +358 50 317 6696
Flickr (all images can be used by the media)
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