Mediterranean dialogues – an itinerant festival

ongoing

The Mediterranean has been at the centre of cultural exchange for thousands of years, nourishing new ideas, creativity and the artistic imagination. It has been the background for the cross-pollination of cultures over many centuries, bringing civilisations together through maritime connections and forging innovative practices to address global issues by uniting the two shores of the Global North and South. More recently this region has been united by common challenges including: migration, gender inequality, political unrest, social and religious divisions, and climate change, which is causing widespread fires, floods and rising sea levels. People across this region, and beyond, need to work together to address these challenges and find innovative solutions that transcend borders. Our project seeks to address these challenges of the Mediterranean area, from climate change and sustainability to gender inequality. Mediterranean Dialogues (MedFest) – an itinerant cultural festival – has been put together by seven partners across the Mediterranean region to connect, explore and debate common issues through arts and culture, and build new opportunities for co-creation, participation and exchange. The concept of MedFest is that arts and culture offer a medium through which we can explore and address the shared challenges of our contemporary Mediterranean societies. Our approach is to test out new forms of engagement and participation with local audiences around a rich and diverse programme of cultural activities, taking place inside cultural venues and also across the cities, in new and unexpected locations. Sharing new techniques for audience engagement is critical for bringing together new perspectives, new voices and new thinking on today’s issues, and creating a space for (artistic and digital) dialogue and exchange with audiences and participants typically excluded from, or outside, mainstream culture.