The first five speakers confirmed for the 6th World Summit on Arts and Culture share a common goal: they all work in the development of culture and the art in the advancement of their countries, although each approach it from a different perspective.
Some of them work from the role of civil society or from their own disciplines, and others, from an official or the political perspective. This is the case of Sir Peter Bazalgette, current chair of the Arts Council England, who started his career in the private sector, as a television producer. Sir Peter has been responsible (as president of Endemol) for great change in recent television entertainment phenomena. This is why today, from his role at the arts council, he can provide a key perspective on the convergence between mass media and creativity, and the support for the arts and cultural sector in times of constant economic changes.
Another case is that of Mohamed El Sawy. Originally from the world of architecture and advertising, he has become progressively involved in politics, becoming one of the most influential men in culture and education in Egypt. Founder of the Cultural Wheel Foundation in Cairo, Mr El Sawy was appointed Minister of Culture in 2011, a position he held until resigning, arguing that he would prefer to continue enjoying the freedom of being "a regular Egyptian". Later that same year he founded the Egypt Civilization political party. His participation will offer without doubt an interesting testimony of the convergence of community, political and entrepreneurial work, when encouraging cultural development in a society greatly agitated by political changes during the so called "Arab Spring".
Working in cultural development from the corporate world and specifically from the world of innovation, Frederick Pferdt, is global creativity and innovation director at Google Inc., and founder of Learning Design Lab, a laboratory of innovative educational didactics for the creative use of new digital technologies. Mr. Pferdt will be one of the speakers that will address the importance of encouraging innovative business ventures for the development of cultural industries.
Another of the first round of confirmed speakers is Rawand Arqawi, who works in the realm of civil society as women's rights activist and coordinator of the Freedom Theater, a community theater and cultural center located in a refugee camp in Jenin, in occupied Palestine. Ms Arqawi will speak about the possibilities art provides to offer safe spaces for creative development, when facing conflicting, and often traumatic, scenarios.
Finally, the first confirmed Latin American speaker, will be Alejandro Aravena, renowned Chilean architect and executive director of ELEMENTAL S.A., a company focused on social projects related to infrastructure, transportation, public space and housing. Mr Aravena will speak about the transforming actions that participative architecture - incorporating local context into decision-making - can have on community life, especially when facing social changes created by natural disasters such as the earthquake that affected Chile on 27 February 2010.
The theme of the 6th World Summit, Creative times: New models for cultural development, calls for the sharing of models that can help us face critical times –times of change and constant crisis- and imagine new possibilities that creativity and the arts can offer society.
These first confirmed speakers present a variety of sensibilities and visions of the role culture takes in building sustainable communities. They represent the collaborative spirit of this global gathering in January 2014; one that promises to place cultural dialogue at the heart of this diverse social tapestry.
To read more about the World Summit speakers, see the World Summit website.