The TOOLKITS SERIES Festivals, Peacebuilding, and Conflict Transformation
In many regions of the world, art festivals have been and can be used to address complex social, cultural, and political burning issues, and to promote healing and social cohesion. Being a common space shared in communities they are used to create resilience and strengthen solidarity.
Art festivals can have the potential to be powerful tools for peacebuilding and conflict transformation. By bringing together diverse communities and providing a platform for creative expression, festivals can facilitate dialogue, build relationships, and promote understanding and reconciliation in communities.
"Festivals can be seen as vital arenas for the public sphere, offering opportunities for dialogue, reflection, and social cohesion, particularly in contexts marked by conflict and division" (Laing & Mair, 2015).
In the same time the organisation and implementation of festivals can be put in danger due to armed conflicts and/or war. As seen in the COVID 19 pandemic, arts and culture were the first sectors to be closed down, confronted with minimized budgets. Festivals are often subject to short-term funding that can easily withdrawn, leaving festival makers without necessary means consistency and continuation. Furthermore, festivals that are support by a variety of external financial resources are never independent of third-party interests which makes them prone to attempts of taking sides in conflicts and to defend or discredit certain positions. This vulnerability can have a significant impact on the content and organizational structure of a festival and worse lead to further division within communities or exacerbation of the conflict.
The toolkit provides the reader with a set of issues and relevant examples that can guide future Festivals. The first part compiles relevant information about Climate Change and Environmental sustainability and their respective links and sources for additional information. The second part gathers best practices and examples related to the topic of this toolkit which can serve as inspirational guides for festival-makers worldwide.