- event type:WOMEX 16 Conference Session
- date:21 Oct 2016
- time:12:00 – 13:00
- city/area:Santiago de Compostela, Galicia
- venue:Conference Room 1, Level 0, Building 2, Cidade da Cultura
- country:Spain
- event posted by:Piranha Arts
Chaired by Thomas Laou-Hap (France), Zone Franche, World Music Network
with Jody Ackland (UK/France), Freelance
Birgit Ellinghaus (Germany), alba KULTUR
Divya Bhatia (India), Jodhpur RIFF
Percy Yip Tong (Mauritius), Cyper Produktion
During WOMEX 15 in Budapest, 400 delegates expressed their solidarity with refugees throughout Europe. A shared statement and a group photocall called on European governments to open the borders and consider migrants as a positive force to enrich societies.
World music is a manifestation of fundamental values: hospitality, openness, cultural diversity and respect for human rights. To continue this dynamic, networks and delegates are working together to develop a World Music Charter based upon the internationally-accepted
UNESCO Convention for Cultural Diversity. We propose a World Music Charter to promote cultural rights and to express our values against the closing of borders, restricted mobility and policies based upon fears, all over the world. This conference session is the place to discuss and agree collectively upon a World Music Charter and to propose actions for the future.