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On 8 & 9 July 2009 thirty five cultural leaders from the UK, North Africa, Middle East, Western Europe, and North America came together in London to develop their skills and professional networks through a 2-day British Council-run programme involving case studies, action learning sets, collaborative project planning, panel discussions with prominent speakers and networking opportunities.

Countries involved this year are: Algeria, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Netherlands, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen, UAE, and USA.

This event is part of the British Council’s Cultural Leadership International (CLI) programme which aims to help future cultural leaders develop the skills and vision needed to strengthen the cultural sector and its role in building an open, tolerant and integrated society. CLI will cultivate and support international partnerships and collaborations using UK cultural leadership expertise. The project will also generate opportunities for the international exchange of knowledge, experiences and ideas, a

nd support people in fulfilling their potential and realising their aspirations. This stems from our conviction that the arts are a valuable route to understanding cultures and societies and offer a unique way of interacting across boundaries.

During the event on 8 July, prominent cultural figures from Europe and the Middle East debated what it means to be a cultural leader, and discussed how a new and interconnected generation of cultural leaders could work together for greater impact on society. The speakers included author and cultural commentator Ahdaf Soueif, writer and social activist Dr Naif Al Mutawa, British playwright and journalist Mark Ravenhill, British Council’s Programme Leader for Creative and Knowledge Economy Dr Philip Goodwin, Director of the Kampnagel Theater Hamburg Amelie Deuflhard, and John Holden speaker and cultural commentator.

This even

t was an opportunity for all of our selected participants to come together as a group, to share ideas around culture and leadership and to work together on finalising their development plans. The event marked the formation of the international cultural network. This will be the first network of its kind, bringing together a diverse group of cultural leaders and speakers from around the world. The panel discussion, ‘Leaders in the Cultural Sector: International Perspectives’ examined the key challenges and opportunities faced by leaders in the cultural sector and the contributions that cultural leaders can make to social and economical developments. From Tunisia Walid Mtimet was selected.

Walid is a Communications Coordinator at El Teatro, the foremost performing arts space in Tunis. Previously he was the co-ordinator of the 70th International Congress of Non-professional Films UNICA (2008), in the National Festival of Amateur Films of Kelibia and in Dream City festival (November 2007) and the Manager of MIYA Production (cinematic Coordinator productions).

Paul De Quincey, CLI project director commented: ‘I look forward to a fascinating and lively debate that will go some way towards creating a better understanding of the complexities of cultural leadership in an international context and the potential difference that good leadership of cultural organisations can make to our societies.’

-Alarabonline-

Cultural leaders from across the world meet

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