The Forum d’Avignon will celebrate its fifth anniversary from November 15 to 17th, as 450 people from over 40 different countries will converge in the City of Popes to share their thoughts about the close link between culture and the economy, and to try and find “reasons to hope” for the future.
Since the dawn of time, culture has enabled us human beings to leave a trace of our passage on Earth, whether through a book, a painting, a song, or a film. However, as Laure Kaltenbach, the Managing Director of the Forum, will tell us in an exclusive interview that will be published on the live Orange blog this week, culture now forms an integral part of the world economy. In Europe, for instance, culture represents between 7 and 8 million jobs, and between 3 and 5 GDP points.
Credit : Léo Caillard
The Avignon Forum, founded in 2008, is a think tank for ideas and aims to broaden and highlight the links between culture and the economy, together with the role culture plays in social cohesion and in the attractiveness of the regions. Working together with a global network of artists, experts, international consultancy firms, and public and private partners, the Avignon Forum produces a significant body of editorial work on the topics suggested by its Steering Committee, like the topics that will be discussed during November, which include:
- the financing of economic cultural models
- the digital arena and innovation
- the attractiveness of territories
At a time when the financial crisis is affecting almost every country on earth, culture represents a major challenge, and one of the issues that will be addressed throughout the 2012 Avignon Forum will specifically involve seeing how culture, and creative minds, can contribute towards reversing the negative trend that the world is currently experiencing.
A large number of noted speakers will be attending, like Youssou N’Dour, the singer, and Amos Gitaï, the Israeli director, as well as Rick Cotton, NBC Universal’s Vice-Chairman, in order to discuss the status of culture today, its role in society, and the importance of handing this dimension down to the next generation, especially at a time when the ways in which we interact, consume, share, or in other words the way we live, is currently undergoing radical changes, thanks to new tools and opportunities provided by technology.
While waiting for the interview with Laure Kaltenbach, as well as the schedule of what will be going on at the Forum d’Avignon, you can also do your bit by taking part in a survey on the cultural practices of the digital generation organised by the Forum d’Avignon think-tank. Reply to a short questionnaire, and one of you will be selected to take part in the Avignon Forum in November!
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