Ordinarily the Edinburgh International Culture Summit, delivered in partnership by the British Council, Scottish Government, UK Government, the Scottish Parliament and the Edinburgh International Festival, would welcome people from around the world to the Scottish Parliament in August, alongside the backdrop of the Edinburgh Festivals. This year it is not possible to present the Summit in that format.
However, on 22 August the Summit will launch a Special Edition online in which a fantastic range of contributors from around the world will bring their voice and expertise to three areas of discussion – Culture and Education, Culture and Social Cohesion and Culture in Vibrant Communities.
In a series of films, podcasts and interactive panel sessions, contributors from across the spectrum of the arts, economy, education, architecture, medicine, philanthropy and Ministers of Culture all from around the world will come together to examine the powerful role, and transformational potential, of culture in key aspects of our lives and particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ultimately, the Special Edition highlights the importance of a vibrant cultural sector in sustaining resilient and open societies and examines how access to artistic practices and spaces transform peoples and nations.
Sign up at the foot of this page to be kept up to date with new case studies, speaker insights and articles ahead of the Special Edition launching on 22 August.
Big Noise is an intensive, immersive model of music education which delivers benefits far beyond instrumental skills. Inspired by El Sistema, set up in Venezuela in 1975, increased confidence, greater resilience, improved focus and discipline are just a small number of the benefits associated with participation in Big Noise, as identified over several years of […]
Brendan Cormier, Senior Design Curator, V&A. The first days of lockdown in the UK will be remembered as strange and surreal: the news cycle in hyperdrive, every day new instructions from the government, and everyone everywhere trying to pivot as fast as possible to a constantly changing scenario. Particularly striking was how a handful of […]
Belief in humanity, even in the darkest of times is the enduring lesson of Jan Karski’s extraordinary life. A Polish World War II hero, Holocaust witness, and late beloved Georgetown Professor, his legacy is explored in a powerful monologue Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, delivered for the Special Edition by Oscar-nominated actor David […]