Interdependence Day 2010

September 2010

Interdependence Day VIII
(Berlin, 8th-13th September, 2010)

Event Report

Following seven successful Interdependence Day Celebrations and Forums starting in 2003 in Philadelphia and continuing in Rome, Paris, Casablanca, Mexico City, Brussels, and Istanbul, Professor Dr. Benjamin Barber and his global NGO "CivWorld at Dēmos" successfully held “Interdependence Day VIII”, which took place in Berlin, Germany from the 8th-13th of September, 2010. Under the theme of Sustain/Ability, the eighth annual Interdependence Day Celebration and Forum focused on the critical issue of climate change to examine the crisis of global warming and climate justice in the frame of interdependence. The roles of global cities, the arts, new technologies and the private sector were also examined as key areas of discussion.

As always, Interdependence Day in Berlin brought together leaders from the worlds of scholarship, religion, civil society, politics, and the arts and included scholarly seminars, public debates, artistic performances, and exhibitions. On Interdependence Day, September 12th, the delegates were joined at the Rotes Rathaus (Berlin City Hall) by members of the Berlin community to memorialize victims of terrorism around the world, and celebrated the constructive future which can be created only through the recognition of interdependence. Interdependence Day honors September 12 as a post-9/11 symbol of regeneration, as a time to reflect on the range of global challenges that can be solved only through the acknowledgment of interdependence.

As in both of the last two Interdependence Day celebrations, the Global Interdependence Youth Summit was held concurrently from September 8th to 13th and it engaged young people from many countries both in their own activities and in its panels and seminars. Young leaders from The Gathering for Justice, Brotherhood Sister-Sol, the W. Haywood Burns Institute, OneVoice, and many other organizations, including The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, met to tell their own stories of interdependence and learned about the theory and practical work of interdependence which defines the  Interdependence Movement.

Forum Speakers

Mary Lou Aleskie (Executive Director, International Festival of Arts & Ideas)
Prof. Dr. Helmut Anheier (Dean and Professor of Sociology, Hertie School of Governance)
David Baile (Chief Executive Officer, International Society for the Performing Arts))
Dr. Benjamin Barber (Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos; President and Director of CivWorld at Demos)
Leah Barber (Artist)
Gina Belafonte (Actress, Producer, Director; Founding Member, The Gathering for Justice)
David Callahan (Co-Founder of Demos)
Kevin Cunningham (Founder and Executive Artistic Director, 3-Legged Dog Media and Theater Group)
Jacqueline Davis (Executive Director, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center)
James Early (Director of Cultural Studies and Communication,  Center for Folklife Programs and Cultural Studies, Smithsonian Institution)
Dr. Martin Frick (International Senior Fellow, Demos)
Danny Glover (Actor and Social Activist)
Paula Marie Hildebrandt (Political Scientist, Curator, and Urban Researcher)
Prof. Micheline Ishay (Director, International Human Rights Program at the  Josel Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver)
Lord Frank Judd (Former Member of UK Parliament;  Member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights)
Dieter Kosslick (Director, Berlin International Film Festival)
Yo Yo Ma (World-renowned Cellist)
Miklos Marschall (European and Central Asian Regional Director, Transparency International)
Dr. Richard Meng (Permanent Secretary and Spokesman of the Berlin Senate)
Amb. Phillip D. Murphy (US Ambassador to Germany)
Paul Nagle (Executive Director, Institute for Culture in the Service of Community Sustainability)
Dr. Michael Naumann (Current Editor of “Cicero”; Former Editor of “Die Zeit”)
Prof. Claus Offe (Professor of Political Science, Hertie School of Governance)
Miles Rapoport (President of Demos)
Dirk Sager (Director, ZDF Moscow Studio)
Imam Dr. Abduljalil Sajid (Chairman, Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony; President, National Association of British Pakistanis;  Chairman,  Taskforce for European Inter-cultural Dialogue)
Jochen Sandig (Founder, Managing Director, and Artistic Director of RADIALSYSTEM V)
Prof. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research)
Dr. Bernd Scherer (Director, Haus der Kulturen der Welt)
Rev. Osagyefo Sekou (Senior Minister, Lemuel Hayned Congregational Church)
Dr. Gary Smith (Executive Director, The American Academy in Berlin)
Dr. Susanne Stemmler (Head of the Department for Literature and Humanities, Haus der Kulturen der Welt)
Sasha Waltz (Choreographer, Leader of “Sasha Waltz and Guests” dance company)
Prof. Dr. Harald Welzer (Member of the Board of Directors, Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities)
Eileen Woods (Senior Partner and Artistic Director, Haring Woods Studio)

Forum Performers

Adé Bantu and Brothers Keepers
Aranyani Bhargav
DAVID J
Michael de la Rocha
Pam Rose
Sasha Waltz and Guests
JASIRI X
MC XANDER

Locations

  • Hertie School of Governance
  • Haus der Kulturen der Welt
  • RADIALSYSTEM V
  • Rotes Rathaus (Berlin City Hall)