Manifesta has secured a very special 'slot' for 2 Belonging films, in New York, at the UN Headquarters - 28 September: the UN and the Alliance of Civilisation screened 2 Belonging films - Circling Around, (Veronia Anandaraja, UK) and Saudade (Wilson Teixeira "Icha", PT) - during a UN Roundtable on The Inter-ethnic City, Management and Policies for a Better Integration of Migrants - 28 Sept. 2009.
In addition, the policy document BELONGING: Message to Policy Makers - which was just finalised - was given to the Round Table's participants.
The High-Level Roundtable on “The Inter-Ethnic City: Management and Policies for a Better Integration of Migrants” was co-organized on 28 September by the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC), the Permanent Missions of Italy and of Canada to the United Nations, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This Roundtable examined good practices and processes for better integration at the level of cities as experienced by local administrators, policymakers and other stakeholders.
In addition, the French film 'J'en ai deux' (I have 2 of them) was nominated in the 'About me' category at the StrangerFestival in Amsterdam, and Hadjara Karamoko-Mercy was invited to travel and attend the festival in Amsterdam, and participate in the many workshops available during the week. It was a unique opportunity to meet with other young people from all over Europe and its neighbouring countries.
Manifesta is launching Breaking into the Museum, a trans-national youth media initiative leading to new curatorial perspectives and interpretations.
Breaking into the Museum will promote youth participation, allowing young voices' contribution into the grand narratives of nation, history and heritage - bringing fresh interpretations and perspectives in curating for museums.
Breaking into the Museum will propose 'radical' intervention in heritage curating as an exciting form of 21st century cultural activism and engagement, bring new participating audiences to the museums, and contribute to the re-modelling of museums as contemporary public spaces.