UNESCO, AU and Government of Angola to present 2nd Biennale of Luanda

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November 22, 2021

Luanda, on 22 November 2021, UNESCO, the African Union (AU) and the Government of Angola, will host a press conference in Luanda, Angola, to announce the launch of the 2nd edition of the Biennale of Luanda – “Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace”, which will take place from 27 November to 2 December.

Journalists are invited to follow a hybrid press conference (in Luanda, Centro de Imprensa Aníbal de Melo and online) that will be given from 10.00AM (West Africa Time) by H.E. Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, African Union’s Commissioner for Peace and Security, H.E. Ambassador José Sita, National Coordinator of the Biennale of Luanda, and Mr Vincenzo Fazzino, International Coordinator of the Biennale of Luanda at UNESCO. The participants will be available to answers journalists’ questions about the day’s celebrations and the forthcoming Biennale of Luanda, organized by UNESCO, the AU and the Government of Angola.

Inspired by the Constitution of UNESCO, the concept of a “Culture of Peace” was formulated during the International Congress on Peace in the Minds of Men, held in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire in 1989. The call to create an Africa-wide sustainable movement for peace was part of the “Action plan for a culture of peace in Africa” adopted at the end of the Pan-African Forum “Sources and Resources for a Culture of Peace” in Luanda, 2013.

While opportunities for sustainable development in Africa are growing, the continent still faces many challenges including risks of instability and conflict. UNESCO advocates the promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence in Africa based on shared African values, and the Biennale of Luanda is part of this process and a contribution to shaping the culture of peace in Africa.

“It is the Biennale’s ambition to serve as a crossroads of the culture of peace, providing a space for thought on the future of peace in Africa, by promoting African countries’ cultural wealth and their resilience in the face of violence” has declared UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. The forthcoming Biennale of Luanda will combine face-to-face and online events, all of which will be streamed on the “Biennale TV”, freely accessible from the Biennale’s website with interpretation in English, French and Portuguese.

The six-day programme will have four major points of focus:

Intergenerational Dialogue of Leaders and Youth;

Thematic and Best Practice Forums;
Launch of the Alliance of Partners for a Culture of Peace;
Festival of Cultures.

It will bring together several Heads of States and Government and high-level representatives – such as João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, President, Republic of Angola, Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the Commission of the African Union, Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General, Bineta Diop, African Union Special Envoy for Women, Peace and Security, Forest Whitaker, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation, Alphadi, UNESCO Artist for Peace – and partners will take part in the Launch of the Alliance to be held on the very last day of the event.