RIPPLES OF HOPE FESTIVAL

Elif Shafak delivers her PEN HG Well Lecture at HOME MCR, as part of the Ripples of Hope Festival 2021. This talk includes BSL and captions.

The state of human rights is constantly changing: Removing structural racism, rethinking asylum on a warming plant, the equitable sharing of the vaccine globally; just three frontiers, and now Covid has revealed so much inequity, what will we do? As we look at the world now, what are the new frontiers and possibilities for human rights? Speakers include: Gracie Bradley, Interim Director, Liberty Maya Foa, Co-Executive Director, Reprieve Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Ripples of Hope Festival (Chair) Mandu Reid, Leader, Women's Equality Party Peter Tatchell, Campaigner and Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation Sjon, Poet, Novelist and Lyricist

Hillary Rodham Clinton In Conversation with Baroness Helena Kennedy QC. During the conversation we discussed Afghanistan, Racial Equality, Women's Rights, LGBTQ+ Rights and of course Former President Trump got a mention. The conversation is introduced by Ripples of Hope Festival Artistic Director, Jude Kelly. Poet, Keisha Thompson performs her poem based on Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Helena is later joined by RFK President Kerry Kennedy and RFK UK Chair Paul Lindley.

What's your vision for making a Human Rights City? Speakers include: Rabia Begum, Student, Artist and Climate Justice Activist Jay Bernard, Poet Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester Emma Greenwood, Youth MP for Bury Council Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Ripples of Hope Festival

For so long, our success has been measured in financial terms, not the health of our planet or the happiness of our communities. How do we change what we measure and give value to things that support a healthier and more sustainable world? Speakers include: Sophie Benson, Journalist Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, UK 2007-2010 Kimberly Campanello, Poet Lucy Danger, Chief Executive, EMERGE 3Rs Paul Lindley, Founder, Ella's Kitchen & Chair, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK (Chair) Keisha Thompson, Manchester-based Writer, Producer and Performer

Being seen and acknowledged is essential to our dignity being respected. The difficult truth in our society is that if we are poor or have a disability, we are less likely to be seen and acknowledged, reducing our power to make decisions in our interest. As we look to our society in the future, how can we truly recognise and value people's dignity - to see them - in our environments, culture, attitudes, behaviour and decisions? Speakers include: Jumoke Abdullahi, Co-Founder, The Triple Cripples Stef Benstead, Disability & Social Security Researcher Tishani Doshi, Poet and Novelist Leena Haque, Senior UX Designer & BBC Neurodiversity Lead Dave Moutrey, CEO, HOME (Chair) Nadine Travers, Grassroots Commissioner, Poverty Truth Commissioner.

Policy has the power to change every part of our lives - for good or bad. But so much about it is hidden in faceless bureaucracy, making it impossible to fight or challenge on a human level. How we make policy and who we make it for impacts all of us. So - how can we use the power of policy to create positive social change? Artistic Director, Jude Jelly, is joined by Journalist & Author, Amelia Gentleman; Barrister & Founder of Women In The Law, Sally Penni; and Poet, Togara Muzanenhamo.

Manchester Museum Director, Esme Ward, discusses 'Whose Story Is It?' with Dr. Njabulo Chipangura. They discuss how we can decolonise museums through epistemic and aesthetic disobedience by undoing earlier ways of knowledge production in collection practices and exhibitions. Njabu has extensively published research papers that looks at ongoing debates around the coloniality of museums and associated knowledge production and representation practices, to imagine a decolonised museum in Africa. His first book entitled Museums as Agents for Social Change: Collaborative Programmes at the Mutare Museum was published by Routledge in April 2021.

In the face of the climate crisis, deepening inequality and rising authoritarianism, never has that generational promise "to pass on a better world to our children" seemed more unlikely. Young people all over the world are rightly demanding more. Join young leaders to explore the question - what actions have we got to take now for all of our future? Speakers include: Evelyn Acham, Global Choices Arctic Angel María Alejandra Aguilar, Environmental Lawyer Rabia Begum, Student, Artist and Climate Justice Activist Emma Greenwood, Youth MP for Bury Council Phoebe Hanson, Chief Operating Officer, Force of Nature Divya Nawale, Global Choices Arctic Angel Judy Paskell, Co-ordinator, Greater Manchester Campaign against Climate Change

Progress is not a straight line - it often provokes a backlash that brings to the surface attitudes and prejudices that had been hidden. What are the gains we've made and how do we deal with both backlash and the rise of new anti-progressive attitudes across the world? Speakers include: Caroline Bird, Poet and Playwright Jane Fae, Writer and Feminist Cherylee Houston, Actor Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Peter Tatchell, Campaigner and Director, Peter Tatchell Foundation Gary Younge, Author, Broadcaster and Editor-at-Large, The Guardian