The Power of Culture

In the Netherlands, Mundial is primarily known for the annual Festival Mundial in Tilburg, but the organisation has many other activities. Mundial Productions recently joined forces with cultural and social organisations throughout the world in a new network: United Cultures for Development. Association Benebnooma in Burkina Faso, Kalakar Trust in India and IBISS in Brazil are only a few of the participating partners. The organisations share expertise and experience, with focus on contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Objectives.

In addition to the many artists from development countries on tour within the framework of Festival Mundial, each year a number of people are active in Tilburg by invitation of Mundial Productions, often in trainee positions or for studies. Nzali Jordan of South Africa's Cultural Development Trust, for example, did a brief study with Fontys IEMES University of Applied Sciences. Thabo Leanya worked as a trainee at the Festival Mundial to get new ideas for the Morija Festival in Lesotho. Partners in developing countries have a voice in policy making and bear responsibilities in implementing the programme. The partners may also submit requests for acquiring artistic or institutional capacity. The capacity building programme focuses on traineeships, studies, the development of new productions, like in the examples of Nzali Jordan and Thabo Leanya. There are also opportunities for south-south cooperation.

The Mundial on Tour programme is subsidised by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs within the framework of the co-financing system 2007-2010. The programme reflects a cross section of Mundial’s regular activities. In addition to the annual large-scale Festival Mundial in Tilburg, Mundial organises the children’s festival Via del Mondo in the month of May. Groups and individual artists from developing countries also tour theatres, stages and schools in the Netherlands and Belgium. Mundial has an extensive educational programme targeting both elementary and secondary school students. All of the organisation’s activities contribute to achieving the Millennium Objectives.

The objective of Mundial Productions is to develop a powerful international culture and development network with autonomous cultural partners in developing countries. The goal is to give artists from developing countries access to the international cultural market and to reinforce support for international cooperation. Both in the Netherlands and in the countries in which Mundial Productions' partners are active.