Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange begins Tuesday

The yearly Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE), which is designed for young people across the globe, will hold on Tuesday, July 13 and Wednesday, July in hybrid format – virtual space and live.
  
With this year’s theme as: ‘That Our Future May Not Disappear,’ the organisers, in a statement, said: “The event has refocused its agenda strictly on discovering and grooming young intellectuals and change-makers from around the world, through its newly initiated International Youth Assembly (IYA). It is expected to feature over 5000 young people and 17 young leaders drawn from 20 countries and four continents of the world.”
 
The Project’s Executive Producer, Teju Kareem, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of ZMirage Multimedia Company, said IYA formed the nucleus of the three-in-one programming contents for this year’s edition.  

“Through the IYA, we intend for young people from diverse parts and cultures of the world to connect, engage and learn from one another, as well as receive mentoring from eminent resource persons, who are themselves leaders in their individual area of discipline,’ he said.

“ Also, 17 youths from four continents have been elected to speak on the theme from their individual perspectives, and they will also be mentored by thought leaders whom we have tagged, ‘Advocates of Conscience,’ who will also help the youths to frame their thoughts about the future of collective humanity.”

Throwing light on the contents of the 2021 edition, the Producer, Aduke Aladekomo, said the programme would be in three folds: the International Youth Assembly (IYA), the Advocacy Session and the Writerly Workshop.
  
According to her, the IYA will see past winners of the yearly WSICE contests joined by contemporaries from other countries and cultures, and will converge on a panel named “The International Youth Assembly” to discuss the issue of disappearance of all forms and how it affects their future and the survival of the human family.
 
She further explained that the Advocacy Session in which specially selected eminent cultural and educational leaders named ‘Advocates of Conscience’ – who are renowned for having dedicated their time, life and careers to speaking for and working with young people, will share their experiences with participants in the youth assembly.
  
“Featuring in the segment are: the renowned Caribbean performance poet-philosopher-activist, Mutabaruka, the American physician-storyteller, Dr Russell Low, and the Chinese-American classic musician, Jian Wang; the renowned choreographer, theatre maker and culture advocate, Segun Adefila and the humanitarian art maker, Seyi Oluyole.