Future Cities is an award-winning visual storytelling project about five exciting and upcoming cities around the world. The protagonists from these cities will meet each other for the first time at WeMakeThe.City. What do they need to propel their city forward? And what can we learn from that?
The Future Cities Grand Celebration takes you on a journey around the world to the next generation of cities. Not Shanghai or Mumbai. But the new economic, cultural and creative promises. Dive into the booming fashion scene of Kinshasa, discover the Silicon Valley of Latin America, experience the art vibe of Yangon, the swing of Addis Ababa and find out how the current gastronomy boom impacts lives in Lima.
The soul of the city
Over a period of five years, photographer Yvonne Brandwijk and journalist Stephanie Bakker have traveled to these metropoles of tomorrow to discover what is happening in these rapidly growing urban areas. Their web documentary won the 2017 World Press Photo Award for Digital Storytelling. They published their stories in (international) media and exhibited at the UN’s city summit in Quito. During the festival WeMakeThe.City, the protagonists from the five subject cities will meet for the very first time. The protagonists will take you into the shifting heart of their hometowns with a variety of pictures, conversations, and videos. What do they excel at in this city? Why is this? What is their personal role in this change? What will their city look like in 10 or 20 years? And what do they think is necessary to propel the city forward?
Future Cities is about the strength of the city, authenticity, and identity. What is the role of culture in a city? And how can this lead to broader developments? Although the Future Cities are very different from one another, as well as from Western cities, the stories of the international guests will invite you to think about what it takes to develop safe and inclusive cities which also offer room for personal development and individuality.
About Future Cities
In the century of urbanization, Future Cities is a multimedia project devoted to the stories and the people behind the statistics of urbanization and growth in these five emerging cities. Instead of focusing on the negative consequences of urbanization, photographer Yvonne Brandwijk and journalist Stephanie Bakker aim above all to capture the ambition and strength of the city. Without losing sight of reality. Through their project Future Cities they offer knowledge, inspiration, and energy from the cities of the future, and share with us the stories that are often forgotten and rarely told.
Programme
7:45 – 8 P.M. WALK-IN
8: – 8:15 P.M. Introduction by Jörgen Tjon A Fong & Laika Productions
8:15 – 8:35 P.M. Talks with protagonists
- Aung Soe Min – Artist and cultural pioneer from Yangon, Myanmar
- Carlos Alvarez – Digital entrepreneur and founder of Workep from Medellín, Colombia
8:35 – 8:45 P.M. Musical Performance by Haddis Alemayehu
8:45 – 9:15 P.M. Talks with protagonists
- Elsa Casimero & Yocelyn Paz Delgado – Peruvian chefs and students of Gastón Acurio’s Social Cooking School
- Haddis Alemayehu – Masinqo rockstar and jazz musician from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
9:15 – 9:30 P.M. Final panel with Future Cities Collective
9:30 – 10 P.M. Music, drinks & bites
Click for the web documentary: www.futurecities.nl/en
Visit the Future Cities exhibition at the OBA Oosterdok (Public Library Amsterdam)
