Summary

  • Join us live at MIF19

  • We’ll be bringing you all the action as it unfolds over 18 extraordinary days

  • Find out more including the full festival programme at mif.co.uk

  • Join us on Twitter and Instagram @MIFestival

  1. Welcome back!published at 14:06 BST 6 July 2019

    We've settled in for the afternoon as MIF artistic director John McGrath introduces the session. Once again, we've got you covered if you're following along at home!

    John McGrath speaking on stage at Interdependence 2019Image source, MIF
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    John McGrath opens the afternoon session at Interdependence

  2. Interdependence - wrapping up the morningpublished at 13:20 BST 6 July 2019

    We are enlightened. And hungry.

    We've just wrapped up the morning session at Interdependence and we've got plenty to chew on from radical responses to the debt crisis to calls for greater representation of young people in parliament and finding utopia in community libraries.

    Thanks to all of our speakers, host Zing Tsjeng and Girl Gang for facilitating so many intense, insightful discussions between delegates!

    More to come this afternoon as we look at how to reclaim our planet, our communities and our humanity.

  3. On libraries as a utopian spacepublished at 13:16 BST 6 July 2019

    Kemang Wa Lehulere in discussion with John McGrath

    Spending the next few weeks in residence at Manchester Central Library, Kemang Wa Lehulere closes this morning's session in conversation with MIF artistic director John McGrath. During his residency, Wa Lehulere will be exploring new work and research ahead of a future MIF commission, providing a fascinating insight into his process.

    Quote Message

    I didn't want to come here with preconceived ideas or a set formula, I wanted Manchester to let me discover something...

    Kemang Wa Lehulere, Artist

  4. Q&A with Darren Keenan, Johnna Montgomerie, Reggie Gray and Young Identitypublished at 13:00 BST 6 July 2019

    What an amazing series of talks we've just seen from Darren Keenan, external, Dr Johnna Montgomerie , externaland the Alphabus team, external. We're now going to a quick Q&A with the audience.

    Question from the audience: "The last session discussed access to art. I'm black and I question how we begin to merge the artistic skills of the black community with the written word, that is, correctly, seen as more highly valued?"

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    That exact idea has been somewhat of a hurdle, where some of our poets have the only goal of publishing a book. They forget sometimes that there's a journey, a foundation, a story there before any of that. We respect spoken word and page poetry for what it is, but it's more than that sometimes. What can it do for you, the communities around you?

    Young Identity

    Another audience question: "Johnna, you focused on individual debt, do you feel the same principles apply to larger national debt?"

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    Yes, debt is also linked to existing systems of global opporession. The wealthiest countries in the world put everyone else under the boot - it's no way to run an economy, we can see how it's failing.

    Dr Johnna Montgomerie, Author and academic

  5. Reggie Grey and Young Identity on inequalitypublished at 12:32 BST 6 July 2019

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    I asked myself: why do I need to conform? Someone once told me I wouldn't make it without learning someone else's choreography and it was that moment when I realised I didn't have to conform.

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    A lot of my dancers felt like they didn't have a voice. I pretty much told them: we say so much through our bodies that we can express ourselves without voices or poems. Hey, we have a voice, a vocabulary of dance that can speak to everyone.

    Reggie Gray, Dance pioneer

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    The thing is: how do we fix our communities? Through the work we do, allowing people to have a platform, we're able to let the marginalised have that voice. Let's celebrate our excellence!

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    How can we change our communities? With the power of art. Art can't be silenced.

    Young Identity, Arts Organisation

  6. How do we fix inequality? Use dance and spoken wordpublished at 12:24 BST 6 July 2019

    Say Reggie Gray and Young Identity

    We're joined by Reggie Gray, external and the Young Identity, external crew. They're currently showing Alphabus here at MIF19 , externaland are here to talk about the use of dance, performance and spoken work to address inequality.

    Reggie and Young Identity on stage at InterdependenceImage source, MIF
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    Reggie and Young Identity on stage at Interdependence

  7. How do we fix inequality? Cancel household debtpublished at 12:20 BST 6 July 2019

    So says Dr. Johnna Montgomerie

    Following Darren Keenan, we're now listening to Dr Johnna Montgomerie. She's the author of Should We Abolish Household Debt? , externaland is an academic on the subject at King's College, London. You can follow her here, external.

    Johnna Montgomerie on stageImage source, MIF
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    Johnna Montgomerie speaking at Interdependence

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    Think about what debt means. The truth of it is, debt and money are made in exactly the same way. Only 2% of money exists as money you hold in your pocket, the rest exists as debt.

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    Money is power. And that means: debt is power. We're talking about another form of inequality - debt inequality. For some people, debt is big business. It's what makes some people very wealthy.

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    For some, debt helps make you rich. For most, it's the opposite. Debt is a powerful force. Is a Utopia a world without any debt?

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    Not all debt is bad, but the debt that's causing harm to our society is absolutely something we need to remove. It's about using abolishment to recognise the harm that debt is causing to our society. We need to move closer to a system where money and power are used to create a fairer, more equal, and more sustainable society.

    Dr. Johnna Montgomerie, Author and academic

  8. Darren Keenan at Interdependencepublished at 12:06 BST 6 July 2019

    On leadership, and the many different routes to it...

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    There's no correlation between academic success and leadership skills. I put myself forward for college governor - "for a keen governor, vote Keenan!"

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    I managed to get work experience with my local MP, but only because I put myself out there. My grades showed that I failed, but I knew that if I had this chance I wouldn't fail.

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    I got an internship at 38degrees, among mostly graduates from elite universities. I failed the first time, but wasn't deterred.

    Darren Keenan, Advocacy Academy

  9. How do we fix inequality? Empower the disenfranchisedpublished at 12:00 BST 6 July 2019

    So says Darren Keenan from the Advocacy Academy

    Darren Keenan is speaking at Interdependence right now. He's from the Advocacy Academy, external who put young people through a transformational social justice fellowship. Darren opened with an electrifying spoken word piece that we'll try and share footage of later, he's superb. You can follow Darren here, external.

    Darren Keenan on stageImage source, MIF
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    Darren Keenan holding the audience rapt with spoken word

    Quote Message

    Not all people are all bad, or all good. Society will remain broken until we learn to look beneath the surface.

    Darren Keenan, Advocacy Academy

  10. Girl Gang MCR at Interdependencepublished at 11:52 BST 6 July 2019

    The Q&A is in full swing

    High energy, great costumes, loud noise, and big ideas. What more could you want. Big up the Girl Gang, external! We'll be posting some of the best ideas here...

    Girl Gang leading sessions at InterdependenceImage source, MIF
  11. Q&A with Rimini Protokoll, Brian Hennig and Sophie Howepublished at 11:25 BST 6 July 2019

    We now go to a panel Q&A with our speakers, led by Zing and the Girl Gang crew.

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    Often politicians don't get it right, but ultimately they have to respond to what we're asking them to do.

    Sophie Howe, Future Generation Commissioner for Wales

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    One key word is "information" - in order to have these difficult conversations we have to know what we're talking about. Brexit is a good example, we need to go behind the curtain of what we're being told.

    Rimini Protokoll, Artist collective

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    We have a mediated representation of the truth given to us, but we increasingly have access to the means of control, through our phones and machines. Slowly, but it's happening. We want evidence-based solutions to create empowered citizens.

    Professor Richard Clay, Professor of Digital Culture

  12. Girl Gang have people on their feet againpublished at 11:19 BST 6 July 2019

    This time it's personal

    Girl Gang, external are keeping the energy up. They've split the audience into two and the challenge is for every single person to touch their globe.

    I managed to create a pleasing accidental Renaissance image during the chaos too:

    The audience throws an inflatable globe to each other.Image source, MIF
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    We're all winners really.

  13. Sophie Howe at Interdependencepublished at 11:09 BST 6 July 2019

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    We have to be calling out inequality. We need to fundamentally shift our economic model.

    Sophie Howe, Future Generation Commissioner for Wales

    Sophie speaking boldly about how we as a society measure how well we're doing as a generation. She suggests our metric is broken and that instead of looking at economic growth and financial prosperity, we instead need to look towards wellbeing and equality.

  14. Sophie Howe on fixing democracypublished at 11:08 BST 6 July 2019

    We're joined by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales

    Sophie Howe from Future Generations , externalis tackling the same enormous problem at Brett Hennig discussed earlier, but from the perspective of her incredibly-named role as the Future Generation Commissioner for Wales - she helps public institutions with their policies to ensure they're reflecting the best interests of the young, and the unborn.

    Sophie Howe standing on a stageImage source, MIF
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    Sophie Howe at Interdependence

    Find out more about Sophie and her work here, external.

  15. How do we fix democracy?published at 10:59 BST 6 July 2019

    Author and activist Brett Hennig is taking us through his ideas and work on democracy now. If you haven't seen it, it's well worth checking his TED talk out here, external.

    Brett Hennig on stageImage source, MIF
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    Brett Hennig speaks at Interdependence

  16. More on Rimini Protokoll's work at MIFpublished at 10:48 BST 6 July 2019

    Experience their bold new project Utopolis at MIF19

    The Utopia project opens next week here at MIF19, and is one of the most ambitious works on at the festival.

    Look out for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the technology powering this incredible work over the next few days.

    Read more about the project here, external, and come join us as Utopolis comes to Manchester for four days only.

  17. Rimini Protokoll on Utopiapublished at 10:45 BST 6 July 2019

    Rimini Protokoll are discussing their notion of utopia in response to the original work by Thomas More, external, in the context of modern cities.

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    We hope to trigger the question: how can cities be organised in a different way? From its community to its politics.

    Rimini Protokoll

  18. Rimini Protokoll at Interdependencepublished at 10:44 BST 6 July 2019

    With Professor Richard Clay

    The Rimini Protokoll, external are bringing their incredible Utopolis project to MIF next week (more on it here, external), and are in discussion with Richard Clay, external, Professor of Digital Cultures.

    The artists on stageImage source, MIF
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    Rimini Protokol discussing democracy

    Quote Message

    Can we speak, or can we enable speaking about, positive reflections on democracy?

    Rimini Prototkoll, Artists

  19. Warming up at Interdependencepublished at 10:32 BST 6 July 2019

    Girl Gang MCR, external are taking the entire audience through some lovely warm-ups because, after all, you can't expand your mind without stretching a little first, eh?

    Girl Gang address the crowdImage source, MIF
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    Warming up at Interdependence

    Even our sleepy-looking attendees are getting stuck in. Fair play.

    The audience stretchingImage source, MIF
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    The audience getting stuck in.

  20. Today's guest host: Zing Tsjengpublished at 10:31 BST 6 July 2019

    Our guest host this morning is the amazing Zing Tsjeng, the Executive Editor of VICE UK, external, you can follow her on Twitter here, external.

    WAIT - she's been interrupted by some time-travellers!

    Time travellers in the crowdImage source, MIF
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    Time travellers are here...

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    How many hours have we gone back? About three hours? We have SO MUCH to get you up to speed on! We made some amazing points....

    Unknown Time Traveller, Time Traveller

    Oh, wait a moment, it's GIRL GANG MCR. Much more about this amazing crew here, external!