Co-founders of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Mrs Hilde Schwab and Professor Klaus Schwab established the Global Arts and Culture Council and launched the Council yesterday at its inaugural meeting at the Annual Meeting of the WEF in Davos, Switzerland.
Anant Singh was appointed to the Council along with luminaries including Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Academy award winning film director and advocate for gender inequality against women); George Osbourne (Chair of the British Museum); Renee Fleming (World-renowned Soprano and Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health for the World Health Organization); Hany Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director of the Serpentine Gallery); Andrea Bocelli (World-renowned Tenor); Deborah Rutter (President of the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts); Nile Rodgers (Musician, Producer and Founder of the We Are Family Foundation; Jin Xing (Dancer – Actress and Transgender Activist); Yana Peel (Global Head of Arts & Culture – Chanel) and Misty Copeland (Dancer, Author, Producer).
The Global Arts and Culture Council (GACC) was established in the context of the shifting world from an industrial era to a more intelligent and interconnected society, where the arts and culture sector is uniquely positioned to lead the way toward a unified and prosperous future. In this moment of transformation, the GACC was launched with a distinguished group of visionary cultural leaders committed to harnessing creativity to shape the new age.
Singh commented, “Artists and the creative community around the world are the voice of the people and the custodians of humanity’s storytelling. The Global Arts and Culture Council is vitally important in a fractious world where the voice and expressions of artists need to be heard in order to contribute to the dialogues of the journeys of millions of people. It was also a pleasure to attend the first plenary session of President Ramaphosa where he addressed the delegates in advance of the G20 Summit in South Africa in November. The G20 Summit presents an exceptional opportunity for us to showcase our remarkable country and its people to the world.”
Today, 23 January, Singh will participate in a panel entitled, “An Artist’s Path Out of Injustice”. Singh is known for using the medium of film to speak out against the injustices of apartheid as well as significant social issues like HIV/AIDS and Gender Based Violence.
This year marks Singh’s 25th consecutive attendance of the Annual Meeting since receiving the WEF’s Crystal Award in 2001.
