Culture
The Commonwealth Foundation views cultural expression as a fundamental human right. Through the Culture Programme, we promote inter-cultural learning, creativity, and opportunities for mutual understanding and influence. We believe that development best proceeds, good governance prospers and innovation occurs when there is dialogue that allows people with different identities to exchange their views freely in an atmosphere of creativity, respect and equality.
One area we focus on is working directly with cultural practitioners - artists, writers, film-makers, musicians and others, and their networks - to help them promote and make a living from their work, find new audiences and connect with each other. We do this in a variety of ways, including through various award schemes, the best known of which is the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. We also give grants to practitioners and their networks to support exchange and encourage learning. In addition to our well-established work in literature and visual arts, we are now increasing our upport for people working in music and film. We are also strengthening the education and community aspects of our award schemes.
Complementing our support for practitioners, we are also increasingly working at the policy level, to look at how policies and practices can shape the environments in which practitioners work, and how these can be improved. We support civil society and government working together to develop and implement of cultural policy, particularly where it allows culture to contribute to national development. A particular focus here is supporting Commonwealth civil society's involvement with the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Third, we make connections between issues of culture and the Foundation's other work areas, in human development, governance and democracy and communities and livelihoods. We feel that the promotion of literacy, for example, or the use of culture-based methods to address HIV and AIDS, support other development work. We generate practical learning and guidance on what culture in development means in practice, including how to undertake culturally-aware development and how better to use the power of culture for development.
Finally, we are helping to implement the Commonwealth's new emphasis on increasing respect and understanding between people and communities with different identities. This includes work with media organisations to promote a pluralistic and diverse media, as well as seeking opportunities to increase participation by women and young people. We have a special interest in encouraging cooperation between communities which prioritise their religious identities, particularly where inter-religious collaboration at the grassroots level can enhance development and strengthen the fabric of society.
The Culture Programme was established in 2005 and now accounts for about a quarter of the Foundation's total programme and grants spending.
