Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal To Represent Delhi And India At World Cities Culture Forum

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be representing Delhi and India at the World Cities Culture Forum. Recently, the CM has accepted an invitation by the Mayor of London, to represent Delhi at the World Cities Cultural Forum. Kejriwal said that his goal is to transform Delhi into a world leader in the field of culture and an artist-friendly city.

The Forum comprises 40 world cities including London, Tokyo and New York all of which recognise the impact and importance of culture and creativity, and seek to inculcate these values in public policy and city planning.

The annual Summit, attended by Deputy Mayors for Culture and Heads of Culture from the member cities is at the heart of the forum’s activity. Delhi will also be part of the World Cities Culture Report, the most comprehensive global dataset on culture in cities.

This year’s theme, ‘The Future of Culture’, will play a crucial role in re-imagining the culture of Delhi, especially in the wake of several devastating challenges and Corona crisis faced by the people in the last one year.

In his response to the invitation received from the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, CM Kejriwal said,“’The Future of Culture’ is certainly a topic of relevance at this challenging juncture. As people around the world struggled in isolation – it has been art and music that helped us stay connected and cope up with the crisis at hand. Creativity and sharing provided hope and strength to respond to the COVID-19 with resilience. The unfortunate circumstances of the pandemic have posed new challenges and possibilities to reimagine the modes of cultural practice. As we move towards recovery, the arts and culture will play a vital role in rebuilding lives and society.”

He went on to state, “As a historic capital city seeped in diverse art and heritage, Delhi has been at the forefront of promoting and preserving our rich culture. Our government strongly believes in the role culture plays in shaping the city and positively impacting lives. Culture will be the key to finding long term sustainable solutions for the city. Our goal is to transform Delhi into a world leader in the field of culture and an artist-friendly city.”

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the Minister for Art, Culture and Languages, has also been working on some exceptional initiatives. Under his leadership, Delhi’s Art and Culture team has been working to transform the cultural landscape of the capital, introducing programmes to democratise knowledge, modernise the cultural sector, and decentralised government spending.