Global Expressions Of The Arts, The Universal Language of Wellbeing
Arts x Regional Hearth Summits
As a universal language for human connection, emotion, and experiences, the arts are at the heart of the regional Hearth Summits. They celebrate the diversity of our global network by welcoming local artists, dancers, musicians, performers, and other creatives to encourage us to experience and reflect on wellbeing in unique ways. At these gatherings, the arts invite us to immerse ourselves in the sights and sounds of global cultures while exploring key topics in the wellbeing for social change space.
Discover a mosaic of perspectives on wellbeing through this rich tapestry of artistic expression at these incredible gatherings.
Music & Song
“Where words fail, music speaks.”
Hans Christian Andersen
Colombian singer Fonseca brought a larger-than-life concert to the Wellbeing Summit in his hometown of Bogotá.
Dak’Harmony, a group of music enthusiasts from Dakar, brought upbeat African music and covers of classic songs to the closing celebration of The Wellbeing Summit Dakar-Thiès.
Roll The Voice, a collective of multidisciplinary musicians with diverse abilities in Bogotá, invited audiences to explore their perspectives on disabilities through their energizing hip-hop performances.
Oro y Platino, a group from the Condoto Chocó region of Colombia, shared soulful renditions of alabaos, traditional Afro-Colombian songs of mourning and healing.
Wellbeing of the World, a collaborative project from Tod Machover and the MIT Media Lab, unites the Summits by inviting participants to co-create a symphony of global wellbeing sounds.
French-Israeli singer Yael Naim shared her experience healing with the arts and treated The Wellbeing Summit Brussels to an intimate performance of her soulful music.
Black Keme (Antoine Indega Boubane) embodied the fusion of tradition and modernity in African music by weaving in his cultural Bassari heritage in his performances.
Harpist Alix Collin rang in each new session at The Wellbeing Summit Brussels with the powerful, vibrating sound of the gong.
Bangladeshi mental health activist and musician Farzana Wahid Shayan gifted moving performances of songs dedicated to the themes of forgiveness and self-empowerment.
Local youth performed dances mixing traditional Bangla moves with modern sounds, all set against the musical backdrop of songs that inspired the freedom fighters in Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.
Tuntun Shah Baul offered the soul-stirring melodies of traditional Baul music, which embodies the inner pursuit of peace preached by the Bengal mystic, Lalon.
Sister Fa (Fatou Diatta), a Senegalese rapper and activist, reflected on her wellbeing journey and social change in Africa with an invigorating hip-hop performance.
Music Creatives for Change
Session at Hearth Summit Athens
In Athens, a co-created agenda with arts group Act in Synch invited changemakers to reflect on social change through an artistic lens. In the music industry, different musicians, producers, organizers, and non-profits have been taking a step outside their bubble to drive change in both environmental and social justice arenas. Hear from four different examples from EarthPercent, EarthSonic, In Place of War, and Music Declares Emergency. Watch the session (in English).
THEATRE
“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.”
Thorton Wilder
“TOM MBOYA”
BY TOO EARLY FOR BIRDS
In Nairobi, changemakers were captivated by stories from Too Early for Birds, a Kenyan theatre show that retells, presents, and narrates the most scintillating parts of Kenyan history that school books failed to mention. The group shared the story of Tom Mboya, one of the country’s most illustrious luminaries, in honour of the 55th anniversary of his death. Through an enchanting, engaging mix of theatrics, they reflected on the life of a man who inspired a new generation of young, brilliant, energized Africans driven to make the best out of freshly independent African nations — and in whose footsteps Kenyan Gen-Z are walking in 2024.
“MONDIAL.E.S”
BY BRRR PRODUCTION
At The Wellbeing Summit Dakar-Thiès, Brrr Production, a Dakar-based theatre company exploring political and social issues, performed MONDIAL.E.S. This piece explores the role of women in Senegal and the wider world through the story of Salimata and Fatoumata, who decide to set up an association to promote gender equality. By questioning our stereotypes of men and women, the show took a humorous, ironic look at the possibilities of fighting for a fairer world.
CO-CREATIONS
“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
Ryūnosuke Satoro
Dabakh (Serigne Abdou Aziz Ndiaye) a young Senegalese graffiti artist and painter, immortalized The Wellbeing Summit Dakar-Thiès by leading participants in co-creating a “wellbeing mural” at Tostan’s Training Centre.
Participants were encouraged to paint together throughout The Wellbeing Summit Bogotá to enjoy the flow of creativity, together, under the guidance of local creator Carlos Eduardo Meneses.
During Omega Institute and the Harlem Wellness Center’s musical performances, cartoonist Liza Donnelly captured the essence of the music with live illustrations.
EXHIBITIONS & ART INSTALLATIONS
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Edgar Degas
TheMerode’s curated art exhibition, Shōkakkō, explored happiness in all its forms through works created by 54 artists from around the world placed throughout The Wellbeing Summit Brussels.
In collaboration with the 12th edition of Partcours, Tostan curated a special exhibit about wellbeing with Senegalese artists Fatim Soumaré and Omar Diouf (Yafane) called “Yoonu ci biir (The Inner Pathway)”.
The Omega Institute and Harlem Wellness Center worked with the Rubin Museum to bring the Mandala Lab to a regional Wellbeing Summit, inviting participants to explore their emotions.
At Tostan’s Training Centre, participants contemplated the “Art for Mental Health” exhibition, featuring creations from clients of the Moussa Diap psychiatric clinic’s groundbreaking art therapy programme.
In Dhaka, award-winning photographer Shafiqul Alam Kiron shared images from his 20+ year career documenting acid violence in Bangladesh. The photographs offer an intimate look at acid violence survivors’ experiences in their long journey to recovery, both physically, mentally, and socially.
Reigniting Rituals Through the Arts, the Universal Language of Wellbeing
In an exciting collaboration with Community Arts Network (CAN), we are excited to launch a global initiative around the arts to create a unique and magical vision, along with local communities, around the concept of Ecological Belonging. Seven passionate and dynamic individuals (one for the regional Hearth Summits in Austria, Brazil, Colombia, India, Japan, Senegal, and the US) have taken on the role of Ritual Alchemist. Through the arts, they will delve into a local ritual or practice and engage the community in a journey to renew it for today.
Applications are now closed. Stay tuned to meet the Ritual Alchemists and follow their artistic journey to the Hearth!
EXPLORE ART AND WELLBEING FURTHER
Dive Into Art Stories From Around the World
