Power of Words/Words of Power
Creativity Roundtables
Culture and Socioeconomic Development Roundtable

Power of Words/Words of Power
This public dialogue on the Power of Words/Words of Power: Reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Vision and Legacy was organized on November 19, 2008, at the Aspen Institute. It was jointly produced by the Aspen Institute and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC, during the Council's week-long International Symposium on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. - "Giving Freedom a World Voice."  Moderated by Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, the dialogue featured two Georgetown University professors: Michael Eric Dyson, Professor of Sociology, and Deborah F. Tannen, Professor of Linguistics who reflected on the vast impact of Dr. King on the global community and examined the contemporary challenges of implementing his message of human rights, equality, and social justice.

Creativity Roundtables
New Orleans, Louisiana, Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, October 30, 2008: Roundtable on Creativity - "Harnessing the Power of the Arts, Culture, and Humanities for Innovation".

Around 40 participants from government, business, civil society, and academia attending the World Cultural Economics Forum (http://www.wcefculture.com/) gathered to debate the challenges of creativity from various perspectives. Specifically, they discussed the state of creative industries in light of the UN World Report and the cross-sector and inter-regional agenda items for a future summit on creativity to be organised by the Global Initiative on Culture and Society. Moderated by Damien Pwono, the roundtable's featured speakers included Asma Al-Ketbi, Ph.D., Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, DC; Gwynee Beatty, Director, Social Investment, Trilogy International Partners LLC; Patrick George, Vice President, Realogy Corporation, New Jersey; Ashfaq Ishaq, Ph.D., Chairman, International Child Art Foundation, Washington, DC; Francisco Simplicio, United Nations Development Program, New York, NY; and Lea Ybarra, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.

This roundtable was preceded by a similar convening on October 8, 2008 at the Aspen Institute. This roundtable Washington, DC focused on Creative Industries for Sustainable Development. It brought together a group of diverse participants from government, business, civil society, and academia to debate the state of creative industries in the changing context of the US economy; share evidence-based situations confirming that the creative industries constitute a new dynamic sector of economic growth that promotes community development; discuss policies for the strengthening of creative industries; and highlight domestic agenda items for a further conversation during the World Cultural Economics Forum in New Orleans. Moderated by Ashfaq Ishaq, Chairman of the International Child Art Foundation, featured speakers included Damien Pwono, Executive Director of the Aspen Global Initiative on Culture and Society; Yma B. Gordon, VP/Director, Partnerships and Program Development, Citi, North America Community Programs; Bill Ivey, Director, The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University; and Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO, Americans for the Arts.

Culture and Socioeconomic Development Roundtable
Johannesburg, South Africa, Apartheid Museum, June 11, 2008: Roundtable Discussion on The Cradle of Humankind Cultural Development Project: Rethinking the Promotion of African Cultural Heritage. This Roundtable was organized in collaboration with the Apartheid Museum (http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/) and the NIROX Foundation (http://www.niroxfoundation.org/) in Johannesburg. It gathered a selected group of prominent business and civic leaders, policymakers, artists and cultural entrepreneurs, philanthropic and media personalities as well as scholars to discuss the potential of the Cradle of Humankind site in the development of an innovative approach to the preservation and promotion of African cultural heritage in the 21st Century. Ralph Freese, Africa Centre at Spier, led a moderated discussion following introductory remarks by Damien Pwono, Executive Director of the Aspen Global Initiative on Culture and Society, Christopher Till, Executive Director of the Apartheid Museum, and Benji Liebmann, Chairman of the NIROX Foundation.