DIGNITY & JUSTICE - Where Are We Now?
Theatre 1
10am
Ground Floor
One of the UK's most distinguished human rights lawyers, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC takes stock of where we are now; the forces and trends defining our future and what we must do now - locally, nationally and internationally.
Speakers include:
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Imtiaz Dharker, Poet, artist and video film-maker
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Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Ripples of Hope Festival (Chair)
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Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
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Keisha Thompson, Manchester-based writer, performer and producer
11.15am
The Power of Policy: Intended And Unintended Consequences
Theatre 1
11:15 am
Ground Floor
Policy has the power to change every part of our lives - for good or bad. But so much about it is hidden in faceless bureaucracy, making it impossible to fight or challenge on a human level. How we make policy and who we make it for impacts all of us. So - how can we use the power of policy to create positive social change?
Speakers include:
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Amelia Gentleman, Journalist and Author
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Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Ripples of Hope Festival (Chair)
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Togara Muzanenhamo, Poet
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Sally Penni, Founder, Women In The Law
Going Shopping: The Power Of Purchasing
Theatre 2
11:15 am
Level 1
Every day, we make decisions that affect the human rights of others and ourselves - at the shops; online; and in the technologies we use. How can we become more conscious of the impact we have when we make our daily purchasing choices?
Speakers include:
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Phillip Clayton, Head of Innovation and Income Development, City Hearts UK
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Anja Meinhardt, Artistic Director, Justice in Motion
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Elaine Mitchel-Hill, Business & Human Rights Director, Marshalls (Chair)
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Baroness Lola Young, Co-Chair, All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion
Freedom To Write, Freedom To Read
Cinema 1
11:15 am
Level 2
The written word and the search for human progress are inextricably linked.Founded in 1921, English PEN is one of the world’s oldest NGOs, focusing on literature and freedom of expression. Hear about the 100 year story of this movement and the countless writers who have engaged with it and explore with us - what is the future for such as PEN, both here in the UK and globally?
Speakers include:
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Yirgalem Fisseha Mebrahtu, Eritrean Poet and Writer in Exile
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Daniel Gorman, Director, English PEN (Chair)
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Ahdaf Soueif, Author and Political & Cultural Commentator
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Jennifer Wong, Hong Kong-born Poet and Author of 回家 Letters Home
We Have A Justice System, But Do We Have Justice?
Cinema 2
11:15 am
Level 2
Many believe prisons are not fit for purpose. Help us think about life before, in and after prison and how we can shape the future of criminal justice in the UK. Do our prison and justice systems really make society safer or fairer?
Speakers include:
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Brenda Birungi, Broadcaster, Advocate and Poet (Lady Unchained)
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PA Bitez, Poet, Young Identity
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Paula Harriott, Head of Prisoner Engagement, Prison Reform Trust
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Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
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Phil Maguire, Chief Executive, Prison Radio Association (Chair)
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Michelle Quirke, Governor, HMP Styal
Human Library: Emmanuela Yogolelo
Weston Room
11:15 am
Level 1
Booking Required
The Human Library is a space for conversations that open our minds, inspire our curiosity and deepen our understanding - where real people are on loan to readers. A place where questions - perhaps difficult, perhaps insightful - are expected, appreciated and answered. You need to book to join a session, which you can do at the Information Point in the Foyer.
Emmanuela Yogolelo is a singer-songwriter; creative facilitator; producer; cultural leader and French, Swahili and Lingala interpreter who fled war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is a founding member of the Music Action International team and performs regularly with Afrocelt Soundsystem.
12pm
Workshop - PEN Writes
Event Space
12pm - 6pm
Level 2
Take a little time for a powerful act of solidarity and drop in to join English PEN and write a letter to a writer in prison or at risk around the world. Learn about PEN’s current extraordinary, courageous featured writers who are persecuted and demonstrate your moral support.
Soapbox - Paula Harriott
Ground Foyer
12:15 pm
Ground Floor
Hear from Paula Harriott - Paula is Head of Prisoner Engagement at the Prison Reform Trust, where she leads the Prisoner Policy Network , a network of c1000 serving and former prisoners seeking to influence both national and local policy change. Her passion for working within the sector stems from personal lived experiences as a prisoner 2004-2012.
1.30pm
What If The Law IS An Ass?
Theatre 1
1:30 pm
Ground Floor
The law is imperfect: From legal challenges to creating law where none exists - how can we move from legal injustice to enabling human rights to be reality through law.
Speakers include:
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Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, Human Rights Barrister and Patron, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights UK (Chair)
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Gina Miller, Transparency and Rule of Law Campaigner
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Figen Murray, Activist behind Martyn's Law
PENWrites - The Power Of A Simple Act
Theatre 2
1:30 pm
Level 1
Across the world, writers are harassed, persecuted, imprisoned and even murdered. English PEN's PENWrites is a letter writing campaign that offers writers overseas moral support and serves as a non-confrontational reminder to authorities that they have not been forgotten. Discover the power of the simple act of reaching out in solidarity.
Speakers include:
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Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, Director of Advocacy, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy
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Cat Lucas, Writers At Risk Programme Manager, English PEN
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Ma Thida, Board Member, PEN International
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Hannah Trevarthen, Events & Partnerships Manager, English PEN (Chair)
Finding Hope In Despair
Cinema 1
1:30 pm
Level 2
Personal tragedy, struggle and despair so often create activists, whose voices and actions inspire and change the reality for all of us. What can we learn?
Speakers include:
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Professor Erinma Bell, Carisma
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Ruth Daniel, CEO, In Place of War (Chair)
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Emmanuel Jal, Artist
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Jasvinder Sanghera, Chair, Safeguarding Leeds City
A Home Is More Than A Roof
Cinema 2
1:30 pm
Level 2
In so many spaces and situations, human rights need more than bricks and mortar. For those sleeping rough; for children or adults in care; or people living in prison - what can be done to create environments that begin by recognising their humanity and potential?
Speakers include:
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Raymond Antrobus, Author
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Lemn Sissay, Poet, Playwright, Broadcaster (Virtually)
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Hayley Speed, Assistant Director of Services, akt (Chair)
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David Tovey, Artist, Activist and Creative Producer, Arts & Homelessness International and The One Festival of Homeless Arts
The Human Library: Helen
Weston Room
1:15 pm
Level 1
Booking Required
The Human Library is a space for conversations that open our minds, inspire our curiosity and deepen our understanding - where real people are on loan to readers. A place where questions - perhaps difficult, perhaps insightful - are expected, appreciated and answered. You need to book to join a session, which you can do at the Information Point in the Foyer.
Helen was a victim of modern slavery, enslaved for more than 6 years in the UK. Rescued by the Salvation Army, Helen has been supported by City Hearts to rebuild a new and more hopeful future.
2.45pm
A Health Emergency: The Pandemic Of Male Violence
Theatre 1
2:45 pm
Ground Floor
In private, in public, in the headlines - male violence infects every part of our society. And COVID has been a super-spreader as rates of violence have gone up around the world. We say 'Time's Up', but what do we ALL have to do to end it?
Speakers include:
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Nazir Afzal, former Chief Crown Prosecutor for NW England
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Nimco Ali, CEO, The Five Foundation
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Mona Arshi, Poet and Novelist
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Gary Barker, President and CEO, Promundo
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Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Ripples of Hope Festival (Chair)
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Harriet Wistrich, Founding Director, Centre for Women's Justice
A Poetry Circle With Simon Armitage
Theatre 2
2:45 pm
Level 1
Join Simon Armitage in conversation with Malika Booker, Nine McCartney from Young Identity, Imtiaz Dharker, Raymond Antrobus, Glyn Maxwell and Jennifer Wong
Power The Future
Cinema 1
2:45 pm
Level 2
All over the world, young people are leading from the front. Challenging convention and demanding change, they make us think differently about who shapes the future and how. How can we build new opportunities for them to power our future?
Speakers include:
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Heba Rose Ahmed, Activist, Manchester March
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Sophie Howe, The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales
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Olivia Lee, Agency Project Coordinator, Contact Theatre (Chair)
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Maryam & Nivaal Rehman, Executive Directors, The World With MNR
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Theresa Rose Sebastian, Co-Founder, Re-Earth Initiative
Human Library: Sarah Barker
Weston Room
2:45 pm
Level 1
Booking Required
The Human Library is a space for conversations that open our minds, inspire our curiosity and deepen our understanding - where real people are on loan to readers. A place where questions - perhaps difficult, perhaps insightful - are expected, appreciated and answered. You need to book to join a session, which you can do at the Information Point in the Foyer.
Sarah Barker is an ex-convict who is now a Manager at Timpson's.
4pm
Afghanistan - What now?
Theatre 1
4:00 pm
Ground Floor
Together, we look at what we can all do to take part in the decisions that shape our communities, society and future - and how we make sure everyone is able to take part as much as they want to.
Speakers include:
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Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Journalist and Author (Chair)
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Mike Garry, Poet
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Qazi Marzia Babakarkhail, Former Judge in Afghanistan
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Jude Kelly, Artistic Director, Ripples of Hope Festival
-
Gulwali Passarlay, Author, The Lightless Sky and Refugee Rights Campaigner
5.15pm
Final Thoughts With Young Identity
Ground Foyer
5:15 pm
Hear Manchester’s poetry collective share their reflections, challenges, questions and responses to the experience of the day.
Walk of Peace
Engels Statue
5:20 pm
Booking required
Want to explore the radical history of Manchester? Join a tour around part of the Manchester Peace Trail, visiting Engels, the Peterloo Memorial, Paul Robeson, the ‘nuclear timeline’, The Nobel Peace Prize and the Pankhursts. Sign up for the walk at the Information Point in the Foyer.
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