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Proposal for an Exploratory International Conference (Part #5)
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It is possible that many of the thematic approaches would attract distinct audiences. They could then each be the subject of parallel seminars with the same general framework. Possibilities of overlapping events could be envisaged.
There is an important distinction in looking at the presentation of any such event. There are policy-makers who write or enjoy poetry, just as there are poets who have managerial tasks. There are policy-makers who arrange for poetry and music presentations on the occasion of formal conferences, just as there are poets and musicians who create works about the challenges of policy decisions and the life of organizations.
Whilst there is a place for such perspectives in the proposed event, it really only offers the possibilities of exciting breakthroughs when the focus is on a real marriage between the cognitive and creative skills of poetry- and policy-making, namely how policy-making can be reframed through insights from poetry and music, and made relevant to situations like Rwanda, Somalia and Bangladesh. This latter criterion is the most serious. It is essential to demonstrate that we are looking for a creative breakthrough with immediate application to social development and relief processes in a chaotic world. It is vital to move beyond the possibility of portraying the event as an artistic indulgence however intriguing.
Care needs to be taken in choosing the cultural setting for such an international event. Outcomes can be coloured in less fruitful ways by choosing inappropriate settings -- especially if there is any hidden agenda on the part of the organizers, however well-meaning. On the other hand, there is also an argument for many such events, under whatever circumstances they are organized. They would be an interesting challenge within a university context.