The festival of the year has been named annually since 1999 in recognition of outstanding artistic development, achievements or breakthroughs in the field.
The jury noted how the World Village Festival has managed to bring together different cultures in music, food and public discussions in an open, unprejudiced manned. The May event was also commended for offering unimpeded access to all kinds of people, and promoting the rich tapestry of world cultures.
It was also noted that the festival was not afraid to tackle difficult themes, and featured intelligent discussion on a broad range of topics from across the globe in co-operation with NGOs.
Diversifying Finland’s festival scene
According to Finland Festival chief Kai Amberla, the recognition from festival professionals is intended to highlight contents, quality and innovation.
World Village Festival Communications and Fundraising Manager Nelli Korpi is delighted with the recognition of the festival, which has been bringing colour and diversity to Helsinki’s festival scene for nearly two decades.
Korpi notes that the festival has often been seen as something so unique as to be impossible to pigeonhole:
“Everyone is allowed to have their own view about us: a multidisciplinary culture festival, a NGO fair, an exotic food carnival, or a forum for discussion on current affairs.”
The World Village Festival is held in late May in central Helsinki’s Kaisaniemi Park and the nearby Railway Square. The main organiser of the festival is Kepa, an umbrella organisation for Finnish NGOs working in development co-operation.
