Once upon a time the god Indra made a large net to cover the whole world. Each point of intersection consisted of a beautiful, precious pearl. None of the pearls existed by themselves except as a reflection of each other and of all the pearls in the net. In turn the whole net relied on each individual pearl for its existence.
The Mission of the Indra Congress
The Indra Congress is a growing, global network of young people, artists, educators and others who share a commitment to the development of the arts as a crucial resource for peacebuilding and the non-violent transformation of conflict.
Their vision is to use the language of the arts to challenge stereotypes, prejudices, inequalities and destructive myths, to build bridges, to promote empathy and to help build positive relationships across perceived boundaries and barriers.
The aims of the Congress will be achieved through the development of a rolling programme of live regional, national and international Congress events, within a framework of ongoing grassroots activities, training, research and advocacy.
The underlying belief driving the Indra Congress is that the creative arts have a unique contribution to make towards conflict transformation. It is a belief grounded in the power of creativity, compassion and the needs and demands of a just society.
Aspirations for practice
They aspire to:
Work with young people and education.
A major focus of Congress activity is with young people. Their aim is to work with groups of young people that:
The groups could be within a school, university, youth theatre, club or other setting. The groups may be anywhere in the world and will subscribe to the values and aspirations of the Mission Statement. Congress groups will seek to: