20 Years Strong
2024 is In Place of War’s 20th Year Anniversary!
We are thrilled to have made it from the early days as a major research project at The University of Manchester in 2004, to a global charity operating with a network of 130 change-maker organisations who are making change with the arts across places of conflict, and in the Global North with ground-breaking youth-led programmes inspired by the innovative change-makers across the world.
In a rapidly changing world and, following our responsive programmatic shifts during the pandemic, In Place of War has developed a new, futureproof strategy. It responds to the needs of our change-makers across the world and the communities they serve, often as symptoms or consequences of critical global challenges we face as a planet - our accelerating climate crisis, increasing threats to civic spaces, brutal armed conflict impacting civilians, the cost-of-living crisis, and increasing inequality.
During the pandemic we reflected on what it means to be a disadvantaged young person in the UK and devised a pilot programme bringing our Global networks and learnings to the UK through a programme called 100 Agents of Change. Our new strategy seeks to build on the success of that programme across the next three years and allows us to work with new funding partners and build relationships. This is part of a commitment to decolonise knowledge and foment intercultural learning, boost participation of underrepresented groups in the arts and drive arts-based social change in the UK at the grassroots and at policy level.
We also engaged in a project working with a network of over eighty scientists, indigenous communities and musicians, to tell the story of the biodiversity of the Colombian rainforest through music. This has organically led to the development of a new area of focus for In Place of War around climate, creativity and conflict. We are building a four-year programme of activities using music as a mechanism to engage a wider audience to inspire action around the climate crisis, with a focus on climate justice.
Following the success of establishing our Global Music Industry Advisory Board, with 23 of the biggest music companies in the world helping support our change-makers across the world, we will continue to support a movement that uses music to drive positive change. This includes helping to establish new music spaces across the world; mobilising and distributing millions of dollars’ worth of equipment; creating women-led music projects; training people in how to use equipment; capacity building with grassroots music organisations; developing music education programmes and rolling out our new #HackMusic programme across the music spaces we support, as well as developing programmes for music industry executives around sustainability.
In Place of War has a strong and impactful history of using music to make meaningful, lasting and positive social change and our work is more important now than ever before.
Thank you to everyone who is part of our family and community - from our trustees, to our change-makers, to artists and champions - you make us what we are. Here’s to another 20 years of making change in the world, at one of the most critical times of human existence.
Ruth Daniel, CEO, In Place of War
In Place of War’s 20th Year Events
Panel Discussions:
20 Years of In Place of War: An inspiring look back at two decades of using creativity to transform conflict into hope, featuring key figures like In Place of War’s founder, James Thompson, Ed O’Brien from Radiohead and Ruth Daniel, CEO of In Place of War.
The Frontline of Change: Women’s Artistic Uprising: A powerful discussion on the role of women’s grassroots artistic practices in peacebuilding, featuring change-makers from around the world.
Exhibition:
20 Years Strong: Explore two decades of impactful work by In Place of War with this immersive exhibition, showcasing the transformative power of art in conflict and climate-affected regions around the world.
Performances:
GRRRL Ft. OneDa: Amplifying the Unheard: Experience an electrifying collaboration of international female artists led by Brazil’s Laima Leyton, featuring rap, dancehall, and electronic music that amplifies marginalized voices.
DJ Juan Chao: Preserving Indigenous Music: Dance to the unique fusion of traditional indigenous rhythms and contemporary beats with DJ Juan Chao, dedicated to preserving the rich sounds of indigenous music.
Outspoken: Creative Community Activism: Don’t miss Tongai Makawa, aka Outspoken, as he delivers a dynamic spoken word performance showcasing his talents as an emcee, artist, and activist.
For tickets and registration for these events, please visit https://universallymanchester.com.
And don’t miss..
GRRRL (Live) at The Yard on the evening of June 8th. This one-off live show will feature unique performances from GRRRL, and Manchester’s iconic OneDa, as well as showcase DJ sets from MABE (Venezuela), Juan Chao (Uruguay), and others, promising an unforgettable night of music and celebration. Don't miss the chance to dance and celebrate with us in Manchester! For more information and tickets, please visit https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/The-Yard/GRRRL-Live/38187757/
