On June 28-July 5 2017, UNESCO Beirut is co-organizing, along with Music and Beyond Foundation, a unique event: Global Week for Syria. This is a worldwide humanistic initiative that aims to unite individuals, bands, orchestras, cultural institutions, and schools from around the globe to raise awareness on the Syrian crisis, and create platforms for dialogue and cultural interactions between Syrians and local communities.

This year, the Global Week for Syria festival will feature artists, scholars, and cultural activists from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Tunisia, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. Global Week for Syria is a multi-disciplinary call for peace, support and co-creation. As one of the partners and co-organizers, Orwa Saleh, puts it: “Joining the Global Week for Syria is being a part of the international voice that asks to stop the Syrian crises and the Syrian voice that says we are not only numbers and news but hopes, dreams and culture”.

The opening of the festival, supported by UNESCO Beirut, will take place on June 28th at the Assembly Hall in the American University of Beirut (AUB), and will feature Osnabrücker Jugendchor (GR) and the Antonine University Choir, Kinan Azmeh and Dima Orsho. The festival continues for 9 days of concerts, workshops and conferences in 5 places in Lebanon (Beirut, Aley, Minyara, Tripoli, and Beqaa Valley).

Festival Venues include: The Assembly Hall - American University of Beirut, Al Madina Theatre, Metro Al Madina, Dar El-Nimer for Arts & Culture, Safadi Cultural Center, ة t-marbouta, Mezyan. International and local guests include: Morgenland All Star Band: Dima Orsho, Ibrahim Kevo - ابراهيم كيفو, Moslem Rahal, Salman Gambarov, Ziya Güçkan, Kinan Azmeh, Frederik Köster, Andreas Müller, Rony Barrak, Michel Godard, Bodek Janke, Osnabrücker Jugendchor, Andreas Schaerer, Håkon Kornstad, Sonbola Choir, Tony Overwater, Nareg Abajian, Mark Schilders, Bert Cools, Star of The Orient, Moussa Elias, Robert Ikiz, Maarten Ornstein, Nidaa Abou Mrad, Ghassan Sahhab, Hayyaf Yassine, Mohammad Ayyash, Sleiman Abou Hnoud, Rafka Rizk, Mouhannad Nasser, Rami Al Jundi, Fawaz Baker, Nouri Iskandar, Liliane Chlela, Fouad Afra, Fredrik Gille, Samuel Rohrer, Khaled Yassine, Khaled Omran, Dani Shukri and Yalla! pour les Enfants.

Global Week for Syria is an activity supported by the “Emergency Safeguarding of the Syrian Cultural Heritage” project, a pioneering initiative funded by the European Union with the support of the Flemish Government and Austria in partnership with the ICCROM and ICOMOS.