Latest news
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"Commerce has infected every institution."
In his lecture at the Barbican on 04 November 2009, Benjamin Barber urged democratic institutions to promote alternatives to a heavily commercialised, monochrome artistic climate. With contributions from Grayson Perry and Natalie Haynes, among others. View and read more here.
For more news and videos, click on the page numbers underneath the image on the left.
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"To dream, in politics, is an act of courage."
In his lecture at the Royal Society of Arts, 22 October 2009, Gijs de Vries outlined his vision of a cohesive Europe and the necessity of cultural trade as a defining element of international relations with partners such as China.
The transcript of the event is available for download on the dedicated page. The lecture can be viewed in its entirety on our Youtube channel
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Deller and Kane present artists' views of Britain
The third special exhibition of the British Council Collection at the newly refurbished Whitechapel Gallery in East London runs from 2 October until 6 December 2009. Curated by artists Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane, the exhibition shows a selection of art inspired by life in Britain.
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'Let's re-design a world structure we can be proud of'
In his British Council lecture at the Royal Institute of British Architects on 29 May 2009, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus called for the current global financial crisis to be used as an opportunity for major change.
A transcript is available
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"My humanity is caught up in your humanity."
While global challenges may have changed over the past 75 years, the need to foster international co-operation to solve them remains the same. One man who embodies the struggle for comprehension and trust between people is Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who delivered the inaugural lecture for the Talking without Borders series at the Royal Geographical Society on 19th February 2009.
A transcript is available here. Videos from the lecture can be viewed on our Youtube pages.
Stories
Memories from 75 years of cultural relations
As the British Council marks 75 years of working in cultural relations, we take a look back at the early memories of the organisation from former staff.
Mock Council of the EU, London
In a mock meeting of the European Council in Whitehall on 03 November 2009, school students experienced how tough and passion-stirring European politics can be.
Resounding musical success
Matthew Herbert brings together international musical collaborations for a sell out success to celebrate cultural relations and the power of music in communication and understanding.
First Hand: Stories from Beneficiaries
Learn more about our work from the people who describe it best: those who have benefited from the British Council’s programmes over the past 75 years.
More stories
Read about our work in cultural relations during the anniversary year. This section also includes stories by staff members from the early days of the British Council.
What's on
E. O. Wilson: Darwin, 'The Origin' and the Future of Biology
On 24 November, Pullitzer Prize-winning scientist E. O. Wilson will lead a debate examining how evolutionary theory spread across the world since the publication of 'On the Origin of Species' 150 years ago.
Wangari Maathai: The Thin Green Line
On her way to the Copenhagen Climate Change Convention, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Wangari Maathai will discuss the limitations of politics and the need for activity from the ground up.
Shami Chakrabarti: Public Diplomacy - Whose Role is it?
The Liberty director will be discussing how grass-roots groups are taking over from elites in the field of international relations.
British Council Collection at the Whitechapel Gallery
To mark its 75th anniversary year the British Council is collaborating with the Whitechapel Gallery and leading British artists to curate a series of five exhibitions of works selected from the British Council Collection. Admission is free.
Featured Events
Take a look at a selection of events in the UK and worldwide during our anniversary year.
Find out more about the British Council's anniversary events taking place this autumn [PDF].
