British Council brought together representatives from all the faith communities of Cardiff, including Muslims, Catholics, Christians, Jews and Atheists at the Temple of Peace, for the ‘Sharing a City, Sharing Faith’ workshop to talk to each other about their experiences of practicing religion in Wales.
It was a stimulating and thought-provoking two-hour workshop facilitated by the award-winning author Dr Grahame Davies, who has published extensive research on the portrayal of minority religions in Wales. It also coincided with national Inter Faith Week, which aims to increase interaction between different religious groups.
The event consisted of a presentation on religion in Cardiff and Wales, and then attendees shared their personal stories about their spiritual experience, and finally produced lines to a collective poem depicting faith in Cardiff. Read the poem here.
The event was an integral part of the British Council programme ‘Open Cities’ that explores how appreciation of diversity can significantly contribute to the city economic and social success. The project gives unique opportunities to local governments in Belfast, Bilbao, Bucharest, Cardiff, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Gdansk, Madrid, Sophia, Poznan, Vienna to work together on the implementation of policies in community building for their cities sustainable development.
Organiser of the event, Olga Kelly, Governance Consultant, British Council Wales said: “This workshop is an integral part of what we do - we bring people together, we share knowledge and ideas and we generate opportunities to learn. Cultural relations may not have the same immediate impact of traditional government-to-government diplomacy, but its effects are often deeper, richer and longer lasting.”
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