ADS 2025, Sub-theme 2 – Arts and Culture

In Focus

Latest updates

  • Attend the High-Level Policy Dialogue on 30 May at 3 p.m. (New York time) in Conference Room 4, UNHQ, New York or watch online on UN Web TV or on our website on YouTube in English and French.

 

In case you missed it

Week 2 | Day Five — 16 May

Music, song, and dance are unifying forces worldwide. The second week of the Africa Dialogue Series 2025 ends with a celebration of music from Africa and the African Diaspora, reflecting deep historical and cultural connections between Africans and people of African descent. Artists from Algeria to Zimbabwe in Africa and from Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay in the African Diaspora share stories about their history, culture, victories and struggles through music and dance.   

 

Back To Our Roots

This documentary showcases the essence of the song with the same name, created by the band Kawe. It it set on Cahuita, a paradisiac town in the Caribbean of Costa Rica and has the participation of Danny Wiliams, leader of the band Kawe; Laura Wilson Robinson, community leader from Cahuita, and Laura Saltalamacchia, a youth leader and founder of Movimiento Afropoderozas. This was made in the framework of the Conmemoration of the First International Day for People of African Descent, celebrated in Costa Rica.

 

 

 

La Batea

Music is the most powerful weapon to eradicate racism worldwide. Join UNFPA and #CombateElRacismo to the rhythm of ‘La Batea’, performed by artists from La Escuelita del Ritmo. 25 March is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade and recognises the Afro-descendant peoples of the world. La Escuelita del Ritmo is a music school that provides creative opportunities for young people of African descent living in at-risk communities in Portobelo, Panama. 

 

 

 

Biafra

Biafra, the original song performed by the Uruguayan musical artist Rubén Rada and his band/family in Montevideo, Uruguay touches on both history and current issues affecting Africans and people of African descent.

 

 

African Sounds from Algeria to Zimbabwe

Music is a universal language. Enjoy these tunes from across Africa, celebrating the continent's cultural diversity.

 

 

General Information

Launch Messages

Week 1: 5 - 9 May

Sub-theme 1: Learning from the Past: Transatlantic Slave Trade, Colonialism, Extractive Economies and Institutions in Africa

Week 2: 12 - 16 May

Sub-theme 2: Understanding the Present: Economic, Social and Cultural Justice for Sustainable Development

Week 3: 19 - 23 May

Sub-theme 3: Building the Future: Healing and Reparations towards Socio-Economic Justice for Africans and People of African Descent

30 May

High-level Policy Dialogue

Media