Two weekends full of meetings, concerts, singer-songwriters, world rhythms, theatre, ethnic dances, street artists, workshops for kids, exhibitions, films, tens of thousands of visitors and participatingassociations. This was the Diversity Fjestival 2011... and much more.

Born in 2002 to promote freedom of artistic and cultural expression, and to celebrate diversity in all its areas, the Diversity Festival is an annual event, original and creative, designed and loved by Convergence of Cultures. It has the ideal characteristics to gather experience from all the groups, associations, communities and individuals which, discussing topics apparently different, are identified with common principles:

- Affirmation of equality of all human beings

- Recognition of personal and cultural diversity as richness, which is important to highlight

- Affirmation of free election of ideas and beliefs

- Rejection of violence and recognition of non-violence as methodology of action

This year the festival was organized by Convergence of Cultures, lo SpazioBaluardo, the Community for Human Development, the Humanist Centre Sanpapiè, Al Naturale and ACEA Onlus.

The success was bigger than expected, not only because of the number of visitors, groups and artists (who played all for free), but especially because of the peace atmosphere in hearts, strength in the wills and warm happiness that anybody passing by could feel.

Emanuela Cerveri, one of the organizers says: "I thought of that day 10 years ago when four dreamer and stubborn humanists decided that it was time to invent something new, something that didn’t exist before, something including, creative, free, out of the line and that it was going with joy in opposite direction to this monstrous and inhuman system.

We were looking for something which had the taste of a gift, of selfless action, a moment of inspiration, a secure place where one is treated well, addressed to build a human universal nation to which inspire.

This morning, at the Festival closure, relishing a tiring feeling mixed with joy that we know well. I think I have seen clearly the image that it had been pushed at the beginning, and that - ultimately- it’s the meaning and the additional value of the Festival: ‘building relationships’.

And what was pushing me forward, is exactly what makes me moving forward today: defying the established limits, going beyond reality and building the reality I love: the Festival, year after year, was the expression of those aspirations in the world… This contrasts, in my opinion, with the current system, and that’s why I feel it deeply revolutionary. The Festival doesn’t follow the values of the system somehow, it isn’t prestigious, it doesn’t create wealth… its strength comes from other aspects. It doesn’t even lie in the sense of duty, in the spirit of sacrifice and self-denial, it doesn’t lie in the funding or sponsor or the will of a few people. Ultimately, its strength comes from the relationships grown through common experience, and that’s real proof where we, first of all, should experience the richness that comes from diversity."

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Translated to English by Elena Barroso