imagine, the self-organized project by terre des hommes schweiz for diversity and against discrimination, is celebrating its birthday. The pioneering initiative, named after the legendary song by John Lennon, is more than just a festival and has an impact that extends far beyond the stage.
It all began with an exciting idea – a music festival against racism, with young culture and thematic impulses, in the heart of Basel. When a few committed young people brought the first imagine festival to life on Barfüsserplatz in 2001, none of them thought that this modest event would develop into the largest annual open-air festival in north-western Switzerland in just a few years – with up to 30,000 visitors per edition.
Room for diverse opinions
Even if the big stage and the loud music are still the popular figureheads of imagine, it is worth taking a closer look beyond the brightly lit festival stage. Whether it’s awareness-raising workshops in schools and clubs, creative themed events in cafés or cultural events in clubs and concert venues – the world of imagine is colorful, diverse and committed. The common thread is the slogan “For diversity. Against discrimination” in all its facets.
This message reflects a set of values. Nevertheless, imagine manages without pointing fingers and reproachful attitudes, says Til Hänggi, co-coordinator of the awareness-raising area: “imagine offers a platform to channel and address relevant and stressful topics for us young people. We want to encourage discussion and exchange. We don’t want to dictate what is right or wrong, but offer a space for diverse opinions. We want to create niches and free spaces.”
Positive experiences for change
Diversity, individuality and equal opportunities are being demanded by more voices in today’s world than ever before. Young people are questioning traditional values and ideas and are rapidly and fundamentally changing what has been true for decades.
“Many are dissatisfied with the direction and pace of these developments. The retreat into the traditional, exclusion and discrimination are an expression of rejection and excessive demands,” says Luciano Gagliardi, project coordinator for imagine at terre des hommes schweiz. “We need new skills, strategies and positive experiences in order to adequately deal with the social challenges in the context of diversity. imagine is making a contribution here.”
Voices and faces on 20 years of imagine
And the anniversary film created by Nicola Unfer is dedicated to the stories and faces that have shaped the imagine project over the years. It also presents the results of a recently published impact assessment, which was carried out with the support of the Mercator Foundation Switzerland.
