People’s Summit 2025

People’s Summit 2025: Culture, democracy and international cooperation

For the fourth year running, the Danish Cultural Institute was a partner at The International Arena – the People’s Summits international stage. Together with DIPD (the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy), this year we focused on three key themes: culture as a European defence of democracy, the need for cultural rearmament, and new and stronger cultural relations between Europe and Africa.

At the People’s Summit, we brought together voices from around the world – decision-makers, cultural figures, opinion-formers, researchers and experts – for debates, conversations and quizzes that reached beyond national borders. At a time marked by rising authoritarian tendencies, the climate crisis and technological change, it became clear just how important international cooperation and dialogue truly are.

We focused on why culture plays a crucial role in the fight for democracy, and how cultural institutions and actors can safeguard democratic values at a time of pressure from both outside and within.

In another conversation, we discussed whether culture is Europe’s overlooked line of defence, and how the cultural sector can be strengthened to face security and societal challenges.

We challenged stereotypical narratives about Africa and Europe and sparked a conversation about how we can rethink cultural relations between the two continents through new and more equal narratives.

As a counterweight to the heavier topics, there was also room for music and community, including the quiz ‘Glitter and Geopolitics: The Eurovision Song Contest Quiz!’ and the ‘Sing for Europe’ singalong session – a reminder that culture is also about joy and togetherness.

We look back on some rewarding days at The International Arena and would like to thank DIPD for the excellent collaboration in putting culture on the international agenda.