Every edition of the World Cultures Festival (WCF) focuses on a different country or region, with past editions diving into the arts of Africa, the Mediterranean, Asia and the Silk Road. For 2019 it is the turn of the Nordic countries. Held biennially, (WCF’s) mission is to bring a wide variety of world arts to Hong Kong. “Hong Kong is one of the most dynamic metropolises in the world, where various cultures converge,” say the organisers. “Keeping an open mind and staying abreast of trends and changes is thus a major part of our identity.”
The festival will focus on ideas of isolation and connection, “which are arguably common among Nordic people.” Themes covered in the Nordic edition include sexuality and conventional morality, war, the refugee crisis, environmental degradation, vanishing aboriginal cultures, and the preservation and reinvention of traditional music.
The full programme will be announced later in the year, but some acts have already been confirmed: Norwegian National Ballet will perform Ibsen’s Ghosts (1-2 November); Denmark’s Odin Teatret will stage The Chronic Life, directed by Eugenio Barba (31 October – 3 November); and Finnish duo Tero Saarinen and Kimmo Pohjonen will perform their show Breath (8-9 November).
Where: Hong Kong
When: 18 October – 17 November
worldfestival.gov.hk/2019/