Chennai, Jaipur and Varanasi join the prestigious UNESCO Creative Cities Network

We have grown listening and learning one form of art or another.

The city of Chennai in India is known for its dance forms as much as for its music. Next month, the city celebrates a Dance and Music festival, celebrated in Margazhi month of Tamil calendar. The festival celebrates Carnatic Music and classical dance, across the capital city Chennai, and attracts a host of performing art enthusiasts.

Silhouettes – Chennai Sangamam
Chennai Sangamam is a yearly festival that celebrates the folk traditions of Tamil Nadu. It brings to the city of Madras dance, music, drama and story telling forms from across the state, for a week of fun, laughter, entertainment and celebration. It coincides with the Pongal – the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. Photo Courtesy: http://bit.ly/2hk3vQX

To add to this celebratory mood, good news has come in the form of international recognition. Chennai has been included in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) for its rich musical tradition.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The 180 cities which currently make up this network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and cooperating actively at the international level.

This year in 2017, a total of 64 cities from 44 countries have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Others cities joining Chennai include Jaipur and Varanasi.

A  hosts of artists from Jaipur and Varanasi have contributed to the art and culture of India.

With the new addition, the network has a total of 180 cities in 72 countries. Below are the names of the new 64 UNESCO Creative Cities included in the UCCN:

Alba (Italy) – Gastronomy
Almaty (Kazakhstan) – Music
Amarante (Portugal) – Music
Auckland (New Zealand) – Music
Baguio City (Philippines) – Crafts and Folk Art
Barcelos (Portugal) – Crafts and Folk Art
Braga (Portugal) – Media Arts
Brasilia (Brazil) – Design
Bristol (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Film
Brno (Czechia) – Music
Bucheon (Republic of Korea) – Literature
Buenaventura (Colombia) – Gastronomy
Cairo (Egypt) – Crafts and Folk Art
Cape Town (South Africa) – Design
Carrara (Italy) – Crafts and Folk Art
Changsha (China) – Media Arts
Chennai (India) – Music
Chiang Mai (Thailand) – Crafts and Folk Art
Chordeleg (Ecuador) – Crafts and Folk Art
Cochabamba (Bolivia [Plurinational State of]) – Gastronomy
Daegu Metropolitan City (Republic of Korea) – Music
Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – Design
Durban (South Africa) – Literature
Frutillar (Chile) – Music
Gabrovo (Bulgaria) – Crafts and Folk Art
[City of] Greater Geelong (Australia) – Design
Guadalajara (Mexico) – Media Arts
Hatay Metropolitan Municipality (Turkey) – Gastronomy
Istanbul (Turkey) – Design
João Pessoa (Brazil) – Crafts and Folk Art
Kansas City (United States of America) – Music
Kolding (Denmark) – Design
Kortrijk (Belgium) – Design
Košice (Slovakia) – Media Arts
Kütahya (Turkey) – Crafts and Folk Art
Lillehammer (Norway) – Literature
Limoges (France) – Crafts and Folk Art
?ód? (Poland) – Film
Macao Special Administrative Region, China (Associate Member, UNESCO) – Gastronomy
Madaba (Jordan) – Crafts and Folk Art
Manchester (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Literature
Mexico City (Mexico) – Design
Milan (Italy) – Literature
Morelia (Mexico) – Music
Norrköping (Sweden) – Music
Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) – Crafts and Folk Art
Panama City (Panama) – Gastronomy
Paraty (Brazil) – Gastronomy
Pesaro (Italy) – Music
Porto-Novo (Benin) – Crafts and Folk Art
Praia (Cabo Verde) – Music
Qingdao (China) – Film
Québec City (Canada) – Literature
San Antonio (United States of America) – Gastronomy
Seattle (United States of America) – Literature
Sheki (Azerbaijan) – Crafts and Folk Art
Sokodé (Togo) – Crafts and Folk Art
Terrassa (Spain) – Film
Tétouan (Morocco) – Crafts and Folk Art
Toronto (Canada) – Media Arts
Tunis (Tunisia) – Crafts and Folk Art
Utrecht (Netherlands) – Literature
Wuhan (China) – Design
Yamagata City (Japan) – Film

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