For most of history, humans have been guided by religion and myths that have given our lives a sense of meaning. Now we live in an information age but no longer know who to trust, and we increasingly feel that our lives are inconsequential.

The second of our three Interdependence Saturday Summits responded to questions prompted by Studio Créole at MIF19 and asked: what are the new stories we need and who should tell them? 

Morning session – 10am–noon
The morning session featured many of the participants in Studio Créole:

• Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, celebrated Kenyan novelist and playwright, telling the story of his influential career and exploring questions of writing and identity, both political and personal, in conversation with poet Lemn Sissay
• Hans Ulrich Obrist (Co-Curator) in conversation with writers Patrick Chamoiseau, Adania Shibli and Alejandro Zambra, talking about theories of créolisation and the relationship between literature and politics.
• Adam Thirlwell (Studio Créole’s Creator and Co-Curator) and John Collins (Director) in conversation with Japanese writer Sayaka Murata and her on-stage translator, discussing the relationship between literature, translation and the act of interpreting.
• Sjón, Icelandic writer, in conversation with Alex Evans, author of The Myth Gap and the founder of the Collective Psychology Project, about the new stories needed to resist the present moment’s reactionary fables and how even the most contemporary narratives have mythical outlines underneath them

Afternoon session – 1–4pm
In the afternoon (1–4pm), gal-dem, the award-winning online magazine and media platform run by women and non-binary people of colour, brought its pioneering storytelling to Manchester for the first time with contributions from:

• Kemi Alemoru, gal-dem Features Editor and a contributor to both Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children and ‘I Will Not Be Erased’: Our Stories About Growing Up as People of Colour
• Leah Cowan, gal-dem Politics Editor, who also works at Imkaan, a Black feminist organisation dedicated to addressing violence against Black and minoritised women and girls
• Akinola Davies Jr, film and video artist whose work is situated between West Africa and the UK, exploring themes of race, identity, gender and inclusion
• Sophie Duker, a bombastic black sheep whose favourite things include breaking hearts, taking names and telling jokes with the confidence of a cis straight middle-class white man
• Jade Jackman, genre-bending film director, winner of best short at the BFI Future Film Festival 2018 and shortlisted for this year’s Amnesty International New Voice Award for film
• Angela Lawrence MBE, Executive Director of the Manchester Active Voices Youth Empowerment Programme, which provides mentoring to young females in Greater Manchester
• Liv Little, gal-dem Founder and CEO
• Momtaza Mehri, poet, essayist, meme archivist, former Young People’s Laureate for London and the co-winner of the 2018 Brunel International African Poetry Prize
• The Reclaim Project, a youth leadership charity working with young working-class people in Manchester
• Wacky Racists, a one-off festival special of the cult comedy cabaret hosted by Sophie Duker and emphatically not a show for actual racists.
• Charlie Brinkurst-Cuff, Head of Editorial at gal-dem and the editor of Mother Country: Real Stories of the Windrush Children
• Emma Dabiri, academic, broadcaster and author of Don’t Touch My Hair
• Rhoda Dakar, activist and musician
• Hussein Kesvani, UK and Europe editor of Mel magazine, and author of Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims


Produced by Manchester International Festival in partnership with gal-dem.