As part of the Festival’s commitment to addressing the urgent issues of our time, MIF07 launched a three-year programme of artistic works exploring issues around contemporary slavery. Slavery in Our Time opened with a symposium at which experts and artists discussed the cultural and social legacy of the slave trade, the impact of its contemporary manifestations and how we, as a generation, can respond to its challenges. Speakers included Professor Kevin Bales, President of Free the Slaves and the leading expert on modern slavery; Paul Gilroy, Professor of Social Theory at the London School of Economics (LSE); and theatre and opera director Peter Sellars.

Commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival.