2010 Festival Theme - Hopes in Harmony

For we recognize that we all have hopes and dreams but they are often individual and disparate. They become truly worthy when they are in harmony. In harmony we find peace, in harmony we build justice. In harmony we shall save the environment. This is the call of our times.

In our Hopes we synthesise our commitments to the millennium goals as we recognise the interdependence between growth, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

We acknowledge that development rests on the foundations of democratic governance, the rule of law, respect for human rights and peace and security.

Only in Harmony can we address war, global warming, the HIV pandemic, the mitigation of poverty and the global financial crisis.

In Harmony our cultures help define and express our ardent hope that the confluences of the oceans that drove dhows to this distant coast of Africa will again bring forth new energies to a world in need of synergies of cultures.