Religion as a Force for Change
May 28, 2023 @ 11:35-11:55
Speaker’s stage, World Village Festival, Suvilahti, Helsinki – Admission free!
The Finnish Freedom of Religion Act turns 100 this year. Religions have a tremendous power to change the world in our crisis-ridden times. How do we use their resources and power in a Finland where religion is still seen as a private matter?
In the discussion, Muslim activist and artist Nahla Hewidy and Hindu and musician Timo Ilves discussion about their religions and religious literacy. Better religious literacy is needed to understand the diversity and potential of our religious field. It will help us recognize the positive transformative power of religions in building a safe and sustainable world.
Muslim activist and artist Nahla Hewidy is active in interfaith cooperation and Muslim youth organizations. Hewidy studies cultural production and works on the Cultural Diversity and Libraries project at the Helsinki City Library. In her free time and work, Nahla works on issues of equality and identity.
Timo Ilves aka Gopinath das is an active member of the Hindu Krishna movement. He is responsible for the initiation rites of the movement and is the music director of the movement. He is a professional musician and has a degree in computer science. He has also studied Veeda books and Indian religious culture in India.
The programme will be in Finnish. The programme will be available on-site at the Speaker’s stage and through live stream on the Festival website.
