THE HUMAN LIBRARY TRANSFORMS INTO DIWAN

What is it about?

The Dīwān, formerly known as the Human Library, is a social and educational initiative aimed at promoting understanding, tolerance, and empathy among individuals.

It operates as a living library, where “Human Books” are actually people with unique life experiences or particular perspectives on various subjects such as diversity, prejudice, mental health, activism, immigration, and many others.

The “readers” of this library can borrow (listen to) these “Human Books” for authentic conversations and exchanges, asking questions, listening to their stories, and challenging their own preconceived ideas.

Each human book represents a group in our society that often faces prejudice, stigma, or discrimination due to their way of life.

For one evening, this event aims to challenge prejudices, stereotypes, and taboos and open up dialogue with people we don’t often meet.

INFORMATIONS

Dates: Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Location: Impact Hub Geneva (1 rue Fendt)
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Pre-sale: 10 CHF per person
Audience: Anyone interested in hearing inspiring stories
Requirements: None

Origines

Diwan, does it resonate with you, doesn't it?


This is the name we have chosen for a meeting event. For a few hours, Diwan provides a framework, a place for sharing and listening between speakers and participants.

It is an invitation to sit down and meet people, discover a part of their life, and exchange ideas around their themes. Through the transmission of these oral testimonies, we open our minds to understanding others while breaking the stereotypes deeply rooted within each of us.

In the Arab world, the “dīwān” (a word of Persian origin) is a place for listening to music, poetry, and literary exchanges. Similar to campfires, it allowed for the oral transmission of stories, traditions, and cultures. In a setting that combines respect, tolerance, curiosity, and conviviality, we offer you this humanistic experience of human discovery.

In Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, or Urdu languages, “Diwan” is also used to denote a collection of poems. In this Diwan organized by Humanisthme, poems come to life as you encounter life stories, testimonies, followed by a time for questions.

In Brittany, it means something else entirely. “Diwan” signifies germ, young shoot, a premonition of something growing in pace with life. This is also what we aim to embody through these exchanges. By transmitting the life stories of certain individuals, we inscribe individual narratives into the history of humanity.

So, are you interested? Take a comfortable seat on a “divan” and let’s meet the Other.

Do you want to be a Human Book?
Tell your story?
Make people think about a specific topic?
Convey a message or challenge a stereotype?
⬇️ Contact us to be part of the adventure ⬇️

Previous Editions

Discover the precursor to Diwan, the Human Library:

Flash : Portrait D’un Veau

Flash : Portrait D’un Veau

    FLASH : PORTRAIT D’UN VEAU – Projet sonore en hommage à Flash, veau…

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Dīwān (Human Library) | 20.09.2023

Dīwān (Human Library) | 20.09.2023

La Bibliothèque Humaine fonctionne de manière similaire à une bibliothèque traditionnelle, à l'exception que les…

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Human Library | 23.03.2021

Human Library | 23.03.2021

Mardi 23 mars 2021, la Human Library a fait son grand retour pour une 3ème…

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