Cancellation of the Hip Hop World Summit




Paris, March 4, 2005. The International Music Council (IMC), in collaboration with the Section for Youth of UNESCO, African Marketplace, Inc. and Cultural Engineering LLC regret to inform you that the first Hip Hop World Summit, which was to have been held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris from April 1 – 3, 2005, will be cancelled.



In an effort to respond as best as possible to the enthusiasm and the legitimate expectations of all our correspondents across the world, we decided in October 2004, after careful reflection, to postpone this World Summit until the Spring of 2005 in order to ensure the full success of the event.



Today, we have no other option than to acknowledge that despite our efforts and the deep commitment of numerous partners and participants of this Summit, producing an event of the desired scope has proven impossible due to the postponement of certain contributions.



Consequently, under the present circumstances, to go on with the event would not fulfil the expectations of all those who have accompanied us in this initiative so far, and, without the guarantee of a truly successful event, it would not be feasible to achieve our common goals.



Out of respect for our audiences as well as for our correspondents, it seems to be premature to take on this challenge while respecting the project’s main lines: to raise an awareness of the immense influence of the Hip Hop culture across the world, to reflect on its trends and powerful aspirations, to emphasise its innovative forms of expression and to together reflect on the future.



We are convinced that it will be possible to gather again at another time to implement this project in collaboration with our most loyal partners - together with artists, researchers, journalists, professionals, institutions and the corporate sector. We would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank all those who – right from the very beginning – have put their trust in us and have supported our efforts to promote music diversity.



Thank you very much for your support and please feel free to contact us for further information at the following address:

International Music Council

 imc@unesco.org

00 33 1.45.68.48.49