INTERDEPENDENCE DAY V - Mexico City, 2007
Jon Langford, Cornel West & Tavis Smiley
On September 10-12, 2007, former Mexican foreign minister Luis Derbez hosted the Fifth Interdependence Day forum and celebration in Mexico City, Mexico.
The Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey and the Studio and Foundation of the celebrated Mexican sculptor Sebastian (Fundación Sebastián) were the venues for a forum focusing on Immigration and Democracy - looking not only at labor migration (a source of tension and political resentments) but at the migration of capital and culture across borders as well.
The 2007 forum included panels on The Art of Common Space as well as cyberspace, in which the Virtual Space panel was simultaneously conducted in Second Life, where nearly 100 "avatars" joined the debate. Special presentations were also made by Sophie Stenbeck of the Remedee Foundation and by Josh Fox who screened part of his new feature film "MEMORIAL DAY".
Among the international scholars and artists who attended was Polish Solidarity (Solidarność) Co-Founder Adam Michnik, who won the third Interdependence Prize. Others attendees included, Renmin University professor Jin Canrong (China), Independent Sector President Diana Aviv, the Hungarian parliamentarian and sociologist Ivan Vitanyi, Belgian Theater and Dance director Guy Gypens, distinguished Columbia University globalization scholar Saskia Sassen, Vatican scholar Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, former U.N. Undersecretary-general Olara Otunnu, and New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Director Jacqueline Z. Davis.
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