Can a national culture remake itself, and if so, how? How far can a society stretch to encompass diversity while still retaining a sense of national identity? Do we absorb new cultural influences - as the arts have done historically? A broad-based and stimulating lecture with an audience of CEOs, arts leaders and policy makers, will explore these ideas in Wellington and Auckland this week.

Connecting Flights lectures are presented by Creative New Zealand and introduce Naseem Kahn - the Head of Diversity at the Arts Council of England and leading commentator on diversity. Naseem Khan is recognised in Britain as a leader in cultural diversity, innovation and social change policies. She has worked on a diversity of heritage and arts research projects, formulated national and international policy and contributed to a range of national and global conferences. Much of her passion for cultural diversity stems from her own background as the daughter of Indian and German immigrants. Naseem Khan's adroitness as a cultural commentator, policy developer and project initiator has been forged over 30 years in the arts and cultural sector. In 1976 she wrote the watershed publication, The Arts Britain Ignores, which shone a light on the artistic work of Britain's culturally diverse communities. She has worked as a journalist for the Guardian, Independent and New Statesman. She co-wrote, Asians in Britain: widening the picture; co-edited Voices of the Crossing - the impact of Britain on writers from the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and edited Connections and Disconnections conference papers. recently edited a supplement for the Guardian profiling the current state of cultural diversity in Britain. Naseem Khan was one of five Women of the Decade in the in 1993 and was awarded the OBE for her work in 1999. Arts and culture have always been shaped by different streams of thought and influences coming together and interacting. But changes in global demography, resulting from economic and political migration, have challenged old and settled notions of what constitutes a national culture. Culture - and its manifestations in the arts - have become highly contentious, stirring up fears of deculturalisation: of loss of identity in both national and personal terms. Diversity challenges the singular nature of a national culture. Naseem Khan suggests a working model that neither privileges nor ignores difference. Naseem Kahn bio: As the Head of Diversity for Arts Council England Naseem Khan initiated a range of culturally diverse arts and heritage policies and programs. Since 2003, she has led her own consultancy, KC which deals with programs and policies in Britain and across Europe. Naseem Khan has consulted for institutions such as: Council of Europe, UNESCO, Museums and Galleries Commission, Asia-Europe Foundation and Arts Councils of England, Scotland and Wales. Naseem Khan is adept in exploring issues such as: Cultural Citizenship - an advanced view of cultural diversity in the context of Cultural Citizenship; Artists and Globalisation - an assessment of global diasporas and their impact on international arts policy; Integrating sectors - a look at how business and arts sectors can learn from each other; A sense of identity - the skill of 'cultural navigation' that people with multiple cultural and racial identities are claimed to possess. She has worked as a journalist for the Guardian, Independent and New Statesman. She co-wrote, Asians in Britain: widening the picture; co-edited Voices of the Crossing - the impact of Britain on writers from the Caribbean, Asia and Africa, and edited Connections and Disconnections conference papers. recently edited a supplement for the Guardian profiling the current state of cultural diversity in Britain. Naseem Khan has been embedded in emerging movements as Theatre Editor of Time Out when experimental theatre erupted in London to when she co-established, The Hustler an early black newspaper, in London's Notting Hill. Connecting Flights: Multiculturalism and the new world order WELLINGTON: Wednesday 19 November 2008 Lecture: 9am to 11am Workshop: 2pm to 5pm Venue: Chancellor 3, James Cook Hotel 147 The Terrace, Wellington AUCKLAND: Friday 21 November 2008 Lecture: 9am to 11am Workshop: 2pm to 5pm Venue: Crowne Plaza Auckland, 128 Albert Street, Auckland All sessions are free of charge and on a first-come-first-served basis. 18/11/08 ADVERTISEMENT