This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 New Zealand LicenseHE PURAPURA MARARA SCATTERED SEEDS
Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature
Ōtepoti became Aotearoa’s first UNESCO Creative City when it was awarded ‘City of Literature’ status in 2014. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is designed to develop international co-operation among cities and encourages partnerships that deliver on UNESCO’s global priorities of culture and sustainable development. There are seven different Creative City designations: design, film, folk art, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music. UNESCO Cities of Literature work together to build strong global partnerships: encouraging literary exchanges, creating cross-cultural initiatives and developing local, national and international literary links. This permanent title formally recognises the fact that storytelling and education are central to Ōtepoti’s identity. In fact, the Octagon – the physical centre and metaphorical heart of the city – is dominated by a statue of famed Scottish poet, Robert Burns. For us, living in a City of Literature is about working together and sharing ideas across the whole creative community. It is about partnering with mana whenua to connect all readers and writers through libraries, schools, bookshops, festivals, workshops, events, performances, exhibitions and more. Our city celebrates its wonderful writers of fiction and non-fiction, its poets, oral storytellers, illustrators, playwrights, screenwriters and lyricists. Ōtepoti nurtures creative dialogue between authors, publishers, booksellers, musicians, actors, fine artists, designers and photographers. Together, we make up one of the world’s great small cities. Dunedin is well known as a university town of excellence in research and learning, and a city where writers, books and literature thrive.
External linkDunedin UNESCO City of Literature websiteDunedin UNESCO City of Literature FacebookAutumn in Dunedin, NZ's City of Literature video from Dunedin NZ Facebook pageLibraries Aotearoa, Our UNESCO City of Literature - Dunedin, article May 2021







