Home to RipeConcepts’ creative headquarters, Cebu City has just been recognized as one of the “laboratories of ideas and innovative practices.” Last October 30, 2019, UNESCO released its Creative Cities list, with Cebu City dab-smack in it. UNESCO created the list based on development in music, arts and folk crafts, design, cinema, literature, digital arts, and gastronomy.
UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay compiled the list. “All over the world, these cities, each in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of its strategy,” says Azoulay. “This favours political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generations.”
Creative Cities “bring tangible contributions through innovative thinking and action.” This year’s new 66 UNESCO Creative Cities are:
- Afyonkarahisar (Turkey) – Gastronomy
- Ambon (Indonesia) – Music
- Angoulême (France) – Literature
- Areguá (Paraguay) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Arequipa (Peru) – Gastronomy
- Asahikawa (Japan) – Design
- Ayacucho (Peru) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Baku (Azerbaijan) – Design
- Ballarat (Australia) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Bandar Abbas (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Bangkok (Thailand) – Design
- Beirut (Lebanon) – Literature
- Belo Horizonte (Brazil) – Gastronomy
- Bendigo (Australia) – Gastronomy
- Bergamo (Italy) – Gastronomy
- Biella (Italy) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Caldas da Rainha (Portugal) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Cebu City (Philippines) – Design
- Essaouira (Morocco) – Music
- Exeter (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) – Literature
- Fortaleza (Brazil) – Design
- Hanoi (Vietnam) – Design
- Havana (Cuba) – Music
- Hyderabad (India) – Gastronomy
- Jinju (Republic of Korea) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Kargopol (Russian Federation) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Karlsruhe (Germany) – Media Arts
- Kazan (Russian Federation) – Music
- Kırşehir (Turkey) – Music
- Kuhmo (Finland) – Literature
- Lahore (Pakistan) – Literature
- Leeuwarden (Netherlands) – Literature
- Leiria (Portugal) – Music
- Lliria (Spain) – Music
- Mérida (Mexico) – Gastronomy
- Metz (France) – Music
- Muharraq (Bahrain) – Design
- Mumbai (India) – Film
- Nanjing (China) – Literature
- Odessa (Ukraine) – Literature
- Overstrand Hermanus (South Africa) – Gastronomy
- Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) – Music
- Portoviejo (Ecuador) – Gastronomy
- Potsdam (Germany) – Film
- Querétaro (Mexico) – Design
- Ramallah (Palestine) – Music
- San José (Costa Rica) – Design
- Sanandaj (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Music
- Santiago de Cali (Colombia) – Media Arts
- Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) – Music
- Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Film
- Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Slemani (Iraq) – Literature
- Sukhothai (Thailand) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Trinidad (Cuba) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Valladolid (Spain) – Film
- Valledupar (Colombia) – Music
- Valparaíso (Chile) – Music
- Veszprém (Hungary) – Music
- Viborg (Denmark) – Media Arts
- Viljandi (Estonia) – Crafts and Folk Art
- Vranje (Serbia) – Music
- Wellington (New Zealand) – Film
- Wonju (Republic of Korea) – Literature
- Wrocław (Poland) – Literature
- Yangzhou (China) – Gastronomy
The number of Creative Cities now rounds up to a cool 246. UNESCO’s Creative Cities are committed to placing culture at the heart of what they do and to share their best practices. Sounds like Cebu City and RipeConcepts’ shared interests all along, eh?
Being acknowledged at this scale is a dream milestone for both the city and RipeConcepts. Cebu City is just bursting at the seams with artistic talent and RipeConcepts is a witness to all that! Just where does all this homegrown creative juice take Cebu City next? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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