Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby to headline Enlighten festival at Lichfield Cathedral
Broadcaster and historian Jonathan Dimbleby is to headline the second Enlighten at Lichfield Festival, which returns to the city from 2 to 4 October following a successful launch year.
The weekend festival of ideas brings together historians, theologians, journalists and public intellectuals for a programme of talks and debate exploring faith, culture, politics, history and identity, staged across Lichfield Cathedral and The Close.
Dimbleby, one of Britain's best-known broadcasters, will discuss the updated edition of his book The Palestinians, arguing that any lasting hope for peace in the region requires an honest reckoning with the human tragedy of a people left without a homeland.
He heads a wide-ranging speaker line-up.
Theologian and podcaster Fr Jamie Franklin, legal historian Bijan Omrani and Theos researcher Nick Spencer will debate whether Christianity remains essential to the moral and cultural foundations of Western society, and how it might help navigate the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence, in a session titled ‘Keeping the Faith: Can Christianity Save the West?’
Sir Simon Jenkins, historian and former editor of The Times, will examine the forces shaping the United States and what its political divisions mean for the future of democracy, while Professor Alana Harris will explore the links between music, memory and healing through the story of a pioneering post-war British music therapy programme.
Author and speaker Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, mother of cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his six siblings, will reflect on race, creativity and belonging in a session on nurturing talent in the face of prejudice.
The Revd Dr Gillian Straine and Nicky Burr will lead a conversation on gender, identity and healing, and bestselling biographer Anne Sebba will discuss The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, her account of the all-female orchestra formed within the camp.
Canon Gregory Platten, Canon Chancellor of Lichfield Cathedral, said: “We are delighted to welcome Enlighten back for its second year.
“Enlighten exists to create space for curiosity, respectful disagreement and genuine dialogue. We want people to encounter new ideas, engage with different perspectives and leave inspired to think more deeply about the issues that shape our lives and communities.”
Organisers say the festival draws on Lichfield's long tradition of learning and public discourse, associated with figures including Samuel Johnson, Erasmus Darwin and David Garrick, and aims to continue that intellectual heritage through open conversation in a historic setting.
Enlighten at Lichfield takes place from 2 to 4 October at Lichfield Cathedral and venues across The Close.
