MONDIACULT 2025

A researcher and practitioner working at the intersection of culture, peace and security. She is co-founder of the Culture Policy Room and currently co-leads independent research for the British Council on arts, peacebuilding, and fragile contexts across global contexts. Her work focuses on the role of culture in times of conflict, exploring how cultural approaches can foster resilience, legitimacy, and inform local and international policy responses and programming.

Yasmin Merei worked in printed and digital media and specialised in feminist journalism. She is managing the Women for Common Spaces Organization in Berlin, which is creating a female memory on seeking refuge and building the capacities of young women who are politically and culturally active in the Syrian diaspora. She is currently working on investigation stories related to transitional justice in Syria. 

A specialist in culture management, marketing and communications. For 11 years, he held senior positions in British Council Ukraine, organising numerous cultural projects and events in the UK and 15 European countries. He is a graduate of the Institute of International Relations of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.

Stephen Stenning OBE is British Council’s Director Culture in Action, a cross disciplinary portfolio that straddles work across the network in heritage, creative economy and cultural responses to global challenges of inclusion and sustainability. He has championed the value of Arts and Culture in Sustainable Development and led the set-up of the UK’s £60m Cultural Protection Fund established in 2016 which is now part of a growing heritage portfolio for the British Council.

Marcele Oliveira, 26, is the Presidency Youth Climate Champion for COP30, a cultural producer, communicator, and climate activist. She is the Master of Ceremonies at Circo Voador and the Executive Director of Perifalab, as well as a co-founder of the Coalition "O Clima é de Mudança" and a Youth Climate Negotiator for the Rio de Janeiro Secretariat of Environment and Climate. Her research focuses on the intersection between cultural practices and combating the consequences of climate change in marginalized communities, with an emphasis on adaptation and climate education. Her work is featured in the "Cultura e Clima" study by C de Cultura and Outra Onda Conteúdo. 

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With over 14 years of experience, María García Holley leads diverse cultural and development initiatives across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, the Caribbean, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In this role, María leads cross-regional collaborations to advance the cultural sector in LATAC and advocates for inclusive policies that enhance access to cultural and creative opportunities. María's expertise has been recognized with distinctions as the first Mexican fellow in the Clore Leadership Programme, a Chevening Scholar, and a member of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Creative Economy expert group, where she analysed and foresaw the pandemic's impacts on the cultural sector. 

Mererid Hopwood is an award-winning poet, lyricist, translator and Professor of Welsh and Celtic Studies at University of Aberystwyth. She is Archdderwydd Cymru (the Archdruid of Wales) and Secretary of Academi Heddwch Cymru (Wales’s national peace institute). Mererid is also Patron of Gwrando (Listening) Programme, Wales’s programme as part of the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages. 

Mutanu Kyany'a is a digital heritage practitioner who develops community-led approaches to preserving and promoting African culture and histories. She is Head of Programs at African Digital Heritage, where for six years she has led initiatives that use technology to strengthen cultural memory. Her work has increased local involvement in heritage documentation, supported global recognition of historic sites, revived cultural spaces once suppressed, and expanded access to archives that present African histories in inclusive ways. Trained in Community Development and Computer Science, Mutanu brings both people-centered thinking and technical expertise to ensure digital heritage reflects lived experiences and strengthens cultural continuity on the continent. 

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Stephen Stenning OBE is British Council’s Director Culture in Action, a cross disciplinary portfolio that straddles work across the network in heritage, creative economy and cultural responses to global challenges of inclusion and sustainability. He has championed the value of Arts and Culture in Sustainable Development and led the set-up of the UK’s £60m Cultural Protection Fund established in 2016 which is now part of a growing heritage portfolio for the British Council.