Promote International Jazz Day in your Library

Jazz is a universal language of freedom and creativity.  UNESCO's International Jazz Day is intended to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for unity.  Musicians and fans from all five continents will celebrate the first-ever International Jazz Day on 30 April. UNESCO proclaimed the Day during its General Conference late last year.

Why International Jazz Day?

• Jazz breaks down barriers and creates opportunities for mutual understanding and tolerance;
• Jazz is a vector of freedom of expression;
• Jazz is a symbol of unity and peace;
• Jazz reduces tensions between individuals, groups, and communities;
• Jazz fosters gender equality;
• Jazz reinforces the role youth play for social change;
• Jazz encourages artistic innovation, improvisation, new forms of expression, and inclusion of traditional music forms into new ones;
• Jazz stimulates intercultural dialogue and empowers young people from marginalized societies.

International Jazz Day will be officially launched on 27 April in Paris, France and celebrated in two concerts on 30 April: a special sunrise concert in the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans and an evening concert at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York. 

See how you and your library can participate in educational and culture-centered projects!

• International Jazz Day: How you can participate
  UNESCO
• 112 ways to celebrate Jazz
  Smithsonian Institute