AN acclaimed broadcaster will headline an event exploring key social issues in Lichfield.
Enlighten will run from 2nd to 4th October and see historians, theologians, journalists and cultural commentators examining topics around faith, identity, healing, race, music, history and global affairs.
Taking place across Lichfield Cathedral and The Close, the event creates "space for meaningful dialogue around some of today's most challenging questions".
Jonathan Dimbleby will be the headline speaker as he reflects on an updated edition of his book, The Palestinians.
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."
Other highlights include theologian and podcaster Fr Jamie Franklin, legal historian Bijan Omrani and researcher Nick Spencer debating whether Christianity remains essential to the moral and cultural foundations of Western society, while historian Sir Simon Jenkins explores the historical forces that have shaped the United States and examines what today's political divisions reveal about the future of democracy and the international order.
The relationship between music, memory and healing will be under the spotlight in Prof Alana Harris' session, Music as Medicine and Balm for the Soul, which focuses on how a pioneering music therapy programme transformed psychiatric care in post-war Britain.
Other speakers include author Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, historian and biographer Anne Sebba, the Revd Dr Gillian Straine and Nicky Burr.
For tickets and the full programme, visit www.enlighten-lichfield.org.
