At least one flexible light diffusing waveguide is arranged to define a plurality of light diffusing waveguide segments arranged substantially parallel to one another, and is coupled to at least one light source to provide a flexible light panel suitable for general lighting purposes or for use as a backlight in a display, such as a video display. Multiple waveguides can be coupled to different color light sources to provide a multi-colored flexible backlight that is usable in combination with a flexible matrix-addressable panel to provide a flexible video display.