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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 February 2000 Issue No. 467 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 February 2000 Issue No. 467
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Special Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Plain Talk
By Mursi Saad El-Din
I am still enjoying the follow-up of my meeting with cultural attaches from the European Union, which takes the form of newsletters and magazines that have set me off on a brand new educational path. Strange as it may sound for someone of my age, it really feels like an education, uncovering so much about Western countries other than England, France and America.
A rich package from the cultural councillor of the Spanish Embassy has just arrived, the most intriguing item of which is a beautifully produced bilingual magazine entitled Al-Andalus, published in both languages by the Centre of Arabic Spanish studies. It is Arab-oriented in the sense that the majority of its articles deal with the Arab World. A whole issue is devoted to Saudi Arabia and Oman; another includes an article about teaching Islam in Spain, a topic triggered by the Spanish government's recent decision to introduce Islam into the school curricula. There are articles on the Palestinian question, on Spanish cities with strong Arab features like Granada, Malaga and others, and on Spain's current relations with the Arab World, such as the Spanish prime minister's recent visit to Damascus and Beirut.
Another publication that I treasure is a guide to the 26 Alexandria Beinnales with an emphasis on the Spanish artists who have participated in them. Their names remain unfamiliar to Egyptian ears; for me, at least, they form another stop on the belated educational journey I have unwittingly embarked on: I saw reproductions of works by Perejaume -- an artist who tries to combine sculpture and collage -- as well as Pedro Castrorlega, Pabio Marquez, Santiago Serrano, Isabel Nunoz and Manuel Sola, which, taken together, provide a comprehensive view of what the guide describes as "Art and Poetics: the New Vision".
The newsletter Barcelona 2004, too, was quite a revelation to me. It is part of the new Bulletin of the Universal Forum for Cultures, an organisation created in response to UNESCO's decision to name 2000 Year of the Culture of Peace. UNESCO has already published its "Manifesto 2000 for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence", drafted by former Nobel laureates -- those of them who are still alive, anyway; and Spain seems to be among the countries that have the idea to heart: The newsletter includes an interview with David Adams, chairman of the UNESCO International Year for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence team, who explained that the manifesto's intention is simply to state in plain language what can be understood by everyone, i.e. the UN resolutions on the culture of peace. "For every person, family, school and community," he adds, "it is important to learn to live with other people and to respect them, however different they may be".
The Manifesto is just the beginning of a global movement which should involve not only governments but individuals, schools, universities and NGO's. The project is being publicised through the internet too; so that as many people as possible can find out about it. With regard to all these forthcoming activities, "for the time being". Adams explains, "it seems unlikely that states will stop wars, which is why we want to create a global movement of world-wide groups to put pressure on states to stop war".
One interesting, rather moving activity organised recently in Barcelona was an exhibition of photographs, "War Seen Through Children's Eyes", whereby Martin K. Kennedy decided to give children a chance to express themselves. He promoted a project called 'Visual Impact' through which boys and girls in countries of war (Sudan, Albania, Georgia, Azerbijan, Kenya, Liberia, Western Sahara, Afghanistan and Kosovo) can learn to use a disposable camera and became reporters for a day. The result was a rich variety of war images captured by little photographers calling incessantly for peace.
