AMMAN - Artists of Arab origin from multiple disciplines gathered on Monday at the UNESCO office in Amman to commemorate the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.
The event, this year held under the theme "Voices on Diversity", aimed to promote cross-cultural understanding and dialogue through words, sounds and images, according to UNESCO officials.
"Cultural diversity is one of the driving engines for sustainable development and peace. By contributing to social cohesion and the development of a knowledge-based economy, it helps a country move forward," UNESCO Representative in Jordan Anjum Haque said.
As an example of what identity and cultural diversity means, Jordanian- Palestinian and Saudi poets, Musa Hawamdeh and Abir Zaki, along with Jordanian-Palestinian theatre director Samar Dudin and young pianist Munir Ennenbach, displayed their respective work in the form of poems, short films and a piano recital in tribute to the concept.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed May 21 as the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development shortly after the adoption of UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity in November 2001.
The document makes it clear that each individual must acknowledge not only "otherness" in all its forms, but also the plurality of his or her own identity within societies that are themselves plural.
"Only in this way can cultural diversity be preserved as an adaptive process and as a capacity for expression, creation and innovation," UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura said in his message for the occasion.
Founded in 1945, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The organisation also serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge, while helping member states build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields.
Since October 2007, UNESCO has been working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilisation and culture, according to the organisation's website.
By Maria Font de Matas
© Jordan Times 2008
