The European Parliament has declared 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue and the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Euromed countries, Euro-Mediterranean Year on Dialogue between Cultures. This can be an inestimable occasion to establish cultural and social policies that favour Euro-Mediterranean dialogue.
Talking about cultural dialogue is always difficult because the historical, religious and political memories posit diverse readings, full of sound reasons, and also because we base ourselves more on stereotypes than on knowledge of the diverse reality of contemporary societies. Moreover, if we understand dialogue as the desire to communicate, we could add to this desire the concept of willingness. In this sense, the instrumental nature of dialogue will be more effective if actions are undertaken which help to embrace those elements necessary in order to achieve better understanding of civilisations and of cultures: creative bridges that writers, artists, philosophers and anthropologists can build with a rich and suggestive imaginary.
During the last few years, the European Union has been very aware of the importance of culture and the need to expand intercultural dialogue between the different Euromed partners. One of its main instruments is the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, as well as the implementation of the programmes Euromed Audiovisual, Euromed Heritage, Euromed Information and Communication, Euromed Youth and, recently, the Euromed Gender programme. To all this should be added other bilateral and multilateral actions, both from governments and civil society.
The final objective of the Meeting of Writers and Intellectuals for Europe-Mediterranean Intercultural Dialogue is to be able to obtain practical recommendations to be presented to the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Culture, to take place in Athens at the end of the month.
Participants:
Writers and intellectuals who have contributed to issue 10 of the IEMed journal Quaderns de la Mediterrània.
Intellectuals of the European Union and the MED area.
Representatives of organisations and institutions of the Mediterranean and the European Union.
Function “The Night of Dialogue” (concert by Boban and Marko Markovic Orkestar). Visit and welcome dinner at the Palau de la Música Catalana
Friday, 23rd May
9.30 am Inauguration and presentation of issue 10 of the journal Quaderns de la Mediterrània
Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, Vice-President of the Government of Catalonia
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy
Veronika Stabej, Slovenian Ambassador to Euromed
Senén Florensa, Director General of the European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed)
10 am-11 am First session: Plural memories and cultural mixing
If the final objective of intercultural dialogue is a future of peace and understanding, this necessarily includes the participation of all the interlocutors involved, who must be aware of the risks of the conflict and, therefore, contribute a real willingness for understanding. Historical memory thus becomes a fundamental tool that, although it may bring many misunderstandings, can also help to accept and understand the other, leaving aside ignorance and hatred.
President:Carles Torner, Head of Sciences and Humanities, Institut Ramon Llull, Barcelona
Introduction: Maria-Àngels Roque, anthropologist and Editor-in-Chief of Quaderns de la Mediterrània, IEMed, Barcelona
Joseph Maïla, political scientist and Director of the Centre de Recherche sur la Paix, Paris
Reflection:
Najat El Hachmi, writer, Barcelona
Monika Zgustová, writer, Barcelona
Esther Bendahan, writer and Director of the Casa Sefarad-Israel, Madrid
Besnik Mustafaj, writer, Tirana
Ion Bulei, historian and writer, Bucharest
3.30 pm-5 pm Second session: Frontiers and cosmopolitanism
Frontiers change, are created and disappear; they can be political, religious or individual. In a world in which migration phenomena are increasingly more frequent and complex, Europe and its particular relation with the southern Mediterranean countries is a paradigmatic case of this trend to diasporas. A new vision of the concept of cosmopolitanism is necessary to understand that the only way of achieving a united Mediterranean is to accept and celebrate the differences of the peoples that make it up.
President: José Enrique Ruiz-Domènec, historian and member of the Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres, Barcelona Introduction: Dean Komel, philosopher, Ljubljana
Bensalem Himmich, philosopher, Rabat
Reflection:
Hélé Béji, writer, Tunis
Baltasar Porcel, writer, Barcelona
Dilek Güngör, writer, Berlin
Esa Aallas, writer, Helsinki
Paul Balta, writer and journalist, Paris
5.15 pm-6.45 pm Third session: Representations: art and spiritualities
In order to undertake the journey to the understanding of oneself and recognition of the other that any process of dialogue requires, artistic creation and spirituality (religious, philosophical, emotive) become privileged instruments when understanding and accepting other visions, other cultures. Cinema, theatre, music, dance, literature or the visual arts are paths that bring experiences and representations that help to better understand the world in which we live dynamically and interactively.
President: Vicenç Altaió, Director of KRTU
Introduction: Rafael Argullol, philosopher and writer, Barcelona
Julia Kristeva, semiologist, Paris
Reflection:
Mourid Barghouti, poet, Cairo
Yana Sistovari, theatre artistic director, London
Rachid Mendjeli, storyteller and political scientist, Algiers/Bordeaux
Katarina Runesson, Coordinator of National Museums of World Culture, Gothenburg
Tahar Chikhaoui, film critic and writer, Tunis
7 pm
Reading of the recommendations for the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Culture
Closing:
Jordi Martí, Delegate for Culture, Barcelona City Council
Oriol Izquierdo, Director of the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes
Senén Florensa, Director General of the IEMed
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
With the special participation of:
First session: Plural memories and culturalmixing
Oumama Aouad
Claudine Rulleau
Abdelkader Chaui
Miquel de Palol
Salam Kawakibi
Resat Akar
Salem Zenia
Second session: Frontiers and cosmopolitanism
Yolanda Onghena
Randa Achmawi
Emma Hooper
Xavier Bru de Sala
Àlex Susanna
Nathalie Galesne
Jamal Al-Shalabi
Simona Skrabec
Third session: Representations: art and spiritualities
Rebecca Simpson
Emanuela Baldi
Celia Lowenstein
Ornella D’Agostino
Zeyneb Farhat
Francisco Ferrero
List of participants:
Esa Aallas, writer, Helsinki
Randa Achmawi, journalist, Cairo
Resat Akar, journalist, Nicosia
Patricia Almarcegui, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona
Jamal Al-Shalabi, political scientist, Amman
Vicenç Altaió, Director of KRTU, Barcelona
Oumama Aouad, Director of the Instituto de Estudios Hispano-Lusos, Rabat
Carme Arenas, PEN Català, Barcelona
Rafael Argullol, philosopher and writer, Barcelona
Francesc Badia, sociologist, Barcelona
Laura Baeza, Euromed Unit, European Commission, Brussels
Emanuela Baldi, Coordinator of Love Difference, Milan
Paul Balta, writer and journalist, Paris
Mourid Barghouti, poet, Cairo
Hélé Béji, writer, Tunis
Esther Bendahan, writer, Casa Sefarad-Israel, Madrid
Dolors Bramon, Arabist, Universitat de Barcelona
Àlex Broch, literary critic, Barcelona
Xavier Bru de Sala, writer and journalist, Barcelona
Ion Bulei, historian and writer, Bucharest
Eliseu Carbonell, anthropologist, Barcelona
Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, Vice-President of the Government of Catalonia
Jordi Casassas, historian, Universitat de Barcelona
Abdelkader Chaui, writer, Rabat
Tahar Chikhaoui, film critic and writer, Tunis
Stefano Cingolani, researcher, Barcelona
Melcior Comes, writer, Barcelona
Ornella D’Agostino, choreographer, Cagliari
Tamara Djermanovic, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
Najat El Hachmi, writer, Barcelona
Mostafa El Hafer Touhtouh, philosopher, Fons Català de Cooperació, Barcelona
Zeyneb Farhat, cultural activist, Tunis
Francisco Ferrero, Director of the Instituto Cervantes, Brussels
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissioner for External Affairs and Neighbourhood Policy, European Commission, Brussels
Senén Florensa, Director General of the IEMed, Barcelona
Miquel Forcada, philologist, Universitat de Barcelona
Manuel Forcano, writer, Barcelona
Sergi Frias, City to City Fad Awards, Barcelona
Nathalie Galesne, journalist, Rome
Isabel Gómez Melenchón, journalist, Barcelona
Valentí Gómez Oliver, writer, Barcelona
Manuel Guerrero, Coordinator of KRTU, Barcelona
Dilek Güngor, writer, Berlin
Bensalem Himmich, philosopher, Rabat
Emma Hooper, economist and town planner, London
Oriol Izquierdo, Director of the Institució de les Lletres Catalanes, Barcelona
Salah Jamal, doctor and writer, Barcelona
Salam Kawakibi, political scientist, Paris
Dean Komel, philosopher, Ljubljana
Julia Kristeva, semiologist, Paris
Raffaella Leonardi, filmmaker, Barcelona
Celia Lowenstein, scriptwriter and filmmaker, New York
Joseph Maïla, political scientist and Director of the Centre de Recherche pour la Paix, Paris
Jordi Martí, Delegate for Culture of Barcelona City Council
Ferran Mascarell, Delegate Councillor of RBA Audiovisual, Barcelona
Cinta Massip, KRTU, Barcelona
Rachid Mendjeli, storyteller and political scientist, Algiers/Bordeaux
Montserrat Minobis, Associació de Dones Periodistes de Catalunya, Barcelona
Anna Monjo, Icaria editorial, Barcelona
Xavier Montoliu, Institució de les Lletres Catalanes, Barcelona
Mª Elena Morató, journalist and art critic, Barcelona
Besnik Mustafaj, writer, Tirana
Mary Nash, historian, Universitat de Barcelona
Víctor Obiols, poet, Barcelona
Enric Olivé, historian, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona
Yolanda Onghena, Coordinator of intercultural dynamics, Fundació CIDOB, Barcelona
Sylvia Oussedik, writer, Barcelona
Víctor Pallejà de Bustinza, Islamologist, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona
Miquel de Palol, writer and poet, Barcelona
José Gabriel Pereira Bastos, anthropologist, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Josep Perelló, physicist, Universitat de Barcelona
Pere Antoni Pons, writer, Palma de Mallorca
Baltasar Porcel, writer, Barcelona
Violant Porcel, art critic, Barcelona
Josefina Roma, anthropologist, Universitat de Barcelona
Maria-Àngels Roque, Director of Studies of Mediterranean Cultures, Barcelona
Hélène Rufat, philologist, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
José Enrique Ruiz-Domènec, historian and member of the Reial Acadèmia de Bones Lletres, Barcelona
Caudine Rulleau, journalist and writer, Paris
Katarina Runesson, Coordinator of National Museums of World Culture, Gothenburg
Carmen Sammut, journalist, Malta
Antoni Segura, historian, Universitat de Barcelona
Rebecca Simpson, writer and translator, Barcelona
Yana Sistovari, theatre artistic director, London
Simona Skrabec, writer, Barcelona
Gianluca Solera, Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures, Alexandria
Veronika Stabej, Slovenian Ambassador to Euromed
Àlex Susanna, poet and Director of the Fundació Caixa Catalunya, Barcelona
Carles Torner, Head of Sciences and Humanities, Institut Ramon Llull, Barcelona
Marc Trias, Coordinator of the Opinió FAD networks, Barcelona
Pau Vadell, poet, Barcelona
Amparo Vázquez, Unesco Associated Schools Project Network, Barcelona
Mercè Viladrich, Arabist, Universitat de Barcelona
Salem Zenia, writer, Barcelona
Monika Zgustová, writer, Barcelona
What is the IEMed?
