October 6 University celebrates the 9TH International Cultural Festival in the presence of representatives of twenty-eight countries and a large number of student populations. Welcoming the guests of the Festival Prof. Dr. Ahmed Attia, President of October 6 University, emphasized the crucial importance of the Festival in promoting relations among peoples and in contributing to building a culture of peace.
Here are the important parts of his speech:
Culture is a set of values and practices that create meaning to society. This includes both high culture (literature, art and education, which appeals to elites) and popular culture (which appeals to the masses).
The International Cultural Festival (ICF) is a vehicle of cultural diplomacy which is a course of actions, utilizing the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relations, enhance socio–cultural cooperation or promote national interests.
Through the interactions of peoples, the exchange of languages, ideas, arts, sports and societal structures have consistently improved relations between divergent groups. Such interactions are uniquely able to affect intercultural and interfaith understanding and promote reconciliation.
In an increasingly globalized, interdependent world, in which the proliferation of much communication technology ensures we all have greater access to each other than ever before, cultural diplomacy is critical to fostering peace and stability throughout the world. It has a unique ability to influence the “Global Public Opinion” and ideology of the individuals, communities, cultures or nations, which can accelerate the realization of global peace and stability.
International cultural Festival (ICF) fosters a culture of peace based on the eight points of the Programme of action adopted by the General Assembly in 1999: Education for peace/ The promotion of sustainable economic and social development/ Respect for Human Rights/ Equality between women and men/ Democratic participation/ The free flow of information/ Disarmament/ Tolerance.
Culture of peace and non-violence is a commitment to peace-building, mediation, conflict prevention and resolution, peace education, education for non-violence, tolerance, acceptance, mutual respect, intercultural and interfaith and reconciliation. It consists of values, attitudes and behaviors that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue among individuals, groups and nations.
It is noteworthy in this respect that UNESCO Constitution highlights the following:
“a peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world, and that peace therefore, must be founded upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”.
Renewing the invitation for everyone to share positively in the annual International Cultural Festival and the other upcoming cultural events organized by the University throughout the year with a view to encounter the decline of the common cultural co-existence, to face the surge in terrorism, and to contribute together in building a culture of peace, tolerance and mutual understanding with other peoples whom we live with on one Planet.
A number of representatives of the diplomatic and consular missions accredited in Egypt, as well as representatives of offices and cultural centers, along with a number of artists, and representatives of media and civil society organizations attended the festival.