Interculturality: Creating Spaces for
a Dialogue Among Nations

Introduction

Over the last few years, Ministers of the International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) have expressed their interest in the concept of interculturality. Interculturality was first identified as an important emerging issue during the course of the Fifth Annual Ministerial Meeting of the INCP held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2002, where Ministers agreed that the topic at hand was one which needed to be explored further. The Liaison Bureau prepared a short overview of the concept of interculturality, which was presented at the last Annual Ministerial Meeting held in Opatija in October 2003¹. At that time, INCP Ministers reconfirmed their interest in further exploring the topic.

Further exploration and discussion of this concept comes at a very relevant time given the thematic of the 2004 Human Development Report by the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) which focuses on Cultural Liberty in Today's Diverse World. The report indeed highlights how governments across the globe are faced with the challenge of developing public policy, which aims to build vibrant, creative and exciting societies that feature social cohesion and inclusion within the context of growing cultural diversity.

What Does the Term Interculturality Imply?

While the definition continues to evolve, consensus has emerged among some cultural experts and academics to define interculturality as the interaction, exchange and communication between cultures where the individual recognizes and accepts the reciprocity of the other's culture ². This definition takes the concept of multiculturalism one step further.

Cultural experts and academics have described multiculturalism as a mechanism of principles and policies that have, up to now, focused on: 1) state recognition of cultural plurality, which exists at the heart of a society; 2) the reduction of obstacles that hinder the social participation of marginalized cultural groups; and, 3) the support for the reproduction of cultures. Numerous governments worldwide have applied the principles of multiculturalism in the development of their respective cultural policies with the aim of ensuring the development and safeguarding of cultural diversity within their borders. However, while there is agreement that multiculturalism does take into account new cultures within a given society, some scholars have recently set forth the argument that it does not provide for the creation of real bridges between the host or "norm" cultures and the new cultures entering or existing within that society ³.

In contrast, the concept of interculturality sets forth the notion that one must go further than identifying and safeguarding every culture in isolation, as this is not enough to bring about true social cohesion. Interculturality evokes the interaction between cultures, exchanges and communication where the individual recognizes and accepts the reciprocity of the other's culture. Furthermore, the tenets of interculturality set forth the notion that "spaces" need to be created where cultures can not only co-exist but also can also interact and come to know each other within a society. In essence, the intercultural approach promulgates the view that cultural diversity does not threaten but rather, enriches the social fabric of a society ⁴.

It is important to note however, that interculturality does not discount the concept of multiculturalism, as this one remains an important and valid guiding principle for the development of cultural policy. Rather, this concept adds to that of multiculturalism.

Case Study: "Projet Culture de Quartier"

One concrete example of an initiative which creates "spaces" to allow cultures to co-exist and interact with one another is the project "Culture de quartier" (Culture in the Neighbourhood), which was launched and coordinated by the Swiss National Commission for UNESCO within the context of the UNESCO's International Decade on Cultural Development (1988-1997) ⁵.

Originally conceived as a series of annual meetings of experts held in Switzerland, Austria, Finland Sweden, Germany, Estonia, France and Burkina Faso, the project was, because of its unique and outstanding potential, extended beyond the decade. Over the last few years, it has grown into an Afro-European interaction project currently consisting of four partnerships between cities in African and European member states of UNESCO, namely: Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Geneva (Switzerland); Yaounde (Cameroon) and Strasbourg (France); Maputu (Mozambique) and Vienna (Austria); and Windhoek (Namibia) and Vantaa (Finland).

The main objectives of the project focus on "the promotion of cultural activities performed by the inhabitants of a neighbourhood for the inhabitants of (another) neighbourhood on themes directly related to their lives in order to drive them closer and thus reinforce their belonging to the place they live in and its social entity". The project incorporates the tenets of interculturality as it seeks to increase mutual understanding between people of different cultures and ethnic background throughout the course of their everyday lives.

The methodology applied consists in the partner cities adopting a theme and defining a cultural project. While the same features are maintained for both partners, implementation procedures may vary according to local situations and interests. Once the project has been defined, it is implemented in the neighbourhoods of both African and European cities simultaneously. As the project is co-ordinated by a Local Project Group consisting of local authorities, field operators, specialists and local people, it allows individuals to come to know each other and become more active in their community ⁷.

This project has been very successful in its
implementation, namely, within the context of the Ouagadougou -Geneva Partnership and Yaounde- Strasbourg Partnership (see text boxes).

Ouagadougou -Geneva Partnership

• The Culture in the Neighbourhood Dassagho Association was created in January 1998 to develop and implement neighbourhood projects. This Association comprises 600 members, all inhabitants of the neighbourhood
• About 100 children from Dassasgho and Saint-Jean/La Jonction correspond with each other and exchange school newspapers.
• In Geneva politicians have agreed to subsidize a media-library where cultural events, public lectures and art-exhibitions will be held, thereby allowing the inhabitants to build and share the living memories of their neighbourhood.
• Etienne Minoungou, the animator of bthe theatre group in Dassadho, stayed two weeks in Geneva where he worked with the theatre group of Saint-Jean /La Jonction and was invited to several schools to tell African tales and to answer the children's questions about life in Africa

Note: http://www.unesco.org/culture/pluralism/neighbourhood/html_eng/geneva.shtml

As noted in UNESCO's report, "From Diversity to Pluralism: Culture in the Neighbourhood", through its promotion of intercultural dialogue and partnerships, the project aims to:

• help adjust traditional identities, roles of women and the family to the social structures and cultural frameworks of modern democratic societies;
• solve cultural conflicts between the traditional and contemporary reality
  by creating active and communicative interaction between children, parents
  and the surrounding communities and institutions;
• prevent the drop out of children and youngsters by providing them with new possibilities and instruments to realize their cultural and physical potential; prevent the loss of young educated talents and children's natural creativity
  by increasing new jobs for young artists,
  creating new models for art education
  and improving the relationship between
  schools and other actors in the
  neighbourhood.

Yaounde- StrasbourgPartnership

• A cultural visit over a 2-month period
  was organized for one of the leading artists of Yaounde, Pascal Kemfack, to Strasbourg, France in the first half of 1999. This visit has allowed the painter and sculptor to discover the work of his collegues in France and to share with them his experiences in Cameroon.
• A dance workshop in the Mvo-Ada neighbourhood has produced an educational show entitled "Ezezam" about drugs and violence among young people in the neighbourhoods of Yaoundé. This production will be performed later at the National Festival of the Arts and Culture, the Market of the African Performing Arts in Abidjan and the Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Africa in Yaoundé
• In various districts of Yaounde and Douala, Cameroon, workshops for plastic arts, dance, cinema and theatre are being opened.

Note:
http://www.unesco.org/culture/pluralism/neighbourhood/html_eng/strasbourg.shtml

Issues for Ministerial Discussion

As noted in the UNDP's Human Development Report 2004, "Cultural liberty in today's diverse world", managing cultural diversity is one of the central challenges of our time and projects such as the Culture in the Neighbourhood, based on the
principles of interculturality, are but one example of how governments work to provide spaces for the diverse cultures within their borders to
interchange and interact. With this in mind, below
are questions aimed at facilitating a ministerial
discussion:

1. In what way have your respective countries moved forward on developing ways to enable intercultural dialogue between the various cultures existing within your societies?
2. What are some of the challenges you have encountered in trying to bring policies based on the principles of interculturality to the forefront?

Possible Next Steps

1. Gathering of examples of successful experiences in policy development surrounding the theme of interculturality (or culture as a tool to increase social cohesion).
2. The creation of an INCP Working Group or Special Research Team to pursue further research on this concept.
3. Further independent national research on the concept, which INCP members will then share with the rest of the Network.

Sources

Culture and UNESCO: www.unesco.org/culture/pluralism/neighbourhood/html_eng/index_en.shtml

Kalscheuer, B. & Allolio-Nacke, L. "Why does the current debate on Interculturality Prevent the Development of Intercultural Communication?: A Critical Note on the Interculturality Discourse", http://sietarcongress.wu-wien.ac.at/docs/T6_Kalscheuer.pdf.

UNDP, 2004 Human Development Report, Cultural Liberty in Today's Diverse World: http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/

¹ The paper, "Interculturality :Moving Towards a Dialogue Among Nations", prepared by the INCP Liaison Bureau in 2003 is attached as background document.

² INCP, "New and Emerging Issues: Concept of Interculturality and the Creation of Cultural Observatories, 2003", Cape Town, South Africa 2002.

³ Some have come to argue that multiculturalism is the addition of different cultural particularities without a real coherence between the parts of a highly fragmented whole.

⁴ Kalscheuer, B. & Allolio-Nacke, L. "Why does the current debate on Interculturality Prevent the Development of Intercultural Communication?: A Critical Note on the Interculturality Discourse", http://sietarcongress.wu-wien.ac.at/docs/T6_Kalscheuer.pdf

⁵ Other examples of initiatives that create "spaces" allowing cultures to co-exist and interact including the "Culture and Neighbourhoods Project" created by the Council of Europe and the Council for Cultural Cooperation. The Project which was directed by Eduardo Delgado and includes among others, the participation of cities like Athens (Greece), Barcelona (Spain), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary, Copenhagen (Denmark), Lisbon (Portugal), Liverpool (United Kingdom) and Villeurbanne (France). Further information on this project can be found at:
http://www.coe.int/T/E/Cultural_Co-operation/culture/Completed_projects/Neighbourhoods/_Summary.asp#TopOfPage

⁶ Culture and UNESCO : www.unesco.org/culture/pluralism/neighbourhood/html_emg/index_en.shtml

⁷ ibid

⁸ Culture and UNESCO: www.unesco.org/culture/pluralism/neighbourhood/html_emg/index_en.shtml

⁹ UNDP, Human Development Report, "Cultural Liberty in Today's Diverse World": http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2004/

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