Category: Culture

Under the theme “Sustainability of Cultural Action in the Face of Crises (Covid-19)”, the Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of ICESCO Member States kicked off today with the participation of 50 countries and 22 international organizations to explore the future of culture and its relation with tourism and sports.

Ms. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the State of the United Arab Emirates, President of the Conference, initiated the opening session thanking ICESCO, its Director-General and his assisting team for the organization of the Conference in these trying circumstances that gravely affected all cultural activities. She also stressed the importance of future cultural action and the necessity to use AI applications to this effect.

Then, Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), took the floor and called for a response by the OIC and its organs to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this vein, he lauded ICESCO’s outstanding efforts to support its Member States to overcome the impacts of this pandemic.

In her address read out by the Assistant UNESCO Director-General for Culture, Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO Director-General pointed to ICESCO’s efforts in addressing the repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic; lauded its considerable action to support Member States overcome the consequences of the pandemic; and, underscored the crucial role that could be carried out by ICESCO to support digital transition efforts.

For his part, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, reaffirmed in his address that digital culture, being the new face of future cultural action, needs to be adopted as a stable cultural methodology to ensure sustainable cultural action; develop cultural tourism and empower sports culture through the use of AI applications in cultural activities; and, engaging creative people in this process.

He also underlined that the transformations unfolding in the world today at all levels compel the Member States to lead the new cultural movement and confidently forge ahead, making use of foresight abilities to build a brighter future and safer societies for future generations. Besides, ICESCO Director-General stated that distance cultural programmes during the lockdown has immensely contributed to alleviating psychological and social pressure, and helped mitigate the impact of the closure of more than 95% of cultural institutions while commending the pioneering initiatives launched by ICESCO during these extraordinary circumstances.

At the close of the session, participants watched a video clip on the prizes earmarked by ICESCO to encourage artistic and literary creativity among the youth and rising generations.

At the keynote speakers’ session, Dr. Talal Abu-Gazaleh, Founder and President of Talal Abu-Gazaleh Global, delivered an address where he emphasized the importance of culture and personal skills development while pointing to the increasing demand for online learning as being the future method of education. “The world no longer needs mega infrastructures but requires a conducive environment for the evolution of sciences. If we truly want to reform our education system, we should do so based on a digital revolution to contribute to the building of the world of tomorrow and make our region the beacon for the entire globe”, he concluded.

In his address, Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), stated that tourism has formed part of human rights and that the current crisis can be an opportunity for the advancement of tourism and culture. He also called for a second exploration of our history and values, while calling on countries to seize this opportunity to focus on tourism and link it to culture as travel helps people open up to each other and tourism leads to the promotion of culture.

Consequently, Mr. Webber Ndoro, Director General of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), said that ICCROM had already cooperated with ICESCO in the field of heritage preservation and conservation, hoping that this cooperation would continue to grow in line with the UN SDGs. Moreover, he pointed out that the Center launched a call for supporting Member States in their preservation and conservation of heritage efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the African continent, which is in desperate need of such support in these hard times.

At the end of the session, the participants watched a short film on “ICESCO Portal for Islamic World Heritage,” established by ICESCO, out of its awareness that about 80% of cultural heritage in the Islamic world is in danger. Through this portal, heritage sites and elements of intangible cultural heritage will be inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL).

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Egypt-Japan University will co-organize an e-training session on “the manuscript’s arts, science and heritage in the Islamic world” for the benefit of manuscript specialists in the Arab region, on 18-19 June 2020.

The session, which starts at 09:00 GMT (10:00 – Rabat local time, 11:00 Cairo local time); aims at shedding light on the tangible and intangible heritage of manuscripts in Egypt and the Islamic world, and exploring manuscript heritage from technical and scientific perspectives through lectures, discussions, workshops and presentations.

This training is an opportunity for the participants to discover the components of manuscripts, the methods of their production and the related professions. They will also learn key information on the types of paper and ink used in manuscripts, including the sources and techniques of black and red ink in light of the Coptic and Islamic manuscripts and based on the historical manuscripts and sources and the scientific studies.

This e-training features applications on the techniques used in producing “Shiraz” in the Coptic and Islamic manuscripts, a workshop on the Ottoman script variations, and ways to preserve, conserve and restore manuscripts and benefit from the scientific techniques used the scientific and spectral imaging of manuscripts.

Interested audience is invited to fill out the participation form available through the link below:
https://webinar.ejust.edu.eg/webinar/Art-Science-and-Heritage-of-Manuscripts

The link to access the live stream of the training session will be sent to the participants after registration.

The Extraordinary Virtual Conference of Culture Ministers of ICESCO Member States will explore a wide range of topics and issues. Due to be held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) on 17 June 2020, the Conference will discuss the future of digital culture, tourism culture, the relationship between sports and culture, the challenges to sustainable cultural action in the face of crises (COVID-19) and the inscription of historic sites on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL).

The Conference will bring together a broad audience of culture and heritage ministers of several Member States. They confirmed their participation, given the immediate impact of the issues under discussion on cultural action and sustainable development. The Conference will also feature many regional and international organizations operating in the field of culture, tourism and sports, namely the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The Conference will kick off at 09.00 (GMT), 10.00 (Rabat local time), under the presidency of the State of the United Arab Emirates. The opening session will feature the addresses of Ms. Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development of the United Arab Emirates, President of the Conference; Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC); Mr. Miguel Ángel Moratinos, United Nations High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC); and Mr.

Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture, on behalf of UNESCO Director-General. Following the address by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, an introductory video about the “Distance Culture” initiative, which forms part of “ICESCO Digital Home.” It will be presented to announce the Organization’s contributions and awards, which enriched the culture sector during the COVID-19 crisis and supported the efforts of the international community in addressing its ensuing repercussions on the educational, scientific and cultural fields.

At the session dedicated to keynote speakers, Mr. Webber Ndoro, Director General of the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), will discuss the importance of preserving and maintaining heritage sites during crises. At the same time, Dr. Taleb Rifai, former Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will explore the new trends in cultural tourism and their importance in achieving sustainable development. Moreover, a video will be displayed on the Portal for Heritage Protection, which ICESCO launched to inscribe, manage and preserve sites inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL).

So far, ICESCO has inscribed 140 sites and will continue inscribing heritage and historical sites in the Islamic world, in cooperation with the Member States following strict criteria.

At the first session dedicated to “Cultural challenges in times of crises (COVID- 19)”, the floor will be given to several ministers in the Member States. Speaking at the second session, “Culture in post-Covid-19 period” are the representatives of ICESCO and many ministers from the Member States.
The third session will cover the issue of “New Trends in Cultural Tourism,” which receives great attention from ICESCO as cultural tourism is one of the primary sources of national income of many Member States.

At the fourth session on “ICESCO Digital Cultural Strategic Project,” the Organization’s representative will review the main aspects of the project, which lies at the core of ICESCO’s interests, to anticipate the future and meet its requirements in education, culture, and science.

The Conference will close with an open forum where Member States’ Ministers of Culture and the heads of regional and international organizations will give presentations. At the closing session, the participants will adopt the conference declaration, and Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director-General, will deliver the closing address.

Convened by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC) held its 2nd Extraordinary Meeting via videoconferencing, to examine ways to protect and conserve heritage in the Islamic world, and train workers in this field amid the spread of Covid-19. The crisis has affected several vital sectors, most notably the cultural institutions, which have been closed to the public, particularly heritage sites and tourism destinations.

At the outset, the Committee considered the items placed on the agenda and hailed the initiative of holding its meeting via videoconferencing. It also called for adopting this mechanism whenever necessary and incorporating it in the Internal Regulations of IWHC and considered the challenges relevant to the management of heritage sites and museums during and after Covid-19 crisis as well as matters pertaining to the intangible heritage and the implementation of the relevant resolutions of the Conference of Culture Ministers in the Islamic World.

Besides, the Committee welcomed the establishment of the Islamic World Heritage Center and adopted its Organizational Chart while taking into account the remarks of its members and reaffirmed its commitment to support the Center’s activities, programmes and projects.

The Committee also recommended the adoption of the amended nomination form for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Islamic World Heritage List. It will take into account the remarks of its members, called upon the Secretariat of the Committee, to circulate the form to all Member States to prepare the files of the intangible heritage elements nominated for inscription on the Islamic World Heritage List.

Moreover, the Committee praised ICESCO’s swift adoption of the management of cultural activities through its website during Covid-19 crisis and the provision of distance training videos in the fields of tangible and intangible heritage. It also included the management of heritage sites and museums; and called for sustaining and promoting these efforts through the preparation of the strategic digital cultural project for heritage documentation and the establishment of the heritage platform in the Islamic world and virtual museums, as well as taking the necessary technical measures to design a digital portal for inscribing the heritage sites on the Islamic World Heritage List.

The Committee also called upon the Islamic World Heritage Center to prepare a guide on how to protect from destruction and sabotage heritage sites amid crises, disasters, and armed conflicts. Also, to complement this effort by establishing cooperation with UNESCO World Heritage Center through coordination with the ICESCO Member States representatives in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This move will serve the objectives of the IWHC and support the action of the regional and international organizations, bodies, and centers operating in the field of preserving heritage and monuments.

In addition, the Committee called upon the Secretariat of the Islamic World Heritage List to launch an awareness-raising campaign on ICESCO website and social media for the benefit of local communities, particularly youth, to highlight the importance of heritage in promoting the cultural and civilizational identity of nations and peoples, and the socio-economic development.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) will take part at the first Edition of Old Salé Prize for Handicraft and Traditional Creations, in the Kingdom of Morocco, awarded by Bouregreg Association to excellent creators of traditional handicraft products.

In this regard, ICESCO granted a financial support to the Prize’s current edition, being held in cooperation with the Chamber of Crafts of the Region of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Rabat Memory Association in Salé, and the National Association for the Conservation of Heritage and Handicrafts.

The Prize will be awarded on 28 February 2020 at Riwaq Bab Fez, Salé, to a number of skillful artisans in recognition of their efforts to upgrade and promote the tangible heritage of the old city of Salé.

ICESCO will be represented in this ceremony by Mr. Mustapha Eid, Expert at the Directorate of Culture and Communication.

The delegation of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) concluded its visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan with a series of meetings with officials from the Uzbek Ministry of Culture, as part of the preparations for the celebration of Bukhara as the Asian region’s Islamic World Capital of Culture for 2020.

At the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Tashkent, ICESCO delegation, composed of Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to the General Director, and Mr. Bilal Chebbi, Programme Specialist at the Directorate of Culture, met with Mr. Ozodbek Nazarbekov, Minister of Culture of Uzbekistan, and a number of the Ministry officials, and together they discussed the outcomes of the meetings of ICESCO delegation and its visits to the cities of Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand; and agreed upon the minutes of the coordination meetings.

Afterwards, ICESCO delegation met with Mr. Rustam Kasimov, Advisor to the President and President of the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. The delegation also met with the Director of ICESCO Chair for Islamic Civilization, Dr. Doran Maksudov, and the teaching staff (38 teachers), who are teaching 500 students within the framework of the Chair. The two parties reviewed the activities of the Chair and its contribution to the celebration of Bukhara; and the delegation took stock of the Chair’s needs in terms of providing grants and hiring a professor of Arabic language and a professor of Sharia sciences.

Following its meetings at the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture and in the presence of officials in the Ministry, ICESCO delegation along with the Deputy Minister held a press conference wherein the delegation presented ICESCO’s conception of the celebration as part of the Organization’s new vision.

As part of the arrangements for the celebration of Bukhara as the Asian region’s Islamic World Capital of Culture for 2020, the delegation of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) continued its visit to Uzbekistan. Today, they toured Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center (IBISRC) and the Madrasah (Sharia school) of Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s second largest city.

The delegation of Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to the Director General, and Bilel Chebbi, Programme Specialist at the Culture Directorate, discussed with the IBISRC Director the establishment of “ICESCO Regional Center for Manuscripts” to operate under the umbrella of IBISRC. Through training sessions, the future Center will allow IBISRC to build capacities in the conservation of rare manuscripts in the region as it is home to a large number of such heritage documents.  

The delegation also visited the mill of manuscript paper where the manual method is still in use today. Officials at the mill said that the handmade paper is eye-friendly and maintains a life-span of 2000 years against maximum 100 years for industrial paper.

The officials of the Uzbek Ministry of Culture and the delegation agreed to inscribe the know-how and skills of the production of the Samarkand paper on the List of Intangible Heritage in the Islamic World.

A delegation from the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) composed of Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture, Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to Director General, and Mr. Bilel Chebbi, Programme Specialist at the Directorate of Culture, in Tashkent, held a coordination meeting with officials from the Uzbek Ministry of Culture on the celebration of Bukhara as the Asian region’s Capital of Islamic Culture for 2020.

The meeting centered on the arrangements to be made to implement the programmes of the celebration. In this regard, the Uzbek officials invited Dr.Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, to visit Uzbekistan and attend the official launch of its ceremony. They also lauded the new start ushered in by ICESCO just after the adoption by the 40^th session of Executive Council (Abu Dhabi, UAE, 29-30 January 2020) of the Organization’s New Strategic Vision and expressed their country’s willingness to contribute to the Development Waqf Fund launched to ensure sustainable funding of programmes and projects.

In addition, the two parties agreed to establish a global forum on Islamic civilization in Bukhara, Tashkent, and Samarkand, and invite several culture ministers and intellectual and cultural figures from the Islamic and beyond to attend the launch of the Celebration. They also suggested to set up a ICESCO Chair on Imam Al Bukhari at the University of al-Qarawiyyin to be funded by Uzbekistan.

In another vein, the meeting focused on the inscription of many heritage sites and elements of tangible and intangible heritage in Uzbekistan on the Islamic World Heritage List (IWHL) and examine the organization of an international conference on the role of translation in bringing cultures together and a training workshop in Uzbekistan for the staff working in the field of heritage.

Next, ICESCO delegation visited the  construction site of the Center of Islamic Civilization and, at the request of the Center’s director, provided some suggestions relevant to the design of the exhbition space of the the manuscript of Uthman Quran and the exhibition galleries of purchased artifacts and the history of Islamic civilization. The Center will be inaugurated at the close of the Celeberation.