The Islamic
World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in
the coordination meeting with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Egyptian
National Commission for Education, Science and Culture as part of celebrating Cairo
as Islamic World Capital of Culture for 2020 for the Arab region, on 2-3
February 2020 as part of the preparation for this event.
During the
meeting, ICESCO coordinated with the relevant Egyptian authorities to prepare
the programme of the celebration and discuss on the activities and events to be
organized jointly with the Arab Republic of Egypt throughout this year. The two
parties also agreed to launch the official ceremony of the celebration on 5
April 2020, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director
General.
On 03
February at the Cairo International Book Fair, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture
held a press conference to announce the broad lines of the celebration. In this
regard, Dr. Inas Abdel-Dayem, Egyptian Minister of Culture, and Mr. Najib
Rhiati, Director of Culture at ICESCO, announced the launch of the event soon
after the close of the 40th ICESCO Executive Council which adopted
several amendments necessary for the implementation of the Organization’s new
strategic vision, including the new modified name of “Islamic World
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”.
The
celebration marks the actual begining of the strategic shift in ICESCO’s vision
since Cairo is the embodiment of this new vision given its long history of
coexistence and tolerance between religions, cultures and ethnicities.
ICESCO was
represented in the meeting by Mr. Najib Rhiati, Director of Culture; Abdelilah
Benarafa, Cultural Advisor to Director General; and Dr. Osama Elnahas,
Programme Specialist.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director
General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO), stressed that the crisis of the profession of press is not only limited
to the ethical aspect and the societal issues, this profession also suffers,
due to the new technological transformations, from a vocational vulnerability
that negatively affects the work of journalists and necessitates the restructuring
of its working systems.
This statement was part of his
address at the third gathering of ISESCO Cultural Forum, yesterday evening, at
ISESCO headquarters, under the theme ‘Future of Information: from paper to
digital press’.
Dr. AlMalik added that “the
responsible press reflects the freedom of expression. It has always had the
respect of the public opinion. However, many transformations have marred this
trust. In the society of knowledge, communication and impressive digital
transformations, information become in the heart of all the strategies.
Journalists, press institutions and the funding parties become subject to wide
criticism and there is much talk about the manipulation of public opinion by
some media outlets, which consequently influenced the moral authority of press.”
Dr. AlMalik also stated that the
technological developments deeply affected the profession of press as the
modern technological means radically impacted the sources of information and
the relationship of journalists with readers. “Now, any human being can serve
as an editor-in-chief of a personal blog, or even a special correspondent of
newscasts. Thus, it is indispensable to redraw the borders of this profession
and the types of engagements it requires with readers,” he stressed.
Besides, ISESCO Director General highlighted
that the traditional model of press cannot keep up with the digital
developments in this profession because the social media, current priorities
and the speed of the news flow immensely affected this model. “Press is a noble
intellectual profession which requires hardworking, rigor, transparency,
culture, time, and assisting means likely to contribute to the edification of
the society of citizenship and democracy. It also contributes to the
construction of the collective memory,” Dr. AlMalik stressed.
At the close of his address, Dr.
AlMalik asked many questions: Is the press still shaping the public opinion amid
the new transformations? Does the press really contribute to sharing the true
information and enlightening minds? Will the responsible press and the
professional media stand before the accelerating digital developments that have
allowed wrong hands to manipulate texts and images and disseminate fake news? He
added that “Mr. Khalid AlMalik, Saudi Editor-in-Chief of the Saudi Newspaper Al
Jazirah, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi Journalists
Association, and President of the Gulf Press Union; and the Moroccan renowned
writer and journalist, Mr. Mohammed Seddik Maaninou, who served in many
positions and was Director of the National Television, will surely answer these
questions.” He thanked them for their participation at ISESCO Cultural Forum.
Is traditional media dead, and how
can paper press survive in the digital era? This question will be tackled at
the 3rd gathering of ISESCO Cultural Forum, which was launched by
the General Directorate of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO), and hosts intellectuals from inside and outside the
Islamic world to discuss major intellectual and cultural issues. ISESCO
published a series of booklets on the previous gatherings. The 3rd
gathering, due to be held on 21 January 2020 at 18:00, at ISESCO headquarters
in Rabat, will discuss the theme “Future of Information: From paper to digital
press”.
The forum hosts three renowned media
figures in the Arab world, namely Mr. Khalid Al-Malik, Editor-in-Chief of the
Saudi Newspaper Al Jazirah, Chairman of the Board of Directors of
the Saudi Journalists Association, and President of the Gulf Press Union; Mr.
Alaa Thabet, journalist and Editor-in-Chief of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram;
and Mr. Mohammed Seddik Maaninou, renowned Moroccan writer and journalist, who
served in many positions, including former director of the National Television,
and former general secretary of the Ministry of Communication.
The gathering will discuss the
various aspects of this issue, including the environmental dimensions as
journalism has been related, since its emergence, to paper and still maintains
this relationship in spite of the competition with the radio and television. However,
deforestation and the exacerbation of environmental problems as well as the
transformations induced by the digital revolution have immensely reshaped the
relationship of press with paper, changed media practice, and influenced the
development of journalism.
Among the salient manifestations of
this development is the renewal of media practice, the reorganization of the editorial
boards in media institutions, the development of the new media activities and
professions, and the new competencies required in this field. Besides, the
areas of press have expanded to cover new sectors. New types of press also
appeared as part of the opportunities offered by the technological development.
The emergence of social media
networks such as Twitter and Facebook had a clear impact on press and
information. These networks have become among the working mechanisms of
journalists taking into account their impacts likely to threaten the
profession’s ethics.
It is worth mentioning that the first
and second gatherings of ISESCO Cultural Forum had a great media coverage both
inside the Seat Country and abroad. They were attended by a large and diverse
audience, including intellectuals, politicians, media professionals, civil
society organizations, professors, researchers and students. The invitation is
open to anyone interested to attend.
The Islamic
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) managed to exceed
the target for 2019 to inscribe heritage sites on the Islamic World
Heritage List (IWHL). 132 sites were inscribed throughout the three phase of
inscription process: the final list (64 sites); the tentative list (65 sites)
and the list of endangered heritage (3 sites). These lists were adopted by the
Islamic World Heritage Committee at its Extraordinary Meeting, held at ISESCO
headquarters in Rabat, on 2-3 December 2019.
In his
address at the opening session of the 11th Islamic Conference of
Culture Ministers, hosted by Tunis on 17 December 2019, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik,
ISESCO Director General, announced that ISESCO had managed to exceed the
targeted number of sites set for inscription by the end of 2019.
ISESCO
Director General called on culture ministers and competent authorities in
Member States to continue submitting the technical files of all the tangible,
intangible, natural and industrial sites in their respective countries for
inscription of the IWHL.
Below is the
full list of the sites inscribed on the IWHL:
The Islamic Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) adopted the inscription of Rabat, capital of
the Kingdom of Morocco; Tunis, Kairouan and Mahdia, the Republic of Tunisia; the
historical region of Cairo in the capital of Egypt; and Kasbah region in
Algiers, Republic of Algeria; as well as Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman, on the Islamic
World Heritage List.
This adoption was on the Final Report
of the 11th Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers, held in Tunis
on 17-18 December 2019 under the theme “Toward the Development of Current
Cultural Policies in the Islamic World”, with the participation of 50 countries
and 15 regional and international organizations.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General,
had requested the Ministers of Culture and the competent parties in Member
States to continue the submission of the technical files to inscribe all the
tangible, intangible, natural and industrial heritage sites in their countries
on the Islamic World Heritage List.
In his address at the Conference’s
opening session, Dr. AlMalik stated that ISESCO established a special unit for
the inscription of heritage sites in Muslim countries according to strict
scientific and international standards. ISESCO also signed a cooperation
agreement with UNESCO on the inscription of heritage sites of Member States on
the World Heritage List.
Besides, Dr. AlMalik underlined that
heritage and cultural heritage in many Member States are subject to
disappearance, destruction and looting as the List of World Heritage in Danger
includes 37 sites in Muslim countries out of 54 sites accounting to almost 70%
of the sites in danger.
ISESCO Director General also stressed
the importance of translating the cultural unity and solidarity regarding the
preservation of the Islamic cultural heritage into a programme to be supervised
by ISESCO to jointly inscribe a number of exemplary historical and
civilizational routes (Hajj route, routes of trade caravans, and the routes of
travelers, scholars, students and manuscripts, etc) on the Islamic World
Heritage List while reaffirming that ISESCO adopted this action within its new
vision.
As part of the activation of the initiative
of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) to restore
the house of the polymath Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn Khaldūn in downtown Tunis,
announced by Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, at the closing
ceremony of the Celebration of Tunis as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2019,
ISESCO signed a partnership agreement with the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural
Affairs to initiate the restoration and conservation works of this
architectural monument.
The Agreement, signed in Tunis, provides for the commitment of ISESCO to finance the works of restoration and conservation of the house of Ibn Khaldūn, according to the technical report prepared by the Tunisian National Heritage Institute, whereas The Ministry undertakes to use the funds provided by ISESCO in the works of restoration and conservation of the house of Ibn Khaldūn. The necessary funding shall be settled in three (3) installments, the first of which stands at 30% of the gross amount to be transferred as from the date of the signing of the Agreement.
The Agreement also provides for the
establishment of a joint committee to follow-up to the project, composed of two
representatives of ISESCO, one representative of the Tunisian Ministry of
Cultural Affairs, and one representative of the Agency for Heritage Development
and Cultural Promotion (AMVPPC). The period of implementation of the Agreement
shall be two years as from the date of the signing thereof.
The signing was attended by Dr.
Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Tunisian Minister of Cultural Affairs, and a number of
officials of the Ministry, as well as Mr. Mohamed Ghemari, Director of the
Secretariat of the General Conference, Executive Council and Specialized
Ministerial Conferences, and Dr. Kais Hammami, Director of the Centre of
Strategic Anticipation.
The Agreement was signed for ISESCO
by Dr. Mohamed Hedi Shili, Legal Advisor to the Director General, and for the
Ministry by Mr. Faouzi Mahfoudh, Director General of the National Heritage
Institute.
It is worth mentioning that ISESCO’s initiative
to restore the house of Ibn Khaldūn, announced by Dr. AlMalik in Tunis, was
greatly commended in Member States. This initiative reaffirms ISESCO’s new
vision which keeps up with the digital cultural transformations and calls for
investment in the cultural diplomacy, promotion of the cultural capital, and
exportation of the Islamic enlightening culture to the world.
As part of its new vision and future
strategies, which adopts the protection and conservation of heritage in Muslim
countries, the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(ISESCO) launched an initiative to restore the house of Abd ar-Raḥmān ibn
Khaldūn in downtown Tunis.
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director
General, announced this initiative during his address at the closing ceremony
of the Celebration of Tunis as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2019, held last
Wednesday in the City of Culture, Tunis.
Dr. AlMalik stated that “we face
enormous digital and cultural challenges and transformations that we should
keep up and deal with. We should also invest in the cultural diplomacy, promote
the cultural capital, and export our enlightening culture. The salient example
of this is our intention to restore the house of ibn Khaldūn in Tunis and
ensure the necessary financial resources therefore.”
Dr. AlMalik’s initiative was warmly
applauded by the audience of the ceremony, most notably Dr. Mohamed Zine El
Abidine, Tunisian Minister of Cultural Affairs, and the heads of delegation of
Muslim countries to the 11th Islamic Conference of Culture
Ministers, held in Tunis on 17 December 2019.
Ibn Khaldūn is one of the most famous
philosophers, historians and sociologists in the Arab history. He studied in a school
close to his birthplace in downtown Tunis, where he spent the longest period of
his life. He also lived in Egypt for almost a quarter of a century and died
there in March 1406 at the age of 76. He was buried near Bab al-Nasr cemetery close
to al-Abbassya neighborhood. He left many works and his biography has been the
subject of many studies. His works are used as references in philosophy,
history and art. The book “Muqaddimah” is still his greatest
work.
** AlMalik, Zine El Abidine and a number of figures honored at the City
of Culture in Tunis
** Bamako as the African region’s Capital of Islamic Culture… and
Bukhara for the Asian region
During a
special ceremony held in the City of Culture in Tunis, the Celebration of Tunis
as the Arab region’s Capital of Islamic Culture for 2019 closed with the
proclamation of Cairo as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2020. Bukhara,
Republic of Uzbekistan, will be the Asian region’s Capital of Islamic Culture
for 2020 after Bandar Seri Begawan, Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. As for the
African region, Bamako, Republic of Mali, will be the Capital of Islamic
Culture for 2020 succeeding Bissau, Republic of Guinea-Bissau.
The
ceremony, held yesterday in the wake of the 11th Islamic Conference
of Culture Ministers (ICCM) and attended by the members of the delegations participating
in the Conference, started with an address by Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Tunisian
Minister of Cultural Affairs, wherein he indicated that the Celebration of
Tunis as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2019 was held concurrently with the
40th anniversary of its inscription on UNESCO World Heritage List.
Dr. Zine
El Abidine also thanked ISESCO for its substantial cooperation to make this one-year-long
event successful. “The event was not exclusive to Tunis, but also covered all
the Tunisian cities and regions. It was an exceptional year by all measures”,
he added.
Afterwards,
Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, gave an address wherein he
thanked the Tunisian President, Mr. Kais Saied, for his patronage of the
Conference, and commended the great attention paid by the Tunisian Government
to the programme of the activities implemented as part of the Celebration.
Besides,
Dr. AlMalik highlighted that ISESCO aimed, through the launch of the Programme of
the Capitals of Islamic Culture and the choice of Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 2005
as the first Capital of Islamic Culture to inaugurate this great civilizational
project, to promote joint cultural action and cultural development among states,
achieve civilizational outreach, and export the enlightening Islamic culture.
Dr.
AlMalik also reaffirmed that the Celebration of Tunis as the Capital of Islamic
Culture for 2019 is a recognition of its cultural heritage and civilization
contribution thanks to its cultural and religious monuments and landmarks bearing
witness to its long-standing heritage and the uniqueness of its people and
human heritage.
Afterwards,
the ceremony honored Dr. AlMalik in appreciation of his efforts to ensure the
success of the Conference and the Celebration. Dr. Zine El Abidine presented
him with the Shield of the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Mr.
Mohamed Ghemari, Director of the Secretariat of the General Conference,
Executive Council and Specialized Conferences at ISESCO, was also honored for
his collaboration toward the success of the Conference and received the Shield
of the Ministry.
Besides,
Dr. Zine El Abidine was presented with as shield by Dr. AlMalik. The other
figures honored during this ceremony are Dr. Faisal bin Mohamed Saleh, Sudanese
Minister of Culture, President of the 10th session of the Conference;
Dr. Taïeb Baccouche, Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union; Dr. Hatem
Ben Salem, Minister of Education and Acting Minister of
Higher Education; Mr. Ahmed Adhoum, Tunisian Minister of Religious
Affairs; Mr. Chadli Bouallag, Governor of Tunis; and Dr. Hayat Qatat
Al-Qurmazi, Director of Culture at ALECSO.
Afterwards,
the head of delegations of the countries, whose capitals were celebrated in
2019, passed the torch of Islamic Culture Capitals to their counterparts whose
capitals will be celebrated in 2020. Then, the participants attended a show
presented by the Tunisian Orchestra.
** Extraordinary session in Cairo next year to mark the city’s celebration as Islamic Culture Capital.
The 11th
Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers closed its proceedings today by
adopting, after examination, its final report and resolutions, composing its
Bureau and releasing Tunis Declaration for the Reform of Present Cultural
Policies in the Islamic World.
The Conference
participants accepted the offer made by the Arab Republic of Egypt to host an
extraordinary session in Cairo next year to mark the city’s celebration as the
Arab region’s Islamic Culture Capital for 2020.
The
Conference welcomed the project of the creation of the OIC Platform for the
Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Muslim World as a coordination mechanism
to showcase ISESCO’s efforts as a specialized organization through its
observatory and committee for heritage in the Islamic world; and highlight the
relevant efforts of the Research Centre for Islamic History Art and Culture
(IRCICA).
The
Conference also welcomed Kazakhstan’s initiative to commemorate the 1150th
birthday of the renowned philosopher Al–Farabi and the 2200th
anniversary of the city of Shymkent.
Moreover,
the Conference approved the Final Report of the 17th Meeting of the
Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the Islamic World; ISESCO’s
Report on its Achievements in Cultural Fields between 10th and 11th
sessions of the Conference; the Report of the Islamic World Heritage Committee;
the Guidance Document on Digital Culture: Prospects and Challenges; and the
Practical Proposals on Parallel Funding Sources for Cultural Projects.
Likewise,
the Conference formed its Bureau with Tunisia as a Chair; Burkina Faso, Egypt
and Kazakhstan Vice-Chairs; and the Sudan as Rapporteur. The participants also
elected the members of the Consultative Council for Cultural Development in the
Islamic World for a two-year term as follows: United Arab Emirates, Qatar and
Libya for the Arab region; Brunei Darussalam, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan for
the Asian region; and Cameroon, Uganda and Gabon for the African region.
At the
closing session, the Tunisian Minister of Cultural Affairs, Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, delivered an
address wherein he thanked ISESCO for its efforts to ensure the success of the
Conference and to the participating delegations for their endeavors to issue such
important resolutions.
Then, Dr.
Salim M. AlMalik, ISESCO Director General, read out the participants’ message
of thanks and gratitude to His Excellency Mr. Kaïs Saïed, President of the
Republic of Tunisia, for his patronage to the Conference and support to ISESCO
to fully discharge its missions in its areas of competence.
By the same
token, Dr. AlMalik made an address congratulating the participating delegations
on the success of the Conference and achievement of its objectives thanks to
the concerted efforts made by them and the General Directorate to advance joint
Islamic cultural action, embodied in the resolutions issued.
“Our common
will to upgrade working mechanisms to attain these objectives was clearly
manifested in this session. We have moved from the usual traditional methods to
a new phase of concrete field cultural action to meet the real needs of our
Member States”, he added.
** AlMalik:
development through culture is a priority choice…we should export our Islamic
enlightening culture
** 70% of
the world’s heritage sites in danger are in Islamic countries
Dr. Salim M.
AlMalik, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (ISESCO), called on the ministers of culture and competent parties
in Member States to continue the submission of their technical files for the
inscription of all the tangible, intangible, natural and industrial heritage
sites in their countries on the Islamic World Heritage List.
In his
address at the opening session of the 11th Islamic Conference of
Culture Ministers, kicked off today in Tunis, Dr. AlMalik first expressed his
thanks to His Excellency Mr. Kaïs Saïed, President of the Republic of Tunisia,
for his patronage of the Conference. He also thanked the Tunisian Government,
represented by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs; and Dr. Mohamed Zine El
Abidine, Minister of Cultural Affairs, for his support to hold this conference.
In addition, he stated that ISESCO has set up a special unit to inscribe
heritage sites in Muslim countries according to strict scientific and
international standards and signed a cooperation agreement with UNESCO to
inscribe Member States’ sites on the World Heritage List.
Moreover,
ISESCO Director General warned against the degradation, disappearance,
destruction, and looting of cultural institutions and cultural heritage in a
number of Member States, pointing out that the List of World Heritage in Danger
includes thirty-seven (37) sites in Muslim countries out of fifty-four (54)
sites, accounting to almost 70% of the sites in danger.
“Even though
Member States agreed to create the Islamic World Heritage Committee (IWHC) in
2007, the Committee had a shaky start as only five (5) sites were inscribed.
However, with the new General Directorate, this situation has changed as ISESCO
committed itself to inscribing one hundred (100) sites on the Islamic World
Heritage List before the end of 2019 managed to exceed the said number, praise
be to Allah, through concerted efforts with the IWHC and Member States, we were
able to inscribe 132 sites. We then cheerfully ushered ourselves into the era
of the codification of our cultural and civilizational heritage”, Dr. AlMalik
added.
By the same
token, Dr. AlMalik underscored the need for translating Member States’ cultural
unity and solidarity regarding the preservation of cultural heritage into a
programme to be supervised by ISESCO to jointly inscribe a number of exemplary
historical and civilizational routes (Hajj route, routes of trade caravans, and
the routes of travelers, scholars, students and manuscript, etc.) on the
Islamic World Heritage List. In this regard, he stressed that ISESCO has
adopted this as part of its new vision.
Moreover,
ISESCO Director General reaffirmed that access to development through culture
has today become one of Member States’ strategic priority choices. As such, Dr.
AlMalik underlined that culture should never be considered as a secondary
sector and that cultural diplomacy and capital should be employed in serving
cultural development in Muslim countries, defending their strategic interests,
and exporting Islamic enlightening culture. Likewise, he called for keeping up
with digital changesto promote culture and encourage creativity and
innovation, in order to highlight Muslim societies’ rich cultural diversity, linking
the achievement of this goal to providing new and diverse funding sources for
cultural projects.
At the close
of his address, ISESCO Director General wished every success to the Conference
in reaching tangible outcomes and resolutions likely to achieve cultural
development in the Islamic world.
