Every year, the European Union chooses a theme for a campaign aimed at raising public awareness on a specific issue making the headlines. This year's theme is intercultural dialogue and is building on the work carried out last year, which was the European Year of Equal Opportunities for All.
The EU's enlargement has fostered the importance of intercultural dialogue between countries where each and every one can learn from each other's diverse culture, building bridges that will ensure greater unity and mutual understanding.
Intercultural dialogue is a 21st century reality that has been further reinforced by migration and globalisation. The Maltese islands stand on the threshold of a new era in intercultural relations due to their geographical positioning and timely history of being a melting pot of various cultures.
When quizzed about the project Toni Attard, Malta's national coordinator for the year, said: "Malta's project for intercultural dialogue entitled Five will focus on the five senses - hearing, touch, taste, sight and smell. This will be a great opportunity for the Maltese to integrate with foreigners from diverse cultures residing here to collaborate on a number of creative projects through the five senses".
Mr Attard does not mince words. "How much do we really know about the foreigners living in Malta? The more we share, the more we know. It is by seeing, speaking, tasting food, touching the texture of one's skin that we form our perception and eliminate any mental barriers or thoughts of prejudice".
The message is crystal clear: This intercultural dialogue project encourages a better understanding and celebrates the inherent beauty of cultural and ethnic diversity of not only Europe but the world through strong initiatives that promote mutual global understanding, respect for diversity, human dignity and integration.
The project involves workshops and activities to be held at St James Cavalier and all around Malta. Atelier - a consultancy for cultural projects, which is made up of Natasha Borg and Sara Falconi, is coordinating the project. I asked Ms Borg and Ms Falconi how the project was conceived. "It was conceived within Atelier's team, responding to a call for creative proposals based on the five senses. In this project the five senses become the common thread that unifies people's experiences that will help us understand better our complex multicultural environment and its contribution to enriching our lives."
"Intercultural dialogue is the only engaging key to understand our society and build a better future for all," added Ms Borg.
The sight action project stems from the common notion embedded in each and every individual that his/her perceptions of the world are formed by what is seen, and plays an important role in what they experience be it past, present or future. This holistic approach may sound simple; however, it is very profound as throughout the different eras it has spurred social mobility among people from different countries, enabling them to capture mental experiences.
The sight action will unfold through a series of photography workshops followed by an exhibition. Foreign and local participants in the project will be guided to take photos based on how they picture Maltese culture, thus spawning an exchange of ideas and dialogue as to how one views Maltese life with its traditions and modernity.
Patrick Fenech, who is leading this activity, said: "I have always been interested in other cultures since my schooldays. I remember at St Aloysius I used to spend hours gazing at this large display unit made of dark mahogany/glass, in which were displayed artifacts and animals from India. Just like Columbus did on the shores of the Atlantic, I was fascinated by their origins and differences."
"Nowadays, putting the exotic aspect to one side, people from all nations live and do the same things and this is what I would like to achieve as an end result with the photographic exhibition that will be presented in a homogenous display, a sort of photographic tapestry if you wish; a carpet of interwoven images of various cultures living together," he added.
Through the sense of touch people are able to forge a physical link and explore people's diverse surroundings vis-Ã -vis the habitat in which they live. Art and crafts reflect the cultural and social values of different ethnicities.
Kooperativa Kummerc Gust is involved in the sense of touch. It will be coordinating four visits of foreign artisans to Malta, where they will be twinned with local skilled workers who use the same kind of skill for sculpture, embroidery and jewellery making, then display it on their market stalls.
Asked why KKG is participating in this project, Nathalie Grima said: "Intercultural dialogue is a priority for our organisation; through our work in fair trade, we meet different cultures with a special focus on the trade of handicrafts and food. In this day and age it is inevitable; we must imperatively understand the different cultures that surround us, especially those of the south Mediterranean and the Middle East region".
"Through the interactive workshops that will be held during these events, we hope to achieve a good technical exchange on the skills involved and that the Maltese will be able to better understand fair trade and appreciate more the fact that every culture, be it European or other, be it of any race or creed, has a lot of potential to share with us and this can only help to enrich our own culture."
The taste and smell action will focus on the blend of flavours and scents that are found in our local food dishes which are a direct result of the fusion of different cultures that have had a tremendous influence on the island.
Kevin Borda from Fondazzjoni Arkeo said: "Our contribution is to provide useful and interesting information on the origins and significance of traditional food surrounding festivities. The aim is to show the similarities in the different cultures and raise awareness on the fact that even if different countries have different cultures, we can find common grounds from which to embark on an intercultural dialogue".
Music can also be seen as a true expression of intercultural dialogue. It is first and foremost an art form; it stimulates thoughts and discussions on specific themes, evokes thoughts on other cultures and their means of expression. Music expresses multicultural diversity through the different instruments used by people from around the world.
The hearing/listening action project will involve storytelling through music and sound. While there will be tales aimed at children, adults can join in too. "We have created a series of concerts called Ted Goes Round the World, which blend music and the somewhat lost tradition of aural narration of storytelling whereby children and adults will be introduced to the legends and stories of other cultures, as well as to the traditional instruments of these countries," Sara Spiteri, who heads the project, said.
"This will be an interactive performance where children join in the music making."
The musicians originate from countries like China, India and Tunisia and will perform in their traditional costumes.
Through the ensemble of these elements coupled with stories, myths and legends, again pertaining to the individual country, the audience will get a glimpse of the diversity and the similarities between the different cultures.
Undoubtedly, these projects will be a fun way of exploring our diversity, through music, food and art and above all to nurture the knowledge that one's life does not begin and end in the same country.
It is also an opportunity for people from different cultures to come together as these are indeed challenging times. Every day we hear about death and destruction due to different cultures growing more and more intolerant of each other. Malta is no exception, so it is vital that each and every one of us takes a step back and begins to listen and learn about cultures, to maintain an open mind and be willing to make the change to enable mankind to live in peace and harmony together.
The EU's enlargement has fostered the importance of intercultural dialogue between countries where each and every one can learn from each other's diverse culture, building bridges that will ensure greater unity and mutual understanding.
Intercultural dialogue is a 21st century reality that has been further reinforced by migration and globalisation. The Maltese islands stand on the threshold of a new era in intercultural relations due to their geographical positioning and timely history of being a melting pot of various cultures.
When quizzed about the project Toni Attard, Malta's national coordinator for the year, said: "Malta's project for intercultural dialogue entitled Five will focus on the five senses - hearing, touch, taste, sight and smell. This will be a great opportunity for the Maltese to integrate with foreigners from diverse cultures residing here to collaborate on a number of creative projects through the five senses".
Mr Attard does not mince words. "How much do we really know about the foreigners living in Malta? The more we share, the more we know. It is by seeing, speaking, tasting food, touching the texture of one's skin that we form our perception and eliminate any mental barriers or thoughts of prejudice".
The message is crystal clear: This intercultural dialogue project encourages a better understanding and celebrates the inherent beauty of cultural and ethnic diversity of not only Europe but the world through strong initiatives that promote mutual global understanding, respect for diversity, human dignity and integration.
The project involves workshops and activities to be held at St James Cavalier and all around Malta. Atelier - a consultancy for cultural projects, which is made up of Natasha Borg and Sara Falconi, is coordinating the project. I asked Ms Borg and Ms Falconi how the project was conceived. "It was conceived within Atelier's team, responding to a call for creative proposals based on the five senses. In this project the five senses become the common thread that unifies people's experiences that will help us understand better our complex multicultural environment and its contribution to enriching our lives."
"Intercultural dialogue is the only engaging key to understand our society and build a better future for all," added Ms Borg.
The sight action project stems from the common notion embedded in each and every individual that his/her perceptions of the world are formed by what is seen, and plays an important role in what they experience be it past, present or future. This holistic approach may sound simple; however, it is very profound as throughout the different eras it has spurred social mobility among people from different countries, enabling them to capture mental experiences.
The sight action will unfold through a series of photography workshops followed by an exhibition. Foreign and local participants in the project will be guided to take photos based on how they picture Maltese culture, thus spawning an exchange of ideas and dialogue as to how one views Maltese life with its traditions and modernity.
Patrick Fenech, who is leading this activity, said: "I have always been interested in other cultures since my schooldays. I remember at St Aloysius I used to spend hours gazing at this large display unit made of dark mahogany/glass, in which were displayed artifacts and animals from India. Just like Columbus did on the shores of the Atlantic, I was fascinated by their origins and differences."
"Nowadays, putting the exotic aspect to one side, people from all nations live and do the same things and this is what I would like to achieve as an end result with the photographic exhibition that will be presented in a homogenous display, a sort of photographic tapestry if you wish; a carpet of interwoven images of various cultures living together," he added.
Through the sense of touch people are able to forge a physical link and explore people's diverse surroundings vis-Ã -vis the habitat in which they live. Art and crafts reflect the cultural and social values of different ethnicities.
Kooperativa Kummerc Gust is involved in the sense of touch. It will be coordinating four visits of foreign artisans to Malta, where they will be twinned with local skilled workers who use the same kind of skill for sculpture, embroidery and jewellery making, then display it on their market stalls.
Asked why KKG is participating in this project, Nathalie Grima said: "Intercultural dialogue is a priority for our organisation; through our work in fair trade, we meet different cultures with a special focus on the trade of handicrafts and food. In this day and age it is inevitable; we must imperatively understand the different cultures that surround us, especially those of the south Mediterranean and the Middle East region".
"Through the interactive workshops that will be held during these events, we hope to achieve a good technical exchange on the skills involved and that the Maltese will be able to better understand fair trade and appreciate more the fact that every culture, be it European or other, be it of any race or creed, has a lot of potential to share with us and this can only help to enrich our own culture."
The taste and smell action will focus on the blend of flavours and scents that are found in our local food dishes which are a direct result of the fusion of different cultures that have had a tremendous influence on the island.
Kevin Borda from Fondazzjoni Arkeo said: "Our contribution is to provide useful and interesting information on the origins and significance of traditional food surrounding festivities. The aim is to show the similarities in the different cultures and raise awareness on the fact that even if different countries have different cultures, we can find common grounds from which to embark on an intercultural dialogue".
Music can also be seen as a true expression of intercultural dialogue. It is first and foremost an art form; it stimulates thoughts and discussions on specific themes, evokes thoughts on other cultures and their means of expression. Music expresses multicultural diversity through the different instruments used by people from around the world.
The hearing/listening action project will involve storytelling through music and sound. While there will be tales aimed at children, adults can join in too. "We have created a series of concerts called Ted Goes Round the World, which blend music and the somewhat lost tradition of aural narration of storytelling whereby children and adults will be introduced to the legends and stories of other cultures, as well as to the traditional instruments of these countries," Sara Spiteri, who heads the project, said.
"This will be an interactive performance where children join in the music making."
The musicians originate from countries like China, India and Tunisia and will perform in their traditional costumes.
Through the ensemble of these elements coupled with stories, myths and legends, again pertaining to the individual country, the audience will get a glimpse of the diversity and the similarities between the different cultures.
Undoubtedly, these projects will be a fun way of exploring our diversity, through music, food and art and above all to nurture the knowledge that one's life does not begin and end in the same country.
It is also an opportunity for people from different cultures to come together as these are indeed challenging times. Every day we hear about death and destruction due to different cultures growing more and more intolerant of each other. Malta is no exception, so it is vital that each and every one of us takes a step back and begins to listen and learn about cultures, to maintain an open mind and be willing to make the change to enable mankind to live in peace and harmony together.