Fostering
Cultural Diversity and Development:
Local, National and Global Strategies
Third
Annual Conference of the
International
Network for Cultural Diversity
Cape
Town, South Africa
October
11, 12, 13 2002
Artists,
activists and cultural organizations from around the world will meet this year
in Cape Town, South Africa for the Third Annual Conference of the INCD, Oct
11-13 to continue building the international NGO network. We will discuss
strategies to foster cultural diversity in and among nations and analyse the
effects of programs that link culture and development.
Global
strategies:
For the past two years, the INCD has been discussing the creation of a new
international Convention on Cultural Diversity; this year marks the next step
towards its realization. The draft Convention, released in the spring of 2002,
will serve for discussion within the INCD membership. At the Cape Town meeting,
delegates will fine-tune and adopt the draft Convention – which will then be
presented as the INCD’s contribution to the global dialogue among culture
ministers, UNESCO and other agencies and institutions. This Convention will
spearhead the international movement to provide a legal foundation for
measures that promote and protect cultural diversity.
National and local strategies: In South Africa, the INCD will begin to examine how cultural diversity interacts with culture and development. Some questions to be examined include:
·
How
do we ensure that cultural diversity is not negatively impacted by development
projects?
·
How
can we ensure that development projects fully respect and collaborate with
local cultures through enlistment of their views and aspirations, leadership
and organizations?
·
What
can be done to enhance the capacities of the cultural industries in the
developing world?
·
How
can diversity of artistic statement within nations be supported?
The
Cape Town meeting will feature a “working group” approach during the three
days to allow for a diversity of voices from the podium and the floor.
The
conference will take place October 11-13, 2002, preceding the meeting of
culture ministers organized in the International Network on Cultural Policy.
Delegates from both networks will take part in a working session to discuss
the convention and other matters of common concern. This continuing dialogue
is a rare and valuable opportunity for collaboration between government and
civil society.
We
hope you will join us in South Africa for this historic meeting.
For
information on the meeting and to become a member, please contact:
INCD,
804-130 Albert St, Ottawa, ON Canada, Tel: (613)238-3561; fax: (613)238-4849
Email:
incd@ccarts.ca;
web: www.incd.net