Arab culture in the spotlight

Institute hosts international forum ‘Renewal of the Arab world’ to address longstanding prejudices against the region.

In the wake of the deadly attacks on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris, the Arab World Institute in Paris faces the daunting challenge of addressing longstanding prejudices, reported Al-Arabiya News. The institute, whose mission is to create awareness about the Arab region and its culture, has tried to bring several Arab personalities together in order to reduce the backlash of the attack.

“After the attack, the role of the Arab World Institute became even more important as it has a mission to prevent” common misperceptions about Muslims, said Jack Lang, former minister of culture and president of the Arab World Institute. “We have to help people broaden their horizons and push them to stop being prejudiced about this part of the world, mainly through Arab classes, representations, exhibitions and artistic shows,” he added.

In January, France witnessed one of its deadliest attacks, where two gunmen stormed the office of the publication, killing 12 people. Lang, who had been appointed as president of the institute two years ago, noted that a recent visit by French president Francois Hollande had helped project the institute’s “respect of all religions.”

Hollande was attending the opening of the Arab World Institute’s international forum titled ‘Renewal of the Arab World’. “During his visit, Hollande highlighted the importance of respect between all cultures and religions, especially the Muslim religion, which is also what we promote,” Lang said. He added, “Through the event, we wanted to shed light on the positive changes that are happening in several Arab countries and give a lively and real view of the Arab world.”

The forum served as a platform for personalities from 21 Arab countries to meet and greet. They discussed six key topics, including entrepreneurship, education, the voice of women and culture. Lang mentioned that the institute, which was founded by France and members of the League of Arab States in 1980, will remain a non-political institute.

Besides politics, some countries have been left out of the institute, with a few war-ridden countries facing difficulty cooperating with the organisation. “Unfortunately, since the beginning of the war, Syria has not been well-represented at the institute,” Lang commented, adding, “Syria is a country of great culture.” Other countries, such as Morocco and Egypt hold an important place at the Arab World Institute. In fact, a recent Moroccan exhibition titled ‘The contemporary Morocco’ saw the highest number of visitors ever registered at the institute.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th,  2015.

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