The UNESCO Courier - Volume 2022, Issue 3, 2022

In September 2022, Mexico will once again host the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies (MONDIACULT), forty years after the first conference in Mexico City in 1982. The discussions that have taken place over the past four decades have been particularly fruitful and have considerably changed the definition of culture, opening the way for the recognition of living heritage and the diversity of cultural expression. Beyond the profound impact of the health crisis on the cultural sector, the sector risks being threatened by new persistent challenges, from the effects of climate change on heritage to changes in the status of artists and the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural goods. These topics – and many others – will be centre-stage at the 2022 edition of MONDIACULT, which will also be an opportunity to reaffirm the place of culture as a global public good. This issue of the Courier explores the key role played by culture as a vector for resilience, inclusion and sustainability.

A sunny presence in Alfonso Cuarón’s film Roma, which won three Oscars in 2019, Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio is a socially committed woman. A UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples since 2019, she also supports the UN campaign, “I say NO to racism” and contributes to the work of the Mexican Commission for the Defence and Promotion of Human Rights. In parallel, she works to raise funds for schools in her hometown of Tlaxiaco, convinced that education is key to fostering diversity.

The Nigerian film industry produces approximately 2,500 films a year. With its rapid and low-cost production model, Nollywood has become one of the continent’s most prolific cinema industries. Major digital platforms’ interest has prompted a shift towards better-funded and more diversified content.

When a multilingual writing workshop for women opened in an immigrant neighborhood of Reykjavik in 2015, no one could have quite predicted its impact. With the support of the capital of Iceland, a UNESCO Creative City of Literature, this initiative provided an unprecedented literary space for newcomers, which is still flourishing today.

Every year since 2017, this organization based in the Lebanese capital has helped dozens of creators from the Arab region realize their projects or perform abroad.

The city of Suzhou in eastern China is famous for its canals, bridges and classical gardens. Today it uses digital technology to leverage its rich cultural heritage and boost its economy. Since the launch of the “Gusu 20h30” initiative, visitors have been flocking to the site – not just during the daytime but also at night.

In his relentless wanderings through the streets of his homeland, Indian photographer Vineet Vohra mischievously captures pictures that are as improbable as they are ephemeral. The vision of this celebrated master of street photography is in fact poles apart from the usual rehashed clichés of the Indian megapolis.

Over recent years, several record-breaking sales have established non-fongible tokens (NFTs) as the new black in the world of art. These secure, authenticated digital certificates allow the acquisition of virtual art, which means new income opportunities for artists and a greater interest in digital art among museums. But are we really witnessing a revolution, or a speculative bubble about to burst?

Since the publication of his first novel Beauty Is a Wound in 2002, Indonesian writer Eka Kurniawan has made himself a name internationally. Drawing on the myths and beliefs of his country while combining earthliness and poetry, magic and realism, his short stories have been translated into more than thirty languages.

Although the cultural and creative sphere is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors in the world, it suffers from a severe lack of investment, according to a UNESCO report, entitled, Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity: addressing culture as a global public good, published in February, 2022.