On Tuesday 14th May, our director of the Culture, Gender and Civil Society Department, Gemma Aubarell, delivered a keynote speech surrounding the concept of intercultural dialogue, as part of a “tool fair workshop” conducted by ALDA. Through relations with our Mediterranean neighbours, it is imperative to adopt both outward and inward perspectives of our organisations, whereby we confront the prejudices we may have in our own cultures and overcome potential barriers to achieving deeper intercultural relations. As Gemma further noted, creating “open” spaces, founded on mutual understanding, listening, and learning, contributes to the depolarisation of our societies, playing an integral role in fostering international cultural relations in the Mediterranean. Though our cultures may differ, we fundamentally share human principles.
The subsequent workshops sought to practically implement these ideas with an exercise which encouraged active listening through storytelling; the aim was to enhance the integration of cultural backgrounds with one another. In the concluding remarks, ALDA recognised that we could carry out these activities within our daily lives, ensuring that our understanding of another person’s culture does not limit our engagement with them. Overall, this workshop exemplified some of the concrete methodologies which can be practiced as part of a cohesive effort to strengthen intercultural dialogue within the Mediterranean.
