Cultural Selection: Q & A with Mr. Ali Moussa-Iye during the Pasarela de las Artes Annual Event in Valencia, Spain

Ali Moussa-Iye, UNESCO Chief of the Section for History and Dialogue and International Coordinator for the Silk Roads.

Ali Moussa-Iye visited Valencia, Spain, in order to participate in the Pasarela de las Artes (Bridge of the Arts), and to explain the role that the Silk Roads plays in promoting mutual dialogue and understanding. Moreover, he addressed the challenges in a world where new technological advances have transformed the relationship between people and cultures.

Question: What brings the UNESCO Chief of the Section for History and Dialogue to Valencia?

Answer: I came to Valencia, thanks to an invitation from the President of UNESCO’s International Network for the Silk Roads, Mr. José Maria Chiquillo, to the Pasarela de las Artes. It is an event that obtained UNESCO patronage. The City of Valencia has played a central role in the development of diversity and cultural heritage along the Silk Roads.

Question: Why does Valencia hold this central role?

Answer: As the International Coordinator for the Silk Roads, I became increasingly aware of Valencia’s involvement. Each time, I learned more about how its history, positioning, and the motivation of its population have been essential components of the Silk Roads. It is very worthy mentioning that the current president of the Network is a Valencian. These relationships and efforts have played a part in the nomination of “Las Fallas” as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Question: What is your assessment of the program after 30 years?

Answer: If we take into account the initial expectations, I think that they have corresponded very well with the assessment. When the program was created 30 years ago by the Director-General of that time, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, he was embarking on a new project during a period when the world was changing with the ending of the Cold War. Five expeditions were conducted which led to the creation of new institutions and research centers that surpassed all expectations. This demonstrated that the Silk Roads changed many things in the ways of envisioning international relations in the post-Cold War era. The Silk Roads Project became a flagship for UNESCO. It encouraged many countries to revisit their cultural and historical heritage. Several of these countries have been able to inscribe some of their Silk Roads sites as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As a result, this has led to a type of cultural tourism.

Question: What challenges does the future pose for the Silk Roads?

Answer: We have launched the second phase of the Silk Roads in a world that has undergone significant changes. There are so many new things, such as technological advances, and new perspectives, to which the Silk Roads must adapt. We are in a globalized world with a series of factors that bring another dimension to what we are doing within this project. The Silk Roads allow us to see what we have lost in this process. For example, in today’s society, only goods and money – not humans – circulate freely across borders. In the past, people travelled along the Silk Roads with their goods and ideas. Today, the problems associated with migration complicate a large portion of interactions and exchanges between people. This is a very serious moment in time, and we are experiencing another type of Cold War, which is even more complicated. We passed from ideological competitions to much more dangerous confrontations based on cultural identity and religion, which instigate prejudices, racism, and discrimination. The challenge is how better to use the potential of new technologies and digitization to promote authentic intercultural dialogue.

Question: With so many communication possibilities, what has happened to dialogue?

Answer: The paradox is clear. At no other time in the history of humanity have we had so much communication, but less dialogue. For example, along the Silk Roads, people travelled for a long time, over long distances. They used to stop to rest and visit places, and this allowed them to have the necessary time to establish a sense of mutual knowledge and dialogue. Today, everything in life is fast. Technology is a trap. On the one hand, it allows us to have more access to others, but on the other hand, it encloses us within our own realities. Why does one need to leave the house to see someone if they can meet people virtually, or on portable devices? This is how it is happening, and it is dangerous. In places of interactions that facilitate mutual knowledge, we are exchanging mutual ignorance by distance and thus, we reinforce our own ignorance.

Question: We think that we know everything, and we know nothing?

Answer: It has to do with the sentiment of humility. In the past, people discovered things with humility, because they encountered things they did not understand. Having humility meant respecting knowledge. Today, arrogance takes over. Everyone thinks they know everything. We think that everything to be known can be found on our mobile phones, instead of being humble and looking for the missing knowledge. Thus, we develop a position of arrogance, and this keeps us from really getting to know one other.

Question: If each of us travels along the Silk Roads, do you think that it will create a new way to understand the world?

Answer: I am certain, because travelling always stimulates thought and reflection. However, today it would be more complicated than the past, because there are borders, customs, and new rules. We are in a world in which you arrive at the airport, and for whatever reason, you may be suspected of some wrongdoing related to migration or terrorism.

Note: The article originally appeared in the Spanish newspaper, Levante: El Mercantil Valenciano, 8 June 2018

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