Word Forum for Democracy
Lab 9 Intercultural Responses

18-20 November 2015, Strasbourg (France)

“Depending on whether we teach hate or dialogue, we are spreading hate or building dialogue”

Focusing on intercultural responses for the prevention of hate and radicalisation, one of the three Labs sponsored by the Congress during the World Forum for Democracy (18-20 November 2015) presented two original initiatives in this field. The first, launched by the Council of Europe, aims to define and teach the competences needed to establish and maintain intercultural and democratic values. The objective of the second, conducted in Rwanda, is to strengthen dialogue between all the communities through traditional dances, with which the whole country can identify.

Pascale Mompoint-Gaillard, a social psychologist and manager of the project developed by the Council of Europe, pointed out that democratic culture thrives not just on knowledge, but also on outlooks and values: Europeans must have competences that will allow them to bring  these into action and use them in their lives as European citizens. The Education Department of the Council of Europe is currently drawing up a reference framework determining the main competences citizens need to participate effectively in a diverse and democratic society. After having been evaluated by around a thousand experts, over a hundred such competences, combining values, outlooks, knowledge and expertise, will be indicated to those in charge of developing educational syllabuses and school curricula and to teachers themselves. Among these competences it is, for instance, of importance to know how to deconstruct simplistic rhetoric or, when faced with extremists, to deglamourise the image of terrorism and violence – so many requirements which are not taught in schools. The reference framework being developed by the Council of Europe sets out to inculcate such competences through education. Similarly, continued Ms Mompoint-Gaillard, “citizens should, for example, learn to work with people whom they know have different values”.

Dancing to achieve reconciliation and understanding

Torn apart in 1994 by a fratricidal war which ended in the genocide of the Tutsi, Rwanda is struggling to reconstruct its cultural unity and is therefore drawing on its roots and traditions, such as the promotion of traditional Rwandan dances, one of the country’s key distinguishing features. The project “Intercultural Dialogue Awareness Raising for Cooperation” (ISAR), run by the Youth Service Organisation (YSO), allows Rwandans from all backgrounds, even Rwandans who were born abroad and Congolese migrants, to meet every week or every month, sometimes even every day, to perform traditional dances. The President and Founder of the YSO, Pacifique Ndayishimye, explains that dance brings young people from different backgrounds together and fosters dialogue and mutual understanding, though this initiative still needs to be extended to incorporate more young people, particularly those from the most marginalised groups.

Subsequently, Amina Bouayach (Morocco), Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights, and Dusica Davidovic, a city councillor in Nis (Serbia, SOC) and a member of the Congress, commented on these projects and expressed their interest in them. For Ms Bouayach, the rule of law and plurality of opinion should be fostered, while seeking ways of forming links to support intercultural dialogue and to promote human rights. She also observed that cultural identities are far from rigid and are, in fact, increasingly engaging with each other.

Cities must select the right partners to promote intercultural dialogue

Ms Davidovic expressed the view that the educational work carried out by NGOs is helping to fight radicalisation, hate speech and anti-Semitism. She presented the initiatives her city has taken in this area, mentioning that the city is funding many organisations and associations who seek to combat threats against democracy and dialogue. “It is not always easy, however, to find the right local partners, and we have to choose carefully,” she added. She also noted the importance of supporting schools in preventing radicalisation. Davidovic considers that cities, regions and central government authorities must work together to promote respect and tolerance. Gaps need to be bridged and the ignorance dividing cultures needs to be tackled; the role of education in the acquisition of the necessary competences to support democratic culture must be promoted. Finally, she voiced her hopes that intercultural education might also contribute to eliminating the risk of radicalisation among migrants.

During this discussion, given the difficult situation France is currently facing, several young speakers advocated that “intercultural dialogue and education should constitute an alternative to coercive measures”. Many associations are working to achieve this locally, by fostering exchange programmes and travel, for instance, or by using new communication technologies for cultural dialogue purposes. For all the speakers, education is one of the foundations of this dialogue – as Pacifique Ndayishimiye summed up: “if you teach hate, you spread hate, and if you teach dialogue, you build dialogue”. Ms Bouayach concluded the meeting by emphasising that “no total security clampdown has been able to beat terrorism, which makes the implementation of integrated strategies even more essential”.