CAIRO: Amid various attempts to establish dialogue between nations around the world, the British Council is contributing to the cause as it celebrates its 70th year in Egypt, by launching an initiative titled Intercultural Dialogue Beyond Words. The initiative aims to strengthen communication between people in the UK and others around the world. The issue of intercultural dialogue took center stage on Tuesday at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies which, in collaboration with the British Council, highlighted relevant activities before a large gathering of intellectuals, diplomats and the media. "For a very long time, the British Council was afraid to engage in this debate, said Martin Davidson, who heads the British Council. "We were concerned about being seen as religious or political. But people are political and religious and our approach to intercultural dialogue is about people, and we need to work with them on their issues, he explained. "Creating genuine dialogue between equals is at the heart of how we establish intercultural dialogue, Davidson said. Responding to a Daily News Egypt question on whether this argument is valid given the US presence in Iraq, with support from the UK, and whether the acts it commits contradict with building a dialogue between equals, Davidson said: "Intercultural dialogue is even more urgently needed at the time the situation is escalating in Iraq. I understand it wouldn't change much but it's still important. He explained that the dialogue isn't about people imposing their values on one another but rather it paves the way for a better understanding. "As we speak, 18 young people from Egypt and the UK are on a three-month trip in Assiut in Upper Egypt where they are working on community projects ranging from women's illiteracy programs to helping street children, living in real Egyptian homes with real families . Next month they will travel together to Luton in the UK and continue to experience intercultural dialogue first hand, Davidson said. Davidson also pointed out some of the British Council's programs that are aiming to establish intercultural dialogue, such as Global Xchange or Common Ground, as well as others launched in collaboration with three Egyptian ministries to address the technical and vocational skills of young people as a way to decrease unemployment rates. He also cited programs where young British and Egyptian scientists work together to study the biodiversity of the Sinai desert and, more importantly, interact with one another. The initiative also involves English language tutorials offered at the main campus of Al-Azhar University, giving its students the opportunity to communicate and share ideas with the rest of the world. The attendees wondered what the Arab world can offer in return, and how much the British Council can achieve on its own. Davidson explained that the British Council can only set an example for others to follow, but the task would certainly require the collaboration of many similar cultural organizations. While some Egyptian attendees said that the Arab world has got nothing to offer, others argued that its heritage, history and culture continue to inspire the west. However, these aspects cannot have a direct impact without better western media policies. El-Sayed Yassin, consultant at Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic studies suggested that people on both sides need to evaluate themselves. "On each side there are moderate as well as fanatic voices, we shouldn't focus only on the biased groups in the West because they have counterparts in the Muslim world, he explained.
