The Power of Culture

According to the United Nations, access to internet and telecommunication in developing countries can help to combat poverty. A large-scale summit was organised in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 to bring together numerous parties to discuss the infrastructure necessary for this purpose.

Research to VOC archives in The Nederlands, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and South Africa makes these archives accessible in an uniform manner.

Not the local development authorities but the local inhabitants themselves are often the ones to present the most effective solution to a development problem. With this idea in mind, the World Bank organises the Global Development Marketplace once every 12 to 18 months.

Unesco has published a list of 28 masterpieces in the area of oral and intangible culture. According to Unesco, these are extraordinary examples of this specific type of heritage.

At the 32 nd meeting of the Unesco General Conference (29 September-17 October) the member states adopted the Intangible Cultural Heritage Treaty.

Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Treaty means a big step forward for the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD).

This year the Prince Claus Prize goes to Wang Shixiang (China, 1914) for his pioneering research on Chinese crafts.

A report on the Reclaiming Cultural Diversity conference held at the end of September in Amsterdam. Eric Kluitenberg, who helped organise the conference, tells us what he observed in the article Cultural Diversity or Cultural Freedom?

Nigerian professor Amina Mama (1958) will hold the Prince Claus chair in 2003/2004.