Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob

Dialog is a micro-universal expression of international cooperation.
When it is effective, we recognize ourselves in the other and realize we don't
have to fear.
Dialog never existed between the First and Third Worlds.
We must not
confuse dialog with neo-colonialism, paternalism, vampirism, tokenism, or
appropriation.
Dialog is the opposite of national security, neighborhood watch, racial
paranoia, aesthetic protectionism, sentimental nationalism, ethnocentrism, and
monolinguality.
In order to dialog, "we must learn each other's language, history, art,
literature, and political ideas." We must travel South and East, with
frequency and humility, not as cultural tourists but as civilian ambassadors.
Only through dialog we can develop models of coexistence and
cooperation.
Only through an ongoing public dialog in the form of
publications, conferences and collaborative intercultural art and media
projects, can the wound effectively heal. "It will be a long process. It
might take 30 to 50 years. We cannot undo centuries of cultural indifference,
domination and racism overnight." All we can aspire to is beginning a
dialog. This documentation is a htmlble contribution.
I ask you to join in.
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