10/01/2009
Statement by Mehri Madarshahi
President, Melody for Dialogue among Civilizations Association
On behalf of the organizers I wish to extend a very warm welcome to all of you on the occasion of this very special gathering.
Albert Einstein once said “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music …. I get most joy in life out of music.”
And commenting about his theory of relativity, he boldly stated: ”It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception.”
That’s a tall order and a compass for the events which will unfold today. This international forum and tonight’s concert intend to underscore the role of music as a new instrument of awareness and advocacy. It is, I believe, one of the most natural means of communication and a very effective international language of its own. We will focus also on the traditional role of the artist as a social and cultural agent and how she or he can become a link between people and the environment and nature.
Over the past few years culture-environment relations have revealed numerous aspects of human behavior, cognition, preference and meaning. It has become clear that understandings of, and visions for, sustainability will be different for each one among us and that there is no “single route” to sustainable development.
Agenda 21 adopted by the Rio Summit in 1992 identified education as an essential tool for achieving sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) seeks to empower people to assume responsibility for creating a sustainable future. It is acknowledged that if ESD is to be an effective tool for engaging people in negotiating a sustainable future, making decisions and acting on them, it must first address the way each and every citizen thinks about sustainable development. Therefore, central to ESD is the concept of culture as an essential underlying theme
It has generally been accepted that achieving sustainable development requires balancing environmental, societal, cultural and economic considerations in the pursuit of development and an improved quality of life. To achieve these goals there is an argument in favor of an interdisciplinary framework for cooperation where artists are integrated in the field of environmental studies. Conversely, an environmental approach must be introduced within art studies and a serious interdisciplinary cooperation on environmental issues should involve artists, scientists, humanists, planners, activists, and governmental bodies. Environmental and land art are signs in this direction.
Art has so much to contribute. Even the most proficient scientist may not succeed in communicating the severity of an environmental problem to the public, because she or he may not be adept at instilling or provoking an emotional sense of belonging or the feeling of “Genius Loci.” This role belongs to the cultural agents, as it were – the artists, writers, actors, directors and journalists. They will be able to unleash the innate power of art as an agent for raising awareness and building commitment for environmental action. Environmental education and grass-roots community activism will play a critical role and we will hear and learn today about many approaches and experiences.
It is unfortunate that the bad news of today are no longer received as bad news : we are living and continue living in an unsustainable way and there is abundant scientific evidence to back this up. But do we care enough to change our behavior and our life-styles?
Environmental protection is too important to be left to governments and the private sector alone. It must much more than is already the case become the responsibility of all people so as to reclaim their right to live in a clean and healthy environment. The success of sustainable policies depends on broad-based public awareness.
Let me now in conclusion thank the manifold partners who have collaborated with the Melody for Dialogue among Civilizations Association to make this day possible – both the Forum and tonight’s unique concert: