Cultural Voice

Forgotten Diaries Blogger Arevik Hayrapetyan shares w/CV her experience at the International Youth Camp Dialogue 2012 From 11-July 15, “Forgotten Diaries” was represented in the International Youth Camp Dialogue 2012, organized by Youth Department of the Council of Europe. This event gathered at one place more than 100 volunteers, youth activists and youth leaders. They all came from different national, cultural, religious backgrounds; they represented different organizations and had different interests and walks of life. But what was really common for all the participants was that each of them, without any exception, does strongly believe in the importance of intercultural dialogue for the better world we want to create. From the very start of our Camp what the essence of  real Intercultural Dialogue was present. The presence of so many cultures and nationalities, people with different ways of thinking was not at all a reason for any kind of clashes or disputes. On the contra...

1) In your travels where is the most special destination you've been to and why? The Actun Tunichil Muknal ( ATM) Cave in Belize: It is a cave two (2) km under ground full of several thousand year old intact Mayan artifacts and the entrance is almost mystical 2) What is your opinion of world peace? "Politics and oil will prevent us from ever achieving world piece, governments are too greedy to cooperate" 3) What is your favourite drink? " A 2006 chateauneuf du pape"  4) If there was anything you could change about the world what would it be and why? "Changing the world is a bold statement, why push for fantasy items we cannot achieve, rather lets focus on the things we have the ability to impact"

ÇATALHÖYÜK FEATURED ON UNESCO’S WORLD HERITAGE LIST As the World Heritage List celebrates its 40th birthday this year, Turkey joins the party adding its eleventh location to the list; Çatalhöyük. Çatalhöyük is a large Neolithic and Chalcolithic site in Konya, in Southern Turkey. Its history goes back to 7400 BC, and it is the largest and is said to be the best-preserved Neolithic site to be discovered hitherto. The site was first excavated in 1958. It is composed entirely of residential buildings and held an estimated population of 10.000. In the UNESCO Resolution, accepted by its 21 experts from various countries, it is expressed that Çatalhöyük fulfilled the basic requirements set by the Treaty of World Heritage, it preserved its authenticity and entirety and had a “global outstanding quality”. The site was nominated for the list by the Turkish Ministry of Culture, and the resolution won raves in Turkey from many parts of society. On the other hand, UNESCO experts...

Contributor: Derefe Chevannes How many times you heard folks referring to Africa, not as a continent but a country? It’s, “are you African?” rather than “are you from Kenya? Or, Uganda? Or, the Congo, even?”         Or, how many images do we see daily with starving kids with big bellies lying in the dirt waiting to die? Or, how many times do we see lions, giraffes or hippos being the image of the African animal? Also, let’s talk honestly about images of corrupt politicians and bankrupted, poor nations that seem to represent all countries on the continent. How many times have we heard those narratives? And, it’s not that they are untrue, but that they are NOT representative of Africa’s vast diversity.                                          ...

Here are a few things you may not have known about Anush Hayrapetan, Manager of Forgottendiaries.org a project of youth action for change promoting intercultural dialogue and one of Cultural Voice's partners. Anush Hayrapetan: Founder, Forgotten Diaries Nationality: Armenian Anush has won the following awards: Hero of Millennium 2011, 2nd World Summit for Youth Volunteering EUNIC 2010 European youth competition winner,category “Democracy and Politeia” World Youth Summit Award 2010, category “Pursue truth” (Forgotten Diaries project related) Intercultural Innovation award 2010, Marketplace of Ideas of the UNAOC 3rd forum, (Forgotten Diaries project related) World Aware Education Award 2009, North-South Centre of Council of Europe (Forgotten Diaries project related) Favourite City: "My favorite city is Riga, the capital of Latvia. I lived there for almost a year and love it for its unusual charm, warm people and relaxing atmosphere." ...

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan announced Kurdish indeed will be taught as an elective course, putting an end to all the rumors about the issue 2 days ago in his party’s group assembly in the Parliament. Kurdish had been taught in universities since 2009, however with this step there is a chance to learn it at a younger age in school. In the assembly, RTE said “For decades, Turkey has witnessed times where minorities dominated majorities with its non-democratic decisions and their suppressive implementation. Those who have been ostracized for years are becoming equal citizens and this should not be misinterpreted. What we are witnessing in Turkey right now is a process of normalization and normalization only.” He added that Kurdish will be taught on condition that a certain number is reached. Kurds make up around a fifth of Turkey’s population. Some see this move as a privilege given to a minority, some as a natural right, some as a reaction too little too late. I had m...

MIAMI - In the first event of its kind, ICABA Media Holdings, LLC, (ICABA) will celebrate some of South Florida's most accomplished professionals and entrepreneurs with heritage spanning 14 different Caribbean nations. One hundred corporate executives, educators, entrepreneurs, entertainers and community leaders will be honored at the ICABA Salutes South Florida's 100 Most Accomplished Caribbean Americans program, Friday, June 29, 2012, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts: 201 Southwest 5th Avenue in Ft. Lauderdale. The black-tie event will begin in the Amaturo Theater at 7:30 p.m. with the recognition program and be followed by a reception and traditional Caribbean fete. The signature ICABA coffee table book showcasing their diverse accomplishments will be unveiled at the event and include the honorees' bios, features and advertorials from a noted list of corporate sponsors. "As our nation's gateway to the Caribbean, South Florida has long-been a c...