Papers of Dialogue - 2 - 2014 - English

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Li Lifan / Understanding the New Silk Roads Debora Serracchiani / Trieste, a hub of trade and cultureAbdul Aziz Saud Al-Babtain / Poetry, a message for humanity

THE NEW SILK ROADS

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Li Lifan / Understanding the New Silk Roads Debora Serracchiani / Trieste, a hub of trade and cultureAbdul Aziz Saud Al-Babtain / Poetry, a message for humanity

THE NEW SILK ROADS

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EditorialRoberto Iadicicco

Silk Road

“One Belt and One Road”:new perspectives on therelationships between Chinaand the Middle EastWang Jian

New avenues fordevelopment and dialogueDaniel Atzori

Understanding the New SilkRoads

Daniel Atzori

Trieste, a hub of trade andculture

Daniel Atzori

Economic development andenvironmental sustainability

Francesco Russo

Poetry, a message forhumanity

Daniel Atzori

Two Italians on theBridges of Sarajevo

Erfan Rashid

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Papers of Dialogue no 2 - 2014

Roberto Iadicicco

Daniel Atzori

Marina Ranieri

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Cultures

The magic of Morocco

Erfan Rashid

Journeys of body and spirit

Tourism and dialoguebetween civilizations

The Silk Road is an extremelyevocative and fascinatingconcept. It takes us back to amagnificent era when

intercultural trade and dialogueflourished between China and theMediterranean, connecting the peopleof Central and Southern Asia, theMiddle East, North Africa and Europe.

Today, the growth of China’seconomy is opening up new

trade routes linking the East to theWest. In this issue of Papers ofDialogue we will analyse some ofthe opportunities offered in thishistorical phase. In hiscontribution, Professor Wang Jian,Director of the Center for West Asiaand North Africa Studies of theShanghai Academy of SocialSciences (SASS), explains theimportance of the “Silk RoadEconomic Belt”, a network ofcommercial routes to be opened onland, and of the “21st CenturyMaritime Silk Road”. In hisinterview, Li Lifan, AssociateResearch Professor at the ShanghaiAcademy of Social Sciences,illustrates the main opportunitiesoffered by the Silk Roads to MiddleEastern and Central Asiancountries. Growing trade withMiddle and Far East countriespresents great opportunities forEurope, and especially for Italy. In

this respect, you will find anexclusive interview with DeboraSerracchiani, the President of theFriuli Venezia Giulia AutonomousRegion. Trieste, the capital of thisregion, has been an exceptionalcrossroads of peoples, languagesand cultures for centuries, bridgingcommunications between theMediterranean and Mitteleuropa.At present, Friuli Venezia Giulia isone of Italy’s most dynamic regionsand is increasingly projected ontothe emerging markets of Africa and Asia.

In our “Cultures” section, weoffer stories on the people and

societies living in the Middle Eastand along the shores of theMediterranean. George Younes,founder and President of theLebanese Association of Tourism(ALT), offers an original take onthe beauties of Morocco whileJordanian intellectual Amer El-Sabaileh makes a fewconsiderations on interculturaljourneys and dialogue. Lastly, youwill find an in-depth story on thegreat Egyptian singer UmmKulthum and one on art in theUnited Arab Emirates.

So, come with us on this excitingtrip along the old and new Silk

Roads.

by Roberto IadiciccoEDITOR IN CHIEF

Editorial

Today, the growthof China’seconomy isopening up newtrade routeslinking the Eastto the West. Inthis issue ofPapers ofDialogue we willanalyse some ofthe opportunitiesoffered in thishistorical phase

Papers of Dialogue | 03

Silk Road

“One Belt andOne Road”: newperspectives onthe relationshipsbetween Chinaand the MiddleEast

The strategic initiatives known as“Silk Road Economic Belt” and“21st Century Maritime Silk Road”are opening new opportunities, aswell as new challenges, for thedevelopment of the relationshipsbetween China and the MiddleEast. Infrastructures, trade,financial services, regionalcooperation mechanisms, as wellas intercultural dialogue, will all becrucial in the construction of “OneBelt and One Road”.

“OBelt and One Road”,which refers to conceptof the “Silk RoadEconomic Belt” and “21st

Century Maritime Silk Road”, is animportant strategic initiative proposed byPresident Xi Jinping when Chinese nationalrevitalization entered a new stage inhistory. It is conducive to promote China’seconomic development and foreigncooperation by taking the domestic andinternational overall situation as well asbalanced development between its easternand western regions into consideration. It

04 | Papers of Dialogue

From the theoryof economic belt,in terms of “OneBelt and OneRoad” today, firstly,we must clarifythat the trafficinfrastructure isthe base.

Wang Jian

Silk Road

also will provide a new platform and spacefor Chinese peaceful rise. Historically, “One Belt and One Road” hasmade great contributions to the promotionof material and cultural exchanges betweenChina and the West, providing us us withlots of inspiration. For example, the need ofinternational trade for goods exchange wasthe main driving force of its formation anddevelopment; a stable political and secureenvironment is the vital factor to ensure itseffective passage; cultural exchanges havegreat implications in the development of“One Belt and One Road”.

From the theory of economic belt, in termsof “One Belt and One Road” today, firstly,we must clarify that thetraffic infrastructure is thebase. Traffic serves as themain carrier or link for thiseconomic belt. The newtechnical development ofhigh-speed railway, portand shipping make thebelt building possible.In addition, from abroader perspective,information, aviation,


Trade demand atboth ends andalong the route isthe driving forceto promote theconstruction of“One Belt andOne Road”.

Shanghai

Silk Road


oil and gas pipelines all fall into suchtechnology category.Secondly, trade must take the leading role.Trade demand at both ends and along theroute is the driving force to promote theconstruction of “One Belt and One Road”.At present, the complementary resourcesendowments and trade elements meansthe possibility and necessity of expandingtrade; therefore, we should furthereliminate trade barriers, reduce trade andinvestment costs, so as to improve thespeed and quality of regional economiccirculation.Thirdly, follow up of financial services isvery crucial. Trade expansion anddevelopment of related industries requirebetter financial services, especially theinnovation of trade settlement andimprovement in investment andfinancing.Finally, regional cooperation mechanismshould be forged basing on this economicbelt. To enhance regional developmentconsensus and cultural exchange isdefinitely another important aspect in theeconomic and trade development.In conclusion, through promotion in theabove several aspects we can truly achievebetter policy communication, improvedroad connectivity, unimpeded trade,enhanced monetary circulation anddeeper understanding between the

people proposed by President Xi Jinping.In the order arrangement of theconstruction of “One Belt and One Road”,President Xi Jinping also proposed thatwork should be started in individualareas, linked up gradually, and over timecovering the whole region.Geographically, as I understand, theindividual areas refer to key areas, majorcountries and organizations. For example,Central Asia is a key area along the SilkRoad Economic Belt and Kazakhstan is akey regional hub, SCO (ShanghaiCooperation Organization) is an importantorganization. For the 21st CenturyMaritime Silk Road, South-East Asia andSouth Asia are key areas; Indonesia,Thailand, India, Pakistan, Burma are keycountries while ASEAN (Association ofSouth-East Asian Nations) and SAARC(South Asian Association for RegionalCooperation) are key organizations.In terms of trade and industries, oil andgas cooperation; for transportation theconstruction of roads, pipelines andrailways; and regional trade integration arepriorities in the Silk Road Economic Belt;while port and free trade zoneconstructions are major concerns for the21st Century Maritime Silk Road.Breakthroughs in such major areas andissues will certainly set up models andpilots, spilling over its effect to relevantregional and economic fields.The linking role, as I understand it currently,is to be realized by the new continentalbridge construction in Central Asia, China,Burma, India and Bangladesh EconomicCorridor in South Asia and China-PakistanEconomic Corridor, which will graduallyextend its influence over the region. On thebasis of regional cooperation and economiccorridor development and its expansion toEurope and West Asia, cooperation over thewhole region and Euro-Asia economicintegration will be achieved with “One Beltand One Road” as its carrier.In such a context, the advantages anddrawbacks of the Middle East present newopportunities and new challenges for thedevelopment of the China and Middle East

To enhanceregionaldevelopmentconsensus andculturalexchange isdefinitelyanotherimportantaspect in theeconomic andtradedevelopment.

Chinese PresidentXi Jinping

Silk Road

relationship. The following advantages of theMiddle East are evident: first, it has been themain trade route in history, where the ancientSilk Road and the Maritime Silk Roadconverged. Such an advantage remainsprominent in the geo-development trend aswell as the construction of “One Belt and OneRoad”.Secondly, enormous complementary tradeexists between the Middle East and countriesalong the belt, China in particular.Meanwhile, there is great potential foreconomic development and consumption,with countries of the region with sufficientfunds. The major drawback, however, lies inthe instability of the turbulent regionalsituation. This means it will be placed behindCentral Asia, South Asia and South-East Asiain the order arrangement of building theeconomic belt regardless of it geographicalconvergence.Under such circumstances of constructingthe “One Belt and One Road”, thedevelopment of the China and Middle Eastrelationship requires proper consideration inorder to seize the opportunity with itsregional advantages while overcoming itsdisadvantages. My suggestions for the joint endeavors are asfollows: First of all, awareness should be raised of itsimplications and significance. Policycommunication between governmentsshould be strengthened, and policypresentation and seminars should be held byacademia, business, think tanks and themedia so that the concept of “One Belt andOne Road” will spread further in the MiddleEast.Secondly, together with the internationalcommunity, China should continue itsactive participation in solving burningissues of the region to create a secure andstable situation for the construction of“One Belt and One Road”.Thirdly, a regional overall plan should beset up by enhancing regional cooperationwith the Middle East. At present, theimportant role of the Arab CooperationForum should be strengthened. In akeynote speech at the opening ceremony


of the sixth ministerial conference of theChina-Arab States Cooperation Forum(CASCF) in Beijing this June, ChinesePresident Xi Jinping called on the twosides to carry forward the “spirit of theSilk Road” and deepen their friendlycooperation. It would serve as a newstarting point for the forum since itsestablishment a decade ago. At the sametime, free trade zone consultation withthe GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council)should be promoted; and SCO should bepromptly taking in more countries as itsmembers, including some Middle Eastcountries, such as Iran, Afghanistan andTurkey.Fourthly, Middle East countries, especiallythe oil-producers, can take part in thebuilding of Asian InfrastructureInvestment Bank to jointly improve trafficand transportation infrastructure in theMiddle East.Fifthly, China and the Middle Eastcountries should remain open-mindedto attract the participation of othercountries and economic organizations intheir cooperation in order to achievehigh efficiency and a win-win outcome.Lastly, cultural communication andexchanges should be further promoted inthe cooperation, especially the dialoguebetween Chinese and Islamiccivilizations.

Wang Jian is aprofessor of historyand internationalpolitical economy atShanghai Academy ofSocial Sciences (SASS).His research hasfocused on globalpublic goods, MiddleEast studies and theJewish communities inChina. He now servesas director of Centerfor West Asia andNorth Africa Studies(CWANAS) of SASS,deputy director of theShanghai MunicipalCenter forInternational Studiesand deputy directorof Institute of Historyin SASS.

THE AUTHORWang Jian

Chinese President XiJinping with KuwaitiPrime Minister SheikhJaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabahduring the Conferenceof China-Arab StatesCooperation Forum.Beijing, China, 2014

Silk Road

New avenues fordevelopmentand dialogue

Daniel Atzori, PhDTwitter: @DanielAtzori


For centuries, the network ofroutes known as “the Silk Road”linked the civilizations ofEurasia and the Mediterranean,connecting regions so far apartas the Indo Valley, Mesopotamia,the Caucasus and the ArabianPeninsula. Today, China’simpressive economic growth isreviving the Silk Roads, openingnew avenues for economicdevelopment and interculturaldialogue.

For centuries, the Silk Road linkedChina to Central and East Asia, theMiddle East, North Africa andEurope, promoting the free

circulation of goods and ideas. The SilkRoad is not a real-life road but acontinuously expanding open networkcrossing over and intersecting exchangesalong land and maritime trade routes. Thisis why it would perhaps be more accurateto speak of Silk Roads, in the plural, in orderto underscore the multitude of intersectingroutes. Silk Roads have extended a greatbridge between societies and cultures,enhancing not only economies, bycontributing to the well-being and thematerial prosperity of peoples, but also thecreativity and imagination of Humankind,inspiring an endless number of works of artand literature. To mention two: MarcoPolo’s The Million, which tells the story ofthe journey of the Venetian merchant fromhis native Venice to China, andSamarcande, the masterpiece of Lebanesewriter Amin Maalouf, narrating the story ofthe great Persian poet, Omar Khayyam.The concept of Silk Road is rather recent: itwas a 19th Century German scholar, BaronFerdinand von Richthofen, the first to callDie Seidenstrasse the network of routes thatlinked the civilizations of Eurasia and of theMediterranean and connected regions sofar apart as the Indo Valley, Mesopotamia,the Caucasus, the Arabian peninsula andthe Mediterranean Basin. However, thenotion underlying this concept is age-old.According to tradition, China started its silkproduction in 2,700 B.C. and records showthat it began exporting this precious fibreduring the Han dynasty, which reigned overthe country between 206 B.C. and 220 A.D.Chinese silk was very much appreciatedboth in Egypt and throughout the RomanEmpire. Through this ancient-time globaltrade network which united Xi’an, thecapital of China’s Shaanxi province, toVenice, in Italy, in addition to silk, trade alsoinvolved, spices, fruit and vegetables,precious stones, works of art, and so on andso forth. The Silk Road was also anextraordinary channel of dialogue:

According totradition, Chinastarted its silkproduction in2,700 B.C. andrecords showthat it beganexporting thisprecious fibreduring the Handynasty, whichreigned over thecountrybetween 206B.C. and 220A.D. Chinesesilk was verymuchappreciatedboth in Egyptand throughoutthe RomanEmpire.


merchants learned the languages of thecountries they crossed and acquired theircustoms and traditions, thus enrichingtheir own cultures and spreading newideas and techniques. It created across-fertilization between economicdevelopment and interculturaldialogue.

A new phase China’s impressive economic growthis reviving the Silk Roads. In May ofthis year, the HSBC banking grouppublished an interesting and well-documented report entitled What aglobalising China means for Africa and theMiddle East, stating forthright theimportance of economic relations betweenChina and the Middle East:

“The Middle East’s massive fiscal andcurrent account surpluses, its decade

of rapid economic growth, a neardoubling of per capita wealthwould have been unthinkablewithout surging energy demandfrom China. There would be nokilometer-tall towers in thedesert, no ski slopes in theshopping mall, no Gulf owned

football teams winning the Englishpremier league, without the

emergence of China as a globaleconomic power. In a region that was

once led by US investment, it is nowChina that sets the rhythm for economicgrowth – a structural shift to a new erathat we think will persist for a generationto come”.

Silk Road

Marco Polo

Silk Road

A constant flowof Chineseinvestmentscouldcontribute tostrengtheningnot onlyeconomicgrowth but alsothe stability ofthe region: apacified, stableand affluentMiddle Eastcould have abeneficialfallout over thewhole of theworld’seconomy.

The report also highlights that this newrelationship is destined to affect the globaleconomy on the middle and long term:“We do not view the burgeoningrelationship between China, Africa and theMiddle East as transitory, nor do we view itas unique. Rather, we see it as a powerfulexpression of the new southern Silk Roaddeveloping across the emerging world, andexpect it to set the rhythm for growth for ageneration to come”.The growing inter-dependence andintegration between China and the MiddleEast is evident in many sectors of activity. Ofcourse, Beijing needs Middle Eastern oil inorder to maintain the fast pace of itseconomic growth. However, the relationshipalso concerns Chinese tourism, the export ofChinese products, investments by Chinesecompanies in infrastructures and theactivism of Chinese banks in strengtheningeconomic relations. Chinese promotersclaim that the Silk Roads will also stimulatethe development of infrastructures likeports and railway systems, both in Chinaand abroad. It has also been often said thatthe Silk Roads must develop in a sustainableway, minimising their impact on theenvironment. The stakeholders in thisambitious project have already consideredthe need for the Silk Roads to compoundsocio-economic development andenvironmental protection. The idea of a

“Green Silk Road” is quickly taking root.Within this context of epochal change,China’s new leaders appear to beextremely sensitive to cooperating withthe Arab world. The sixth China-ArabStates Cooperation Forum (CASCF) washeld in Beijing on June 5 of this year andwas attended by Chinese President, XiJinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and theSecretary General of the Arab League,Nabil al-Arabi, in addition to many othereminent representatives of the Arab world.The event celebrated the 10th anniversarysince the beginning of the China-Arabforum and took the opportunity to discussseveral initiatives aimed at concretelypromoting relations between these twostrategic areas for the global economy.Among other things, the initiative aims atraising the volume of trade between theMiddle East and China from the current$240 billion to $600 billion over the next tenyears. At the Forum, Chinese companieswere called on to enhance theirinvestments in the Arab countries’ energyand petrochemical sectors, but also inservices, industry and agriculture. “Wewant to achieve this development forourselves and we would like to allow othersto grow equally,” said President Xi Jinping,inviting participants to build a “communitywith shared interests and a commondestiny for China and the Arab states”. The target is to develop trade in anatmosphere of peace and cooperationbetween peoples. A constant flow ofChinese investments could contribute tostrengthening not only economic growthbut also the stability of the region: apacified, stable and affluent Middle Eastcould have a beneficial fallout over thewhole of the world’s economy.In conclusion, many are the supportersof the new Silk Roads, convinced thatthey, in addition to driving theeconomic development of the MiddleEast, will also have a positive impact onthe economies of the whole of Eurasiaand open up a multitude of newintercultural dialogue opportunitiesbetween the West and the East.


Daniel Atzori, PhD, isthe Editorial TeamCoordinator of Papersof Dialogue.

THE AUTHORDaniel Atzori

James Joyce Venice, Italy

Silk Road

Understandingthe New SilkRoads



LI LIFAN

The New Silk Road is not just aroad or a simple pathconnecting Asia and Europe, buta pursuit of peace, an initiativethat aims to strengthencooperation and interculturaldialogue, thus fostering socialstability and economicprosperity.

The new Silk Roads, that is to sayboth the land-based “Silk RoadEconomic Belt” and the sea-based“21st Century Maritime Silk Road”,

will arguably have a remarkable impact onthe Eurasian continent in the years tocome. In this interview with Li Lifan,associate research professor at theShanghai Academy of Social Sciences, weexplore the strategic, cultural andeconomic importance of the concept of SilkRoad, as well as its opportunities for thesocieties and economies of China, CentralAsia, the Middle East and Europe.

Some regions of the Middle East arecurrently undergoing a phase of turmoil.What are, in your view, the mainchallenges and opportunities for theforeign policy of the People’s Republic ofChina?A new stage of China’s policy should bemore closely connected with Chinesewestern development strategy, whichincludes the whole of Central Asia, theMiddle East, as well as South Asia, allstrategic to the framework for theimplementation of the layout. It combinesconstruction through Eurasia of the “SilkRoad economic zone” and “21st CenturyMarine Silk Road” strategic vision tocontinuously strengthen economic

A new stage ofChina’s policyshould be moreclosely connectedwith Chinesewesterndevelopmentstrategy, whichincludes thewhole of CentralAsia, the MiddleEast, as well asSouth Asia.

Nanjing Road,Shanghai

must follow a path featuring high-techcontent, low consumption of resources, lessenvironmental pollution, satisfactoryeconomic returns, as well as security. It ismoving towards the objective of clean andsecure economic development.

Can you explain to us the meaning, aswell as the strategic, cultural andeconomic importance, of the concepts of“Silk Road Economic Belt” and “21stCentury Maritime Silk Road”?Construction of the Silk Road on bothland and sea is a major policy decisiontogether with national economic reformand opening-up, especially in promotingthe basic path for westward opening andwestward development. Silk Road is amajor thoroughfare under construction,

presence in Afghanistan. Given theposition and role of Afghanistan, Chinashould be pushing both strategic visionand the energy channels in itsconstructive landmark. It is needed afurther strengthening of the bilateral levelsecurity relations and the ShanghaiCooperation Organization on its platform,to actively carry out counter-terrorisminformation sharing, training of policeofficers, safety equipment updates,cooperation in specifically combating the“three forces (Terrorism, Separatism andExtremism)” and transnational crimewestern border cooperation to ensurepeace.The policy is also integrated with thework of Afghanistan, and together withPakistan as a whole, to be a planning,coordinating treatment with both sinceretrust and respect between China’s good-neighbour partnership, includingsupport measures for the two countries todevelop the economy and improvepeople’s livelihoods as well as promotingthe whole region neighbouring China.

And what are Beijing’s priorities withregards to securing its energy supply inthe Middle East?Energy is the material basis for the progressof human civilization and is anindispensable basic element for thedevelopment of modern society. It remains amajor strategic issue for China as thecountry moves towards its goals ofmodernization and common prosperity forits people. China imports more oil from theMiddle East than any other region of theworld does.Energy systems and mechanisms aregradually improving. The marketmechanism is playing an increasinglyimportant role in resource allocation.Investors in the energy field are diversified,and private investment in it keeps growing.It is an important strategic task of theChinese government to maintain long-term, stable and sustainable use of energyresources. China’s energy development

The New SilkRoad is not justa road it is notonly just asimple pathconnecting Asiaand Europe butalso a pursuit ofpeace.

Silk Road


to be fully connected in western China, tostrengthen economies in Central Asia andMiddle Eastern countries, as well as toenhance interoperability with nationalcommerce. Therefore those countries alongthese Silk Roads can, put togetherorganically with their abundant energyadvantage and China‘s growing demand,fully enjoy the market dividends of China’sgrowing economy. Silk Road constructionwill improve our economy in coexistencewith western oil and gas production, bydeveloping vessels, exporting refineryproducts, petroleum, and equipment forthe manufacturing industry. It will causethe shift and transformation and upgradingof related industries into western markets,which have a role in promoting the overallstrategic significance.

What are the values which inspire theNew Silk Roads vision?The New Silk Road is not just a road, it isnot only a simple path connecting Asiaand Europe, but also a pursuit of peacealong ethnic lines to strengthen bridgesof cooperation. The “Silk Road economiczone” concept has been put forward atthe right time, in line with the strongdesire of the countries in the region thathave been seeking opportunities tocoordinate and collaborate in theregional development. But, due todifferent conditions of national interest,demands or inconsistencies along thebelt, the “Silk Road economic zone”should have unprecedented opennessand inclusiveness, in the form of respectfor equality, mutual benefit and common

The Port of Shanghai

Silk Road

Investors in theenergy field arediversified, andprivateinvestment in itkeeps growing.

Silk Road

development as the basis for its existenceand unshakable lifeline.

In your view, what could be the economicopportunities provided by the New SilkRoads to the Middle East and CentralAsia?Construction of the “Silk Road economiczone” helps stability and prosperity inCentral Asia. Generally, the situation inCentral Asia is lagging behind otherregions in competition with surroundingeconomic development. Due tocontinued crisis and spreading chaosfrom Egypt, Syria, North Africa, WestAsia, the Central Asian States are facingnew challenges. At it is the regional level,approaching the withdrawal deadline ofthe United States and its NATO alliesfrom Afghanistan. The United States arefollowing a “pivoting” policy with Asia,with the intent to get rid of the burden ofthe war in Afghanistan, even abandoningAfghanistan in the chaos it was in, as wellas increased risks from the internationalterrorist organization “spillover”. Thepeace and security in Central Asia andSouth Asia are facing new challenges.Central Asian countries had been hopingto gain “leverage“ from China with itsstrong economic development. Theconstruction of the “Silk Road economiczone” has been precisely combining thegeographical advantage: Central Asiaacts as a bridge between East and West,Asia and EU. Central Asian countriesmight, through the promotion oftransportation, trade, energy and otherimportant areas of regional cooperation,promote their own economicdevelopment and social stability.Meanwhile, prosperity and stability inCentral Asia have a particular specialsignificance for the stable developmentof Xinjiang, China. Connected with thefive Central Asian countries, there areirreplaceable geopolitical relationships,with geo-economic and geopoliticalconvenience of cultural similarity forboth Xinjiang and Central Asiancountries, meaning that economic

cooperation has a more solidfoundation, and has potential forsustainable development in continentalEurasia. However, ethnic separatistforces, religious extremism and violentterrorist forces together referred to as“the three evil forces” are very active inCentral Asia and South Asia. Vigorousand violent terrorist activitiesundermine social stability in the region.


Li Lifan is anassociate researchprofessor at theShanghai Academy ofSocial Sciences,advisor to theOverseas ChineseAffairs Office ofShanghai Municipalityand Secretary Generalof the Center forShanghai CooperationOrganization Studies.He was a programchair of the NationalPlanning Project ofPhilosophy and SocialSciences, as well asof the National Projectsponsored by theOverseas ChineseAffairs Office of theState Council in 2006-2008. He participatedin the project forConsultation onDecision-Making forInternationalMetropolis Studies in2006 and was a chiefdrafter for theShanghai Municipalplan on OverseasChinese Affairs. Hehas lectured widely inthe U.S., Japan,Russia, Central Asiaand Europe, andpublished articles on avariety of topics withinChina and abroad.

Li Lifan

Central Asian countries and Pakistan,Afghanistan and other countries aredeeply harmed by “the three evil forces”,therefore the regional stability andsustainable economic development aremajor concerns for the policy of the NewSilk Road Economic Belt.

And what could be the importance ofEurope, and of Italy in particular, in

relation to the New Silk Roads?From Italy to China there is a total distanceof 14,000 km along the ancient Silk Road.The ancient Silk Road crossed 16 countriesand two large deserts. What links Chinaand Italy? In particular Italy’s strength indesign, innovation and creativity and itsdynamic small enterprises which aremostly welcomed by the Chinese market,with the focus on boosting investment.

Silk Road

Oil pump

The ancient SilkRoad crossed 16countries andtwo largedeserts.


Silk Road

Trieste, a hubof trade andculture


DEBORA SERRACCHIANIPresident of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia

A natural terminus forMediterranean maritime trafficas well as for ships coming fromAsia or the Persian Gulf, Triesteconnects the Adriatic Sea, andconsequently theMediterranean, not only tonorthern Italy, but to all ofCentral Europe. What is more,the completion of thearchitecture of the EuropeanUnion is increasingly puttingTrieste at the geopoliticalbarycentre of the area, thushighlighting its cultural dialogueand bridging capabilities.

For a magazine dedicated to thedialogue between cultures like“Papers of Dialogue”, Trieste (thecapital of the Friuli Venezia Giulia

Region) represents an extraordinaryexample of intercultural communication.In the 19th and 20th centuries your city,besides being a crossroads ofintellectuals of the calibre of Italo Svevo,Umberto Saba, Rainer Maria Rilke, JamesJoyce and Ivo Andric, was a true model ofintegration. How will the capital of FriuliVenezia Giulia continue to be a bridgebetween cultures also in the 21st century?There is a saying that correctly states thatTrieste does not “have” a port; it “is” a port.This definition metaphorically includes allthe characteristics that make the city open,

There is asaying thatcorrectly statesthat Triestedoes not “have”a port; it “is” aport.



inquisitive and tolerant. The completion ofthe architecture of the European Union isincreasingly putting Trieste at thegeopolitical barycentre of the area, thushighlighting its cultural dialogue andbridging capabilities. Here, there has beenno interruption in the long-dated and morerecent presence of different ethnical andlinguistic communities, including theMuslim community. World-renownedwriters like Claudio Magris, Boris Pahor andVeit Heiniken bear witness to the vital forceof a multilingual culture that thrives onever-new contributions. Alongside theletters, education and science are the othertwo pillars sustaining the international roleof Trieste: the United World College of theAdriatic, the International Centre for

Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology,the International Centre for TheoreticalPhysics, the Universities of Trieste andUdine, the Area Science Park, are onlysome of the over 30 research centres thatsteadily employ thousands of foreignresearchers. They are the assets thanks towhich the Autonomous Region of FriuliVenezia Giulia hopes to enhance the roleof Trieste in the world.

The port of Trieste has an exceptionalpotential as it connects the Adriatic Sea,and consequently the Mediterranean,not only to northern Italy but to all ofCentral Europe. What are the port’scurrent development options?Thanks to its port and logistic facilities,

Debora SerracchianiPresident of theAutonomous Region ofFriuli Venezia Giulia

Port of Trieste, Italy

Silk Road

Constructionwork on a newdry port logisticplatformoffering newfacilities andfinanced byprivateinvestors whohave decided toinvest in Triesteis scheduled tobegin soon.

Trieste constitutes a natural terminus forMediterranean maritime traffic as well asfor ships coming from Asia or the PersianGulf. Indeed, Friuli Venezia Giulia is theonly European region to be located at thecrossroads between Europe’s BalticAdriatic corridor, which directly linksTrieste to Munich, Vienna, Prague andCentral and Eastern Europe, and the“Mediterranean” corridor, formerlyknown as Corridor 5, which crosses theregion to give quick access to Budapestbut also to Milan, Turin, Switzerland andLyon, in France. Trieste is located at lessthan 500 km from Italy’s economic hubs(Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, andEmilia-Romagna) and from Central andEastern Europe (Bavaria, Austria,Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, CzechRepublic, Slovakia and Poland) via a veryefficient motorway system. The depth ofthe port enables the docking of last-generation transoceanic vessels of anysize. This is Trieste’s point of strength fromwhich we can upgrade its internationalrole. Construction work on a new dry portlogistic platform offering new facilitiesand financed by private investors whohave decided to invest in Trieste isscheduled to begin soon. It includes allthe main terminals, also for cruiser ships,and roll-on-roll-off container terminals.Furthermore, the Regional authorities

have recently received from the Italianrailway company, Ferrovie Italiane, aproject to re-launch the port’s railwaystation and a decision will soon betaken on the timing of this investment,which is aimed at enhancing theefficiency of railway infrastructuresover the next few years. Numerous additional rail freightservices are now offered from Trieste toCentral and Eastern Europe at veryadvantageous costs. This means that there-launching effort is not on the drawingboard but is ongoing.

In your capacity of Head ofInfrastructures for the Democratic Party(PD), you have addressed the need tore-launch Italy’s network of ports. Whatreforms are you planning in this field?Italy’s system of ports needs to bereformed and the Government hasbegun tackling the issue with greatdetermination. The provisions that havealready been presented are aimed atfostering the development and growth ofItalian ports, while reducing the numberof Port Authorities, modifying theirgovernance systems, introducing a moreappropriate port classification systemand especially promoting the integrationof Italian ports into the logistic network.This is precisely the innovative approach:clarifying the now unavoidableconnection between ports and groundservices must be seen as a strategic asset,especially in linking ports totransnational transport networks likeEuropean TEN-T corridors.The new governance of Port Authoritieswill have to therefore take intoconsideration not only the maritimeportion of transport but also the groundtransport segment by putting in place anefficient logistics chain capable ofcutting costs and increasing profits forfreighters and, indirectly, also for theState.

The Friuli Venezia Giulia Region ischaracterised by very dynamic


Italo Svevo

James Joyce

business activities. What initiatives do youintend to propose in order to increaseimport and export relations with theMiddle East, North Africa and Asia?The new Friuli Venezia GiuliaAdministration intends to open the door toeconomic relations with all rapidlydeveloping countries. We consider theseareas to have a high potential not only interms of their rate of development andeconomic opportunities but also in termsof establishing with them a collaborationon an equal footing, respectful ofeverybody’s needs. In addition, we alsointend to guide our businesses bysupporting the companies and institutionsof this region with a structured economiccooperation plan capable of highlightingthree of my Region’s main values: utmostprofessionalism, maximum reliability andfriendliness based on the respect fortraditions and institutions.In the past, many of my region’s businessesachieved great success in a number ofMiddle Eastern, African and Asiancountries. Now we have put in place aninstitutional business guidance system as

well as reception facilities for foreigninvestors. There is a wide range ofopportunities: we have a very advancedmechanical engineering industry, weproduce the largest cruisers in the world,we have one of the best scientific andapplied research systems in Europeemploying thousands of researchers andscholars, and a system of infrastructuresthat any foreign business can use totransport its products to Central Europein only a few days. The next initiatives will focus on thePersian Gulf countries, which havealready asked to meet with us. As for Asia,we intend to intensify our relationsespecially with South-East Asia, mainlythrough technology exchanges andscientific cooperation. Lastly, turning tothe Mediterranean, in addition tointensifying relations with Turkey andthe Mashreq countries, we also intend toincrease our presence in the Maghrebcountries, especially in a few sectors ofinterest such as maritime portconnections, the agro-food industry andindustrial machinery.

Daniel Atzori, PhD, isthe Editorial TeamCoordinator of Papersof Dialogue.

THE AUTHORDaniel Atzori

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Palazzo del Municipio,Piazza dell’Unita,

Trieste, Italy

As for Asia, weintend tointensify ourrelationsespecially withSouth-East Asia,mainly throughtechnologyexchanges andscientificcooperation.


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Economicdevelopmentandenvironmentalsustainability

What do you think of the30% power plant emissioncut ordered by U.S.President Barack Obama?

He issued an executive order (an act ofGovernment that does not need to beapproved by the Congress), which is onlythe latest of a number of acts passed lastJune and specifically concerns coal-firedpower plants already in operation.Previously, the U.S. had introducedstandards for new generation powerplants that were more ambitious thanthe ones in Europe, as well as measureson the “fuel quality” of cars andcommercial vehicles. In the presentround of negotiations on climatechange, which will next be held in Limaat the end of the year, the objective is toreduce the overall amount of emissions,extended to all sectors of the economy.The step taken by the United States is thefirst in the right direction towardsbreaking the stalemate in negotiationsbut it is not sufficient to keep on track inkeeping below the critical 2-degree riselimit in global temperature. America willhave to do much more because electricpower plants produce 40% of thecountry’s total emissions. It is not acoincidence that they have taken thisstep now, because the UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon has summoned aworld summit on climate in New York forSeptember. Another significant fact isthat the proposal was put on the tablebefore mid-term elections: Obama is notafraid of losing votes on this front, also inview of the repositioning of Republicanson the issue. Just think of the case of TomSteyer, the Californian billionaire whocreated a 100 million dollar fund withwhich to attack Republicans that run inthe elections with a negationist stand onclimate change. Lastly, it is no chance


MAURO ALBRIZIOHead of Legambiente’s European office

China is thefirst producer ofglobalemissions andits mainproblem is toestablish thepeak year,meaningthereby the yearin whichemissions willstop growing inabsolute terms.

Francesco Russo

Another significant fact is that theproposal was put on the tablebefore mid-term elections: Obamais not afraid of losing votes on thisfront, also in view of therepositioning of Republicans onthe issue.

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that the following country to take a precisestand was China…

China has committed, for the first time, toset a binding emission target. What do youthink this will imply?China is the first producer of globalemissions and its main problem is toestablish the peak year, meaning therebythe year in which emissions will stopgrowing in absolute terms. Up to now,Chinese emissions have diminished only inrelative terms, i.e. in terms of carbondensity and, for the first time, Beijing istackling the problem of setting adeadline by which emissions willstart decreasing also in absolute terms.Some have proposed 2030, but thegovernors of large metropolitan areas,where smog is a big problem, think that thepeak year should coincide with thegovernment’s 16th five-year plan andtherefore 2020. It is therefore probable thata compromise will be reached on 2025 butit will depend on the speed at whichrenewable energy sources will bedeveloped and on the amount of pressureexerted by the other countries of the worldduring negotiations. However, no one willbe allowed to stand by and simply buy time:neither the Republicans in the UnitedStates, nor the most short-sightedindustries in Europe. Nobody will beallowed to just stand by and wait for theAmericans and the Chinese to take action.

In essence therefore, after the positiontaken by the U.S. and China, it will nolonger be possible to close the Limasummit empty-handed and blame it all onthe world’s two super-powers...A few days ago in Bonn, the first round ofpreparatory negotiations for the Limasummit ended in a very positive climate, somuch so that a second round was convened

for the end of October, in order to arriveat Lima with a draft text to discuss, whichwill be the negotiated draft text for theglobal agreement to be signed in Paris inDecember 2015. The aim of the Limasummit is to outline a draft agreement tobe negotiated throughout 2015 in order

to arrive at Paris with a pre-negotiated agreement, thus

avoiding the fate of Copenhagen 2.These are full-scale negotiations and

nobody is allowed to opt out any more.The road is uphill but the ball is finallyrolling and everybody has accepted toplay in the match. However, the realmatch will be played on the amount offunds to be allocated to the GreenClimate Fund. For developing countriesto meet the targets, they will need money.

Talking about emerging economies, doyou fear that the economic slowdown

they are currently suffering might causea drop in emissions so great as to curbstructural initiatives?No, because they are seeing a greatmismatch between their GDPs and theiremissions. For example, a success story isthat of Portugal, a country that, accordingto Eurostat, recorded a GDP growth of44% between 1990 and 2012 while itreduced its emissions by 19% and greatlyincreased its renewable energy sources.Europe started decommissioning its fossilfuel-powered plants already in 2005 and itsnew installed capacity is only fuelled withrenewables. This trend was particularlysignificant in Portugal also because of itseconomic recession, which obliged it tomake the best of a bad bargain, learn fromthe errors committed by Spain with itsincentives and follow a more common-sense policy like the one put in place byGermany, which introduced an automaticreduction criterion reducing fossil fuel

In essence,Germans aim toreach anagreement on aposition similarto the 40/30/40proposal votedby theEuropeanParliament lastFebruary, so inthe Parissummit from aposition ofstrength.

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consumption proportionately to thegreater market penetration andtechnological maturity of renewableenergy sources.

What is the European Union likely tobring to the Lima summit? The 2030Climate and Energy package is nowdown to the final stretch…That’s right: it is scheduled to go to theEuropean Council on 23rd and 24th ofOctober. And, during the EuropeanEnergy Council of 12 and 13 June,Germany put on the table a three-targetproposal: a domestic 40% reduction ofgreenhouse gases, a threshold which is tobe subsequently raised ahead of the Parisagreement; a minimum 30% renewableenergy target and an energy efficiencytarget for the achievement of which Berlin

has asked the European Commissionto draft a proposal as soon as

possible, possibly before thesummer break. According tocorridor rumours, the targetshould range between 30% and35%. In essence, Germans aim to

reach an agreement on a positionsimilar to the 40/30/40 proposal

voted by the European Parliament lastFebruary, so that it might be approvedby the new parliament in order to startnegotiations in the Paris summit froma position of strength. Italy, which upto now has only stood by and watched,as the rotating president of theEuropean Union must now call theshots and do its utmost to bringforward the German proposal withforce.

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The magic of Morocco

Erfan Rashid


LAURA TERZANI

The best way to know a beautifulcountry such as Morocco issitting down with its people, alsowith old men and women, andlisten to their marvellous stories.They will greet you withgoodness and generosity, andthey will allow you to discovertheir land and their values.

After working many years as ajournalist for Italian publicbroadcaster RAI, Laura Terzanigave new impetus to her life by

finally doing what she always wanted todo: “being the mother of many children inTangier”. That is why she calls them “Mychildren in Tangier”: they go to her housethere, in Tangier, without beingannounced; they “knock on the door andcome in, just like children do when they’renot carrying their house keys in theirpockets”. Morocco, and Tangier in particular, sothrives in the hearts of Laura Terzani andher husband, Massimo Ghirelli, that theyopened a Moroccan corner in the heart ofold Rome, only a few steps away from theRiver Tiber. We meet Laura and Massimoat “Bab el Kasbah”, the Gateway to theKasbah, a concept store integrating ashop, a café, a meeting point but, aboveall, the gateway to Morocco, the Moroccothat is never shown on the news or on themedia: a Morocco of real-life, hard-working people who love their land andtheir values.Bab el Kasbah, is intended to be one of themany doors that Laura Terzani hasbrought back with her from Tangier ongiant prints that she exhibited at theCastel dell’Ovo, in Naples.“Every one of those doors is intended as abeckoning to come inside this country todiscover its real values and essence”.

Laura Terzani

Laura Terzani,Italian journalist andphotographer:«My children inTangier won the keyto my heart beforegetting the key tothe house»


Laura Terzani

Yes, they are a beckoning to take a deeplook into that world. How did thepictures fit in with Naples?“Yes, you’re right. Those pictures seemto have been shot right there, in Naples,because Naples, despite everything, is acity similar to many North African citiesand it is a city that stretches out its armsto welcome newcomers, without puttingup barriers. It is a city that is exhaustedbut extremely beautiful and fascinating.Some of Naples’s corners bring youstraight to Morocco and, through mypictures, I try to take people to Morocco,bringing viewers closer to that countryby entreating them to look at thosepeople with a different eye.There is an obnoxious saying that I haveheard repeated many times:«The Moroccans who live at home arebetter than those who live abroad». I find this saying misleading and Ialways try to explain that it is necessaryto look at a country comprehensivelyand not only through its negativeaspects. Morocco should be knownthrough the goodness and generosity ofits people. Most Moroccans are poor butif you visit their homes, they greet youwith great generosity and offer you thelittle they have.I think that we should convince people to

see Morocco not through the superficial eyeof a tourist or of those adventure-loversplanning to go on wildlife safaris in themagnificent desert. You need time to sitdown with people, also with old men andwomen, and listen to their marvellousstories. You need to know Moroccanwomen to understand how determinedthey are. They are factory workers, teachers,lawyers and even football players: youngwomen wearing a scarf on their head whileplaying football”.

Speaking about football, I know youmanaged to bring a football team toRome which was made up of young boysborn in Tangier; can you tell me the storyand what happened?“Yes, I brought them to Rome: 11 players,one coach and one deputy coach andanother man who came as the party’spolitical manager. After a lot of lobbyingand efforts, we managed to obtainpassports and visas. They wereaccommodated in the guest quarters ofthe Navy and, five minutes after the matchwith the youth team of the Roma footballclub, five of them vanished. They escapedto Spain. They were 13 and 14 years old atthe time. It was a hard blow on me becauseI felt betrayed. They betrayed the trust thatI had placed in them. But after a while, westarted thinking that maybe it was betterthis way. It was better for them to havereached Europe on a scheduled flightrather than on a dinghy because, sooner orlater, they would have fled Morocco.A while later I went to Spain to look forthem and they weren’t too bad off”. Among the pictures you exhibited in Naples,there is one showing several Moroccanssitting on stones on a beach at dusk, lookingtowards Spain, where they hope to go oneday. Some of your children came to the Westbut then returned home.

What memories have they retained of theItaly that they visited?“Many of them spent a long time here. Butthe memory they have retained is of thedisappointment of not having found the

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Erfan Rashid is theHead of Agi Arab desk.

THE AUTHORErfan Rashid

“Every one ofthose doors isintended as abeckoning tocome inside thiscountry todiscover its realvalues andessence”.

Gulf of Naples

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paradise they were dreaming of. Theythought that the affluence of theWest meant making easy money.When the five boys escaped toBarcelona, they found out that livingin the West means extenuatinglabour. Two of the five headed homeand three stayed. As I said, they’renot bad off. One of them works as anassistant plumber and the other asan assistant butcher. They will neverbecome rich even if, in themeantime, they have grown to bemen. They dreamt of becomingfootball players and they ended upworking as labour in several fields ofactivity. It means the end of a dream”.

Ali ben Youssef medersa, Marrakech

Marrakech spice market

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Journeys ofbody and spirit

The mysteries of travel are many,some being difficult to understandor comprehend. A connectingpoint between the person and hisfeelings, travel is also the way todiscover the magic of places, andto unveil the deepest secrets ofreality.

Travel is magic in ways words fail todescribe, a magic that caresses thesoul, plunging deep inside togenerate a convergence of the self

and its longings, somewhere betweendream and fact, reality and imagination.Travel is the way to discover the magic ofplaces. It is the strange meeting betweenman and place. It is a chance for therebellious soul to mix with an unknownplace, a chance to meet the past and bendbefore the magic of that which is at oncepast and present. Returning to the past andstepping between the paths of eternalmemories, meeting the souls of the greats


Travel is theway to discoverthe magic ofplaces. It is thestrange meetingbetween manand place.

Amer Al-Sabaileh

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that have refused to depart from that place;this is the way to detect the missing secrets,to question the trees and stones – keepersof history and silencers of secrets.Throughout the ages, travel has beenimposed on mankind as a basic means ofmoving about in the constant search formeans of livelihood. Perhaps the mostbeautiful description, which comes close toan intimate part of a human soul andattempts to express the depth of feelingevoked by travelling within our Arab region- where the desert was always the mostdifficult of places in which to roam - iscontained in the words of the late Jordanian


Throughout theages, travel hasbeen imposedon mankind as abasic means ofmoving about inthe constantsearch formeans oflivelihood.

poet, Taysir Al-Sayul in his great poem“Desert Sorrows”. In it he paints an imageof the Bedouin and his journey as thechanting of time and unique strummingof the instrument of hope, as the fusionbetween the origin of mankind and theanguish of the Arabian desert:

Once upon a timeFrom the depths of eternal cavesFlowing over stretches of Arabian desertsFlexible as the dream, magical and touchingAs the nights of ScheherazadeCrossing the summits of dunes, traversingthe chasms

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The poetic imagery of the journeymanand the relationship of man with place,the secrets of travelling and its pains areagain portrayed by the poet, with deepimagery of the symbolism surrounding adesert journey, its difficulties and hopes,pains and groans, aesthetics and magic:It was as if I returned to see him, a Bedouincrossing the desert steeped in futilityThe sun’s glare in his eyes and the sandpromising more sandSilent desert expanses and the anguish oftravellingThe voice sang and spread across theArabian desertBidding farewell to the torment of hismelancholic songs amidst the sand With the progression of human life, travelwas no longer limited to necessity alonebut became a matter of choice for thosewishing to break the ice and monotony ofdaily life, those who are ready to overturnthe routine and repetition of images. Longdistances are covered by man nowadays,searching from place to place for ameasure of sustenance, independence oreven some sort of freedom. The reasons

are many but the means are one: travel.

Journey of Body and Journey of SoulHow many of us have travelled in our soul toa place we desire before even seeing it? Howmany of us have cherished in our mind’s eyeimages of the places we love without havingset foot on those lands? How many of ushave carried within them hopes and dreamsalong the course of their long journey thatthe eyes of others have never seen?The best part of the bodily journey is itsconnection with the journey of the souldeep inside us. It is the opportunity for theimages in our memories to converge withmoments passed by in a hurry, moments ofreflection and being alone with oneself,escaping the commotion of daily life,seizing the moments to rest within one’ssoul and depend on oneself, allowing thefeelings of tranquillity and peace of mind topermeate the most pleasant moments,moments in which man meets his soul,placed on the sidelines by the concerns ofdaily life.The mysteries of travel are many, somebeing difficult to understand or

Travel changesone’s worldview. The hoursof the day mayseem longer.Man’s emotionsbecomemuddled andthe door isopened tocomparisonsand differentapproaches.

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comprehend. Travel changes one’s worldview. The hours of the day may seem longer.Man’s emotions become muddled and thedoor is opened to comparisons and differentapproaches. This presents a trueopportunity to see things from a variety ofangles. At some points, the journey seems tobe a sort of connecting point between theperson and his feelings, something moreakin to self-discovery and the quest forwisdom. These emotions naturally steer usto ask whether travel is only limited to thecorporeal realm. This is hard to answer butmany do feel that their spiritual emotionsand sensations have greater reactivity thantheir bodily sensations when travelling andmoving from place to place. Images of thepast, memories of yesterday, pictures ofloved ones and moments of joy and sadnesscling to them in a jumble of feelings andconfused senses; all spontaneously triggeredwhen a person is travelling.

Quest for points of divergence andconvergence with the otherIn spite of the great differences amongmankind, whether in appearance, colour,customs, rituals and life patterns, mostpeople lack interest in exploring other ways oflife and miss out on the pleasure ofdiscovering the new and different. This iswhere the magic of travel carries a latentappeal in terms of encountering the new anddifferent and uniting with others, a call tobreak through typified thinking and stopbelieving one has the only model of living.Travel makes man able to see what is differentfrom him and spurs him to merge the facts toarrive at the important conviction that all thatmankind bears of history and geography ismerely a part of the whole. Every human onearth is the son of history and geography andwe all know that. One person’s world cannotpossibly be the world of everyone.Moving away from the discovery of the other,travel also holds the secret of the self, ahidden power that enables man to delvedeep into himself in a trip that could bedescribed as a trip of self-discovery. This isthe point where he realizes his innerpotential, which he would not have

discovered without the concept of travel.Man’s desires and sentiments, what heloves and what he wants, who he is andwhere he is – how else could he revealhimself and compare his ideas andconvictions, sorrows and memories,images and stories with his counterpart,the other? Self-discovery is one of thesecrets of travel, but the limits of travelform a major hindrance to people today –borders, passports, visas and restrictions. We may ask here: How many of us havehad to abort our dreams due to theobstructions of borders and passports?How many of us were stopped by bordersfrom crossing into the land or place theyloved or wished to embrace?The great poet Mahmoud Darwishanswered these questions in his poem“Passport”. His words called on mankindto adopt a humanitarian passport as theonly medium for travel. Darwish says:“The hearts of all people are mynationality, so let my passport be revoked.”

Wisdom and TravelIt is quite a challenge for the life ofhumans to become like the life of birds,following the desire to live and find anend to journey after journey. Migratorybirds appear to be free, but in reality theyare bound and compelled to fly from skyto sky and place to place, migrating inevery season. Imagine what it is like to beobliged to depart with every comingseason. It may be the fate of a soul to belike the birds in the sky, taking on theimage of migratory souls, souls that arevictim to restrictions and captive in theprison of time.This is the greatest mystery of travel, thesearch for knowledge and wisdom –wisdom acquired by humans throughtravelling and mixing with a plurality ofminds and civilizations, with models ofhumanity, where humans meet theirbrother humans. Travel is not justmoving from one place to another; it ismoving up through steps of intellectualgrowth to reach the pinnacle of thought,that is, wisdom.

Amer Al Sabaileh is aUniversity Professorandjournalist.He was born inAmman, where hecurrentlylives and where heobtained a degree inModern Languages andLiterature, with aspecialization inEnglish and Italian.In 2003 he obtained aMaster’s Degree fromthe University of Romein “Educating forPeace, InternationalCooperation, HumanRights and EuropeanUnion Policies”, with adissertation onwomen’s rights inJordan.From 2004 to 2007 helived in Pisa to takepart in a Universityproject on cross-culturaland inter-religiousdialogue.Since 2007 he isProfessor at theDepartmentof European Languagesof the University ofJordan in Amman,holding courses onliterature, the media,contemporary thinkersand human rights.Among his works are“Contemplations(Taámulat)”; “WhenCultures Talk (TheFigureof Ali in the West)”,“Limitations ofAmerica’sPublic Diplomacy inthe Middle East”,“Managing Dialogue(The Figure of theProphet Mohammed inthe West)”, while 5more books arecurrently beingprinted.

THE AUTHORAmer Al-Sabaileh


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Tourism anddialoguebetweencivilizations

Morocco played a remarkablehistorical role, being at the sametime a gateway to Europe, Africa,the Mediterranean Sea and theAtlantic Ocean. It boasts animpressive cultural heritage,together with natural landscapesof exceptional beauty. Morocco is,therefore, not only a top touristdestination, but also a brilliantexample of dialogue betweencivilizations.

Tourism has evolved over time andhas become a cultural voyagebetween people and civilizations,aiming to safeguard e patrimony

of our ancestors and the environmentthroughout villages and nations, and totransmit the legacy to our children who willhave the mission to develop sustainabletourism. Tourism strengthens the interculturalencounters and dialogue betweencivilizations, which is manifested indifferent creative fields: journalism, arts,music, mass communication, religion andbusiness.The 55th congress of FIJET (FederationInternational des Journalistes et Ecrivainsde Tourisme) leads us to Morocco. 150members from more than 35 nationsparticipated in the congress, which wasorganized under the theme of “TourismVector of Dialogue among Civilizations”. Wehad the opportunity to visit Casablanca andMarrakesh under FIJET auspices at theannual congress that took place in theGolden Tulip Hotel from the 7th to the 13thof September, 2013, presided over by MrTijani Haddad, ex minister of tourism inTunisia.History has proven that civilizations are ashuffling of cultures and Morocco is a fertileplace for human encounters, and universaldialogue. Historically known as “AlMaghreb al Arabi”, it emerged as a famousdestination in North Africa, and thegateway to the Atlantic Ocean, welcomingthe visitors of the Mediterranean countries.Its culture is a blend of Arab and Berberwith European influences.The Phoenicians were pioneers ininstigating dialogue by creating thealphabet, and in the XII century BC theysettled in Morocco, then arrived on theMediterranean coast (Mellila) and Atlanticcoast (Lixus and Magador). The Romans inthe II century BC, settled in Maghreb andMauritania, and in the year 33 AC, Juba IIencouraged the arts and literature inMorocco.Oqba Ben Nafi initiated an expedition inMaghreb and replaced Latin with Arabic.


Dr George YounesPresident of A.L.TFIJET Lebanon (1)

1 A.L.T (Association Libanaise pour leTourisme), Membre of FIJETFIJET (Federation International desJournalistes et Ecrivains de Tourisme).

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Ait Benhaddou, fortified city in Morocco

Medina of Marrakech, Morocco

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The year 788 BC witnessed remarkablythe foundation of the first MuslimDynasty, by Idris I, who is the descendantof Fatima the daughter of the ProphetMohammad. Later in the X century the imbalancebetween sedentary farmers and nomadicpastoralists, blossomed in the growth ofMorocco. Actually the two successivereformer movements: the Almoravids andthe Almohads Dynasties, congregated theBerbers and created an empire thatstretched over Spain, Algeria and Tunisia.During the extraction and manufacturingof gold in Ghana (900-1500), the Muslimmerchants crossing the desert once peryear, carrying salt and other products andescorted by a procession of camels ofRomain origin, returned back home withslaves and animal skins and gold gatheredat Gao. This commercial exchangeenriched the dialogue and succeeded to

convert to Islam the princes passingthrough, despite the perilous journey andthe threat of nomadic Touareg.Ibn Batouta the famous voyager of Islamborn in Tangier (1304 – 1369) drew theheadlines of great achievements intourism and dialogue, and introducedanother type of communication channelto many dynasties ahead: the Watassides,Saadiens, Alaouites, who succeeded from1420 till 1900, before the institution of theFrench protectorate in 1912, and havingconsiderable impact on theindependence of Morocco in 1956.A different approach to dialogue isexpressed and materialized, in a liveexample shortly narrated below. MrKhaled el Quandili, the Ex-Moroccanworld champion in Kick Boxing, iscurrently the manager of Atlas TVChannel, destined for the Moroccandiaspora in France. Actually in 1980 the

His MajestyMohammad VIKing ofMorocco, rulesover aconstitutionalMonarchy withan electedparliament, isadopting atouristic visionfor the future incompliancewith theglobalizationrequirements

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young Khaled, immigrated to France andlater on started his career in Kick Boxing,and was reputed for his peaceful action inthe French suburbs, propagatingcommunication, helping the police inpreserving security, and struggling againstviolence and disturbance among theimmigrants in his dwelling area. In otherterms dialogue is the alternative andcredible instrument to support peace andto overcome difficulties and terrorism. Mr Quandili was present during the congressand he stated that the Atlas Channel willbecome a satellite channel of Franco Belgianand Moroccan contribution, promotingtourism as a vector of dialogue, showing thatMorocco is a safe destination despite beingsurrounded by unrest in the neighboringcountries.His Majesty Mohammad VI King ofMorocco, rules over a constitutionalmonarchy with an elected parliament, isadopting a touristic vision for the future incompliance with the globalizationrequirements. Morocco has become aplatform for international tourism andcultural and ecological development.Currently the tourism sector represents10% of GDP, and the Moroccan authoritiesare targeting 20 million tourists in 2020,putting Morocco consequently among thetop 20 tourist destinations in the world.Actually 20 billions of dirham were investedin 2013 in tourism, and 150 billion areexpected to finance new projects in order toachieve the target in 2020, and creating200,000 new beds making by this fact thejoy of the tourism observer. The 2020 target will be adopting anadvanced regionalization policy, consistingof tourist attractiveness and critical massnecessary for an international position.Casablanca and Marrakesh are consideredamong the key tourist destinations inMorocco. They are aggressivelycontributing to the economic and tourismboom, since they are enhancing theexchange of culture, arts, architecture anddifferent styles through a continuousdialogue of civilizations.Casablanca is playing a major role in the


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development of different economicalindustries in Morocco, and at thetourism level, the city is displaying “Art-Deco” by excellence, different periodsintertwined, a combination of“Hispano- Moresque” and “StreamlineModern” style architecture dating backto 1930.The prosperity of the city is owed tosome precursors, mainly: Prost“surnamed Haussman” who defined thecourtesy plans, and Ecochard who,since 1950, executed eminent projectsand works.The Hassan II mosque is anotherbreathtaking site to visit, theconstruction started in 1986, and theinauguration took place in 1993, it is thelargest mosque in the country and the7th largest in the world. Its minaret isthe world’s tallest at 210 meters and isdesigned in a square shape which isdifferent from the other minarets in theArab countries, and is considered awonderful sacred place open totourists. Morocco Mall the largest Mall in NorthAfrica, lies on the Atlantic Oceanborders on the Casablanca Cornice, agiant space stretching over 70,000 m2

and includes large landscaped gardens.Outside the Mall you can experience alive giant festival of hundreds of waterjets, which is the 3rd biggest musicalfountain in the world, 250 meters long,providing aerial choreographed scenes,inviting you for a ride of relaxation andcontemplation.Moroccan tourism takes into accountthe preservation of natural resources,the maintenance of socio-culturalauthenticity of the regions and thedevelopment and well-being of localpeople, to ultimately serve sustainabletourism.Marrakesh is the ideal city to explorethe natural life and discover huge andimpressive lands throughout the desert,Berbers huts made out of clay and tentsmade out of goats’ hair. In the biggervillages the Berber tribes live in hutsLands of Amanar, Morocco

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made out of stone. Here we see donkeycarts, cactus plants and tasty cactus pearsthat make our mouths water so that wewish to taste them in the hot desert.Marrakesh is one of the major cities ofMorocco, sitting at the foot of the HighAtlas, the highest mountain range in NorthAfrica with, in the south, the desert and tothe west the Atlantic Ocean, the city enjoysa strategic geographical situation and is asite of exceptional beauty, with more than1.5 million inhabitants. It stretches outover 700 km and is served by an airport. The Jemaa el-Fnaa square is the mainsquare in Marrakesh. The name probablyrefers to old destroyed congregationalmosque. It is a center point of livedialogue among traditions and cultures,and is listed as one of UNESCO’sintangible cultural heritage sites.Passing through al Haouz Province, wevisit an awesome attraction, the naturereserve Terres d’Amanar, being located 35minutes away from Marrakesh, theecotourism estate is totally integrated inthe Berber landscape and culture, andoffering to travelers (couples and families)in search of nature and solitude anexceptional hypnotic panoramic view ofBerber villages and the snow-cappedimposing Atlas mountains. In this exceptional natural haven you areinvited to relax and reconnect to naturewhile discovering the richness of Berberlandscapes and traditions. Terre d’Amanaroffers a wide range of experiences fromphysical and cultural activities to simplemoments of pure relaxation. Mountainbiking and the rope course with a Tyroleantraverse, swimming pools, hiking anddonkey or horse riding. Guests have theopportunity to attend local arts, crafts,glassware and pottery courses, and toshare unique experiences with localcommunities, savoring together thefamous dish of Tagine.Morocco is reputed for handicrafts, wheretourists can buy leather bags andtraditional shoes, and the oil of Arganextracted from the trees near Agadir City,which is renown worldwide and

recommended for food, massage andcosmetics. On the whole, like the early roamingmerchants, FIJET is weaving relationsbased on knowledge of each other,accepting the diversity of cultures andcivilizations, and is endeavoring tohighlight different religions, to bridgecultures among Mediterraneancountries, bring cultures closer, inparticular the Muslim and Christianreligions, and to make the Occidentunderstand that Islam is a religion ofmercy, forgiveness, advocating toleranceand consolidating love and peace,condemning violence and terrorism.Europe should open up a dialogue with allcountries bordering our Mediterraneanand studying the means which enhancethe cultural dialogue with Islam and findsolutions based on human rights,patrimony, democracy, language, cultureand media, because not only Europe’sfuture, but also world peace, hangs in thebalance. Euro-Mediterranean cooperationis returning, strengthened by the need tosafeguard the historical and geographicalunion represented by the Mediterranean,which is the bridge between cultures andalso a great economic resource.The geostrategic location allowed Moroccoto play a vital historical role, a gateway toAfrica, the Mediterranean Sea and to theAtlantic Ocean, and is located midwaybetween America and Europe. Theambitious Moroccan people have alwaysdreamed of majestic achievements.Nevertheless Morocco is aware of themassive tourism growth inconvenience,given that the social disparity that mightcreate some rebellion movements,which will impair the prosperity of thecountry, therefore the authorities areendeavoring to preserve humansustainable development and security.Finally Morocco is a good destination forculture, aspiring for the execution ofgiant touristic projects, and planning toattract bigger number of visitors,enabling the country to promote tourismand dialogue among civilizations.

Born in Lebanon froman immigrant familyestablished in Brazilsince 1890, GeorgeYounes graduated in1975 in PoliticalSciences from SaintJoseph University,Beirut, Lebanon. Lateron, he obtained hisState Doctorate(Doctorat d’État) inHistory from theLebanese University.He is the founder andpresident of theLebanese Associationfor Tourism (ALT),which is member ofthe World Federationof Travel Journalistsand Writers (FIJET).George Younes is alsomember of theConsultant Committeeof the Ministry ofTourism in Lebanon,executive member ofthe Federation ofSyndicates of Tourismin Lebanon and jointsecretary of the ArabFederation of TravelJournalists and Writers(FAJET).

THE AUTHORDr George Younes


In thisexceptionalnatural havenyou are invitedto relax andreconnect tonature whilediscovering therichness ofBerberlandscapes andtraditions.

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Poetry, amessage forhumanity

The Al-Babtain Foundation forPoetic Creativity and the Al-Babtain Foundation for DialogueAmong Civilisations are engagedin the promotion of culture,mutual understanding andtolerance among the peoples ofthe world.

AKuwaiti poet and well-knownbusinessman, Abdul Aziz Saud Al-Babtain is the chairman of theboard of trustees of the Al-Babtain

Foundation for Poetic Creativity and the Al-Babtain Foundation for Dialogue AmongCivilisations. He has major commercial andindustrial interests in Europe, the USA, Chinaand the Middle East and has variousinvestments in a number of Arab countries.He published his first collection of poemsIntimations of the Desert in 1995 and hissecond, Wastefarer, in 2004. He has receivedmany honorary degrees and severalprestigious honours, for his outstandingcontributions in the fields of poetic creativity,education and intercultural dialogue.

How did your passion for poetry start?It started in my childhood having been borninto a family that was very fond of poetry. Myolder brother Abdul Latif used to collectNabatean poetry in the diwaniya in the 1940s.I would serve them at night and would bringtea, coffee and water. I was 8 at the time and Ilearned the rhythm of poetry from them andit became imbued in my mind. I grew up inthe Diwaniya and within me my ardour forpoetry grew. When my father and my brotherAbdul Latif saw that I had this talent, theyencouraged me and I composed my firstpoem at the age of 11. They introduced me togreat Arab poets like Omar Bin Abi Rabia, AlShaabi, Mahmoud Taha and Jamil Buthaina. Ihungrily gobbled them up and acquired alinguistic repertoire of poetic language. Irecited my first poem in classical Arabic whenI was 14. As I learned more about poetry andpoets, I became convinced that poets are


ABDUL AZIZ SAUD AL-BABTAIN

As I learnedmore aboutpoetry andpoets, I becameconvinced thatpoets aredifferent fromother people.

Abdul Aziz SaudAl-Babtain


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different from other people. The poet carriesa message for humanity. I also believed thatGod had given man a trust and I wasconvinced that God had given me theresponsibility of striving for harmonybetween people and eradicating evil, violenceand hatred among people.

What was your family’s social standingand your relationship with books?I grew up in a modest family. My father wasneither rich nor poor, but I could notcomplete my studies because my familyneeded me. In 1954, I worked as a secretary atthe Shuwaikh secondary library in Kuwait. Iimmensely benefited from this library which Iwas able to organise in a contemporarymanner. I had to read the books I wasclassifying and place numbers on them. I didnot only read poetry but about all areas ofknowledge. In September 1957, I left my jobat the library and went to work in the wagesdepartment at the Ministry of Education.There, too, I continued reading. I rememberthat my older brother would give me a bookand I would read by the lantern as we did not

have electricity. To this day, I do not sleepunless I have read for at least half an hour.Next to my bed, at home or in a hotel, orwherever I am staying, you will find a booknext to my bed. I read it until I go to sleepand the book falls from my hands. All of thishas benefited me so much.

How did you make your fortune?When I was 20, I started to think about myfinancial situation, so I rented a small shopin a village in Kuwait. Unfortunately, after 6months, I was unable to pay rent and wagesfor a shop worker as I wasn’t dedicated totrading. From 1956 to 1962, I had fouroccupations in one day: in the morning, Iworked at the Education Council, in theafternoon, I traded at the shop, and in theevening I studied. I also ran a household.When I felt that trading at the shop wouldfail, I started to think differently anddecided to take goods to the grocers so thatthe grocer would not have to leave his shopand waste money on a taxi coming andgoing, so I would provide them with thefood and save the additional cost and lossof customers if they closed. This workamazed grocers and increased the trustbetween us. My revenues improved and Ibought a small second hand car andinstead of going around the streets on foot,my work expanded to other villages andgrew. Of course, it’s a long story. Then somecompanies who liked my business came tome and I made lucrative agreements withthem whereby I became an agent for anumber of companies in Kuwait and SaudiArabia. I had a shop in Kabul inAfghanistan and shops in all the ports onthe Mediterranean Sea such as Istanbul,Port Said, Alexandria and Athens. At thattime, my brothers Abdul Wahab and AbdulKarim were at university. Then they cameto work in 1973. The head of one companydied a couple of years ago. He was 93 andbased in Athens. He was the manager forKuwait, the Gulf and North Africa. He wrote13 pages about me in his memoirs. He wasamazed by the work. He wrote, “I amcertain that Abdul Aziz thinks about buyingand selling even in his sleep”.

Thanks to God,thousands ofstudents havegraduatedthrough theFoundation’sdelegations andtoday they arein top positionsin theircountries,includingministers,ambassadorsand judges.

Al-Babtain Central Library for Arabic Poetry, Kuwait City

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How did you become interested inculture?In the beginning, I was interested in learningas I had not finished my studies. To relievemy conscience, I started the Saud Al-Babtain’s Kuwaiti Commission for Post-Graduate Studies, in the name of my latefather. We started this in 1974 by sending 5students each year from poor families tocomplete their studies outside Kuwait inAmerica, Britain or France. In 1983, thisexpanded to Kuwaiti students who did notget the grades to be able to go to Kuwaituniversities or join delegations, so we sentthem to these countries for languagecourses and stipulated that they had to getoutstanding grades to qualify for entry toKuwaiti universities. In 1991, after theliberation of Kuwait, we went to formerSoviet states and now take 100 students eachyear for studies in Egyptian universities.After that, we added 50 more students eachyear from Africa and North Africa. We havegiven 50 grants each year to the children ofPalestinian martyrs. After the fall ofSaddam’s regime in Iraq, we went to Basra,Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad and Mosul,renewed our connections and sent studentsfrom Iraq. Thanks to God, thousands ofstudents have graduated through theFoundation’s delegations and today they arein top positions in their countries, includingministers, ambassadors and judges. I amcontent that I was able to save these needypeople and refused to turn them awaywithout offering them support. The AlBabtain Foundation has so far built 26schools in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq,Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan andGeorgia and in a month, we will open aschool in Mongolia. The Maldives is alsoinvolved.

What about the training sessions you’veheld?We’ve held training courses for 15 years toteach Arabic and poetry in 57 universities inmost Arab countries and African and Asiancountries. For the past 15 years, we’ve beenArabising the Comoros in dealings and eventhe language. It is an Arab state that speaks

Swahili and French and we made anagreement with the president to set upArabic courses for 15 years. The courses areoffered to judges, teachers, ministers andeven students. I remember the last time wetravelled there, we found a very positiveresponse from men and women as theyhave found that Arabic is the language of thefuture. We covered four islands and gavethem modern learning equipment, 50 items,to help them with pronunciation and tolearn Arabic quickly. The current presidentof the islands is African and doesn’t knowArabic. He asked us to follow up the issueourselves with his people and under hisauspices. He too is learning with an Arabicteacher. Around two months ago, for the firsttime, the president gave a speech to thepeople in Arabic. We have also had theirpoets take part in our poetry festivals andpublished a magazine and journal in Arabicfor them. In Chad, we are currently carryingout similar work. We have students thereand they have a poetry prize.With respect tocultural centres, we built a centre inAlexandria with the University of Alexandriato work on poetic heritage and we haveprinted dozens of poetry collections thathave been neglected for a thousand years.We put them together and printed them. AtCordoba University, we have set up the AlBabtain Centre for the Dialogue ofCivilisations and at the University of RomeIII we have set up the Al Babtain Institute forEuro-Arab Dialogue with the Spinelli Centre.In fact, the dialogue of civilisations andcentres started after the events of September11, 2001 which were exploited to attackArabs and Muslims and particularly toaccuse them of terrorism. The truth is thatterrorism, in specific circumstances, canemerge in any religion. Terrorism is aphenomenon that is separate from religion,but it can exploit religion. Religions wereoriginally and continue to be about peaceand love.

Do you have special relationships withworld leaders?Of course, with kings and presidents. I canmention that with Cordoba University and

We’ve heldtraining coursesfor 15 years toteach Arabicand poetry in 57universities inmost Arabcountries andAfrican andAsian countries.

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under the patronage of King Juan Carlos, weheld the Ibn Zaidoun course through whichour voice reached all European countries. Theproof of this is my invitation by UNESCO’sJapanese head to meet 14 Japaneseambassadors in Paris. He literally told me, “theaims of your foundation are very similar tothose of UNESCO in holding a dialogue ofcivilisations and co-existence betweendifferent religions, and we would like tocooperate with you in this field”. After that, weheld the Lamartine and Shawki courses inParis under the auspices of the Frenchpresident Jacques Chirac. This was at theUNESCO headquarters in Paris. Both poetsworked on the dialogue of civilisations andreligions. Lamartine wrote about the prophetof Islam when he stayed in Egypt and theLevant. Shawki did the same when he studiedin Paris for three years and brought lyricaltheatre into Arab literature. It was somethingArab poetry had not experienced before.There are lots of other examples of this in theFoundation’s history.

The Foundation’s current focus is ondialogue of civilisations?Absolutely. I have taken the important firststep as what is needed is that we talk toEurope and we show them the facts as theyare, without mediators. For this reason, Iestablished the Al Babtain Translation Centreto translate scientific, philosophical and otherbooks for Arabs. The aim is to find a way ofreaching a mutual understanding betweenpeople. This is why many westerners havewritten about the Foundation. LastNovember, at the European Parliamentbuilding in Brussels, we held a large seminaron Euro-Arab dialogue under the auspices ofthe president of the parliament. It wasattended by politicians and intellectuals fromthe Arab world, Europe, the United States andAsia. It was one of our most successfulseminars as we brought the two sides togetherand discussed issues rationally and seriously.On 21 October this year, we have an importantmeeting with King Mohamed VI at a carnivalin Marrakech about the poets Abu Tammamand Ammar Abu Risha. In 2015, there will be ameeting about the dialogue of civilisations in


London, UK. As usual, we will inviterepresentatives of the three faiths – Muslims,Christians and Jews - to give speeches on loveand brotherhood.

What message do you want tocommunicate to the world through theseactivities?We are striving for peace and we are againstbloodshed. God created men as brothers toenjoy life and not to fight one another. Wewant mutual understanding and tolerance.We have had enough of wars and we have hadenough of dangerous ideas. At theFoundation, we do not discriminate betweenpeople. We don’t care about their sex, colour,appearance and language: they are people.For example, in Brussels, we gave a majorhonour to the Jewish thinker Avraham Shlaim,a lecturer at Oxford University. Afterwards, theformer president of Portugal in his capacity asa head of the coalition between civilisationsasked me for a bursary for 10 Syrian studentswho did not complete their studies because ofthe war in Syria. I respected this from a manwho is not Arab or Syrian. He is a noble andcourageous man. We gave him 100 bursariesfor Egypt and 10 for Portugal. This is our rolethat I hope states will cooperate with us on.

We heard that you have been nominated forthe Nobel Peace Prize and that you are inthe top ten...This is true. I was nominated by Europeanagencies and some Arab intellectuals. I amgrateful to them for this. The prize isn’t whatmatters; it is understanding the purposebehind the prize and its philosophy.

We are strivingfor peace andwe are againstbloodshed. Godcreated men asbrothers toenjoy life andnot to fight oneanother. Wewant mutualunderstandingand tolerance.

The internationalConference: “Euro-Arab dialogue in thetwenty-first century”,2013 Brussels

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Two Italians onthe Bridges ofSarajevo

Artists make huge efforts toreinforce the language ofcoexistence in areas ravaged byconflict, and one such area was theBosnian capital city of Sarajevowhich, until the start of the tragedyof the Balkan war, was a model ofcoexistence between differentgroups and different religions. Infact, artists are constantlyrethinking and promoting thehistory of that city in order tomake it, once again, a startingpoint for dialogue and coexistence.

The film “No Man's Land” Thedirectors Vincenzo Marra andLeonardo di Costanzo talk abouttheir experiences in a European

anthology film which warns against thedangers of war.

The film “No Man’s Land” directed byBosnian Danis Tanovi ends with a scene ofgreat portent and foreboding; and the entireworld should take note, especially after aseries of wars, great and small, which haveaffected a number of continents since thebreak-up of the Soviet block: wars in the Gulfand in the Balkans, as well as other conflicts


The film “NoMan’s Land”directed byBosnian DanisTanovi endswith a scene ofgreat portentand foreboding;

Erfan Rashid

LEONARDO DI COSTANZOVINCENZO MARRA

in various parts of Europe:The scene is in a trench where two soldiersfrom opposing sides find themselves facingthe same fate. Against a horizon which isdefinitively closed, each finds himself facingthe other in the presence of a wounded manlying on a plank of bare wood under which isa landmine which will explode if he makesthe slightest movement.The significance of the scene is clear in itsextreme bitterness: an empty andmeaningless battle leads everyone to thesame inevitable fate, a fate which will notdistinguish between them. Everyone, justlike the two antagonists in the Balkans, is


Yet there isanothermeaning here,even bittererthan the destinyof imminentdeath: the worldis lying on alandmine whichcould explodeat any moment.

sentenced to die and everyone, just likethose men, is trapped in the same trench.Yet there is another meaning here, evenbitterer than the destiny of imminent death:the world is lying on a landmine whichcould explode at any moment.This is why artists make such efforts toreinforce the language of coexistence inareas ravaged by conflict, and one such areawas the Bosnian capital city of Sarajevowhich, until the start of the tragedy of theBalkan war, was a model of coexistencebetween different groups and differentreligions. In fact, artists are constantlyrethinking and promoting the history of

On set of "Bridges of Sarajevo"

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that city in order to make it, once again, astarting point for dialogue and coexistence.It is in this context that we must considerthe work of thirteen European filmmakerswho presented their joint omnibus project“Bridges of Sarajevo” as part of the officialprogramme at the sixty-seventh CannesFilm Festival last May. The group includes anumber of big and important names inEuropean cinema, such as Jean-LucGodard, as well as two Italian directorsLeonardo di Costanzo and VincenzoMarra. In addition to them there are theBosnian Aida Begic, the French Isild LeBesco, the Bulgarian Kamen Kalev, theFranco-Swiss Ursula Meier, the RussianSergei Loznitsa, the Serbian VladimirPeriši , the Romanian Cristi Puiu, theCatalonian Spanish Marc Recha, theGerman Angela Schanelec and thePortuguese Teresa Villaverde.The magazine “Papers of Dialogue” metwith the two Italian filmmakers Leonardodi Costanzo and Vincenzo Marra at theCannes Festival.

Leonardo di CostanzoYou have taken the story of the Sarajevowar from the point of view of those whowere considered to be cowards or whodid not take part in the war but who werereal heroes because they had thecourage to refuse, to say no to the war,sometimes paying with their lives. Whydid you make this choice?First of all thank you very much for havingperceived this aspect of the film. Of course Ihad read a lot on World War I and thisaspect of people’s individual responsibility,of the extent of individuals’ involvement inconflicts and massacres and what they cando is something that is widely debated. Butthese are heroes because generally heroesare considered to be those who kill and notthose who refuse to, but this idea ofrefusing war to the point of committingsuicide was important because it is not bychance that, in the film, the one whocommits suicide is precisely the bravest,the one with the most experience who wasexpected to assure the success of the

We have tocontinue doingour workhumbly, withcare, whilerememberingthat we have tokeep on thealert, keep ourdefences upbecause we tendto think thatwar eitherbelongs to thepast or tosomeone else.

Vincenzo Marra

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mission. So, this extreme act is at the sametime due to fear, like in De Roberto’s story,but it is also an act of rebellion against a wayof reasoning. During WWI, like in many otherwars, there were a lot of people who rebelledand I think we should pay tribute to theseunknown heroes and their acts; even if theiracts arise from fear, which is human, there isno man who does not know fear and, if therewere, those would be the people to fear.

While we’re talking there is a violentrainstorm with bolts and lightening andluckily they can bring us luck, even if, afew thousand kilometres from here, therewas the war of Sarajevo and of the Balkansbut now there is another war going on inSyria. Certainly you thirteen directors givea hard blow to all the internationalcommunity, warning them that there is wararound the corner, but what is theimportance of your presence here? Youare like the twelve disciples and Jesus,thirteen in all, but Judas is elsewhere, if wecan put it that way…We continue to make films on war becausewar is not something with which man is atpeace. War continues. We have to continuedoing our work humbly, with care, whileremembering that we have to keep on thealert, keep our defences up because we tendto think that war either belongs to the past orto someone else. Instead, we have to thinkthat, at any point in time, we can fall prey towar. We have to keep our defences high; rightnow we are surrounded by war: in the MiddleEast, in Syria, in Ukraine. War is not over for us.

I don’t want to oblige you to talk aboutpolitics but current events directly involvepolitics. There is another war in theMediterranean Sea, with thousands ofpeople fleeing from wars.I don’t think we can stop this changingprocess: war is always around the corner andtherefore we have to continue believing thiseven if we don’t like it and would preferfacing something else, we have to keep it inmind because, in some way, it is a sign ofopening up, both externally and internally. Itis our only option: we don’t have any other

option; I can’t imagine people returningwithin their boundaries. Quite theopposite: we have to continue openingboundaries and welcome the peoplefleeing from wars. I hope the situation willimprove in the future and I think we shouldcommit to improving it and I really can’tunderstand these anti-European feelingswhich only hide nationalist and parochialand individualist feelings, closing doors tothe external world.

Vincenzo MarraMemory for me has always been afundamental issue, along with the issue ofemigration and of people’s belonging. Myvery first film talked about this. I try to talkabout this in every film: someone who hashad to escape independently from his willfrom poverty, being exploited, andobviously, also from war. This time, I wasimmediately greatly interested in the Awayfrom Sarajevo project. When I was told that,if I wanted to, I could film one of stories onSarajevo, I thought it was a very interestingproject. Apart from the fact that talkingabout the diaspora of these people wasobvious and almost obligatory, I thought itwould be a great opportunity. Althoughover two decades have gone by since theend of the war, there are still two and a halfmillion Bosnians who still living away fromBosnia. It is an incredible number inproportion to the country’s overallpopulation. So I thought it was necessary topay tribute to all those who had to flee thecountry to save their lives or for some otherreason. I’m sure that this is what makes thetheme universal.

And is this why you chose Rome, toconvey this sense of universality? No, I chose Rome because my idea was toportray faces but also what lies behindthese faces: I liked the idea of making themost of the 9-minute film that was allottedto me. I was categorically told that the filmswere to last nine minutes each. In my films,I have always tried to put in somethingmetaphorical and Rome conveyed this ideaof metaphor: the metaphor of the image,


Apart from thefact that talkingabout thediaspora ofthese peoplewas obviousand almostobligatory, Ithought itwould be a greatopportunity.Although overtwo decadeshave gone bysince the end ofthe war, thereare still two anda half millionBosnians whostill living awayfrom Bosnia.

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there are many references made to religion,to identity, a broken bridge that is muchmore eloquent than a thousand words, aknife cutting meat. Rome could offer memany opportunities: the last Queen ofBosnia who is buried on Capitol Hill; inshort, a lot.

There is also the water that flowsunderneath that bridge, marking thepassing of time. Another metaphor isthat this couple doesn’t have children.Was this a choice or did you choose tomake this family childless because oflack of time?The idea was that of a coup de theatrerevealing that they had lost a child duringtheir journey. I chose a couple of amateuractors and turned them into a couple, intoactors, and to date, in their real life, neitherof them has had children so it reveals anextraordinary coincidence with my made-up story.Vincenzo, during this festival we have alsoseen a film on the ongoing war in Syria. Everyday in the Mediterranean there is anotherwar with people dying amidst the waves.What is going on? The crisis, fear, difficultiesand distress: all this can often createxenophobic and racist reactions. History

tells us this. I don’t want to criticize anyonebecause I think we must of respectful thedifficulty of individuals. In my life, I haveoften live outside of Italy, also in so-calledThird World Countries, and I like to quotewhat they say over there: “You don’t evenknow the real meaning of crisis”, quite astrong statement that sometimes reflects thetruth. The creation of wealth withoutretaining the memory and foresight of manyevents. The only thing that interests is theeconomic aspect, this division of wealth,while there are many things in our lives thatshould also remind us of who we are andwhere we come from. Italy is a country ofemigrants and so we should show moresolidarity at times. It might appear to be arhetorical statement but anybody saying soshould be reminded that, even behindrhetoric, there can be some element ofsincerity. So if someone tries to make a littlestatement with the best intentions andpeople immediately jump on you sayingthat you are a director and intellectualsaying something obvious and rhetoric. Butthen when can a director say something?You can never say anything because peopletend to label you. So I go ahead and say it: if acountry overlooks talking about the pastperhaps it has also lost a bit of its dignity.

In my life, Ihave often liveoutside of Italy,also in so-calledThird WorldCountries, and Ilike to quotewhat they sayover there: “Youdon’t even knowthe realmeaning ofcrisis”, quite astrongstatement thatsometimesreflects thetruth.

Vincenzo Marra & Fatima Neimarlija

Documents

Papers of Dialogue - 2 - 2014 - English