“In the current world situation, cultural diversity and the arts play a vital role in fostering understanding, empathy, and creativity,” says Professor Chen Zhongwen. “The challenges we face have made the need for a nuanced and comprehensive approach to education more important than ever.” UNITWIN Theater is passionate about the performing arts as Deputy Director of the International Theater Institute Professor Chen, Coordinator of the Arts Higher Education Network (China), is one of the many UNESCO Chairs of UNESCO’s University Cooperation Program UNITWIN, contributing to its contributions. Towards the development of the new UNESCO Framework for Cultural and Arts Education, recently adopted by the World Conference on Cultural and Arts Education (13-15 February 2024).
Professor Gloria Patricia Zapata Restrepo, UNESCO Chair on Peace, Arts, Education and Culture (Colombia), brings to WCCAE’s international dialogue her experience studying rich cultural expressions and arts education in countries with a particular emphasis on social cohesion. Brought it in. It was devastated by internal conflict. For her, the new framework integrates arts and cultural education, unlike previous frameworks (in particular the Roadmap for Arts Education adopted in Lisbon in 2006 and the Soul Agenda for the Development of Arts Education). is an important step. “Arts and culture are very important to us,” she says. “We have to think about culture and the arts, especially when we think about cultural diversity and identity and how people express themselves through their own traditions.”
Currently the UNITWIN Arts Education and Research Coordinator for Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development, Professor Jorissen is a leading advocate of the Soul Agenda for building international communities and international networks, especially between the Global South and the Global North. While he admires WCCAE, he also sees it as an opportunity for expansion. It is a concept that goes beyond Western-centric educational styles that primarily focus on the individual and often separate the individual from their community and society. He argues that, reflecting Germany’s large Turkish immigrant population, incorporating traditional Turkish instruments into art education would be a good idea to promote social cohesion in the country. He is a member of the German Government’s National Advisory Committee on the Use of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Cultural and Arts Education.