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KC Conference on ‘Intercultural Communication’: Culture has six layers, says Javed Jabbar

Staff Report

LAHORE: There is a need for two-way intercultural communication but without one culture dominating the other, said Javed Jabbar, the keynote speaker on Sunday, the final day of the international conference on ‘Intercultural Communication’.

The American Consulate, British Council Pakistan and Kinnaird College for Women (KC) jointly organised the conference. Shahid Rasheed, the secretary of the Punjab Education Department was the chief guest on the final day.

Mr Jabbar, a former federal minister, highlighted the role that state and independent media played in promoting inter-culture communication and multi-culturism (the concept of people with different cultures living in the same region). He added that culture had six layers. “First is universal defined by basic values; second is geographical, shaped by where one lives; third is ethnic, where differences are shaped by religion; fourth is commercial, shaped by necessities and method of exchange and the fifth being conflict, where you are forced to mange conflict”.

Mr Jabbar said, “The most important layer is the multi-culturism by gender. It takes a long time for multi-culturism of gender.” He said that it took years for ‘liberal’ nations such as Britain and France to achieve democracy for women.

Mr Jabbar emphasised the need for creative ideas and declared technology being used by the media a catalyst for multi-culturism. He said the trend of dominate-multi-culturism was emerging, where one culture was displacing another. He cited the example of South Asia where India dominated other countries. He added this was also happening in Pakistan where Punjabi culture was dominating other cultures. Mr Rasheed said that intercultural communication was not an option but a necessity. He said, “Effective intercultural communication is an essential survival tool in this highly connected world.” He highlighted the economic, cultural and social importance of intercultural communication.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Mr Rashid said, “I do not want my house to be walled on all sides and my windows be stuffed. I want the culture of all lands to float freely about my house but I refuse to be blown off my feet by them.” He raised the questions does one know how global interaction affects one’s cultural identity? Does this bring about similarities or differences? And is the new cultural diversity a threat that must be guarded against?

Prof Ira Hasan, the principal of KC, called for engaging in dialogue with each other. “It is encouraging that we are giving importance to such issues. Talking to each other means we are ready to listen” she said.

Quoting ‘The paradox of our age’ Prof Hasan said, “We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wide free ways but narrow viewpoints; we spend more but have less; we buy more but enjoy less; we have learned how to make a living but not a life; we have been all the way to the moon but have trouble crossing the street to meet our neighbours; we conquered outer space but not inner space.”

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