What common elements do people from different cultures have? In essence, we are human beings with the same needs and abilities. We have principles, projects and beliefs. A heart that loves and suffers. A mind that thinks, knows and communicates. A body that looks, hugs and walks forward. That relates to others. The question invites us to reflect on the common things that make us equal, beyond all differences between different peoples and individuals. It’s about what unites us.
The transforming action based on the conviction that there will be no progress without and for everyone was proposed by Clara Gómez-Plácito and Íñigo Gómez-Plácito, activists of the organization Convergence of Cultures, during the round table Interculturality, encounter and dialogue between human beings held as part of the European Humanist Forum 2018.
In a dynamic and entertaining session, the moderators proposed playful activities to promote dialogue on the great challenges of interculturality at the present time, encouraging people from different backgrounds, including Latin Americans, Europeans and Africans, to share their thoughts, experiences and actions on the subject.
In the face of migration processes and population displacement due to conflicts, the lack of information and treatment for people leaving their countries in search of new life opportunities was addressed. Instead of being a statistic on arrival and departure papers, they are human beings with unique stories and characteristics.
During the day, different concepts such as interculturality and planetarisation were also discussed. The first of these, interculturality, by emphasizing the idea of relationship, goes beyond the term multiculturalism or simple coexistence. For its part, planetarisation expresses the progressive interrelationship of the world, which can be distinguished from globalization, which according to the speakers, revolves around the expansion of market economics across all territories and social levels.
The meeting closed with a beautiful presentation of an African song with a message of peace, and with the final conclusion of the speakers who highlighted the need to shake hands, since only together can we go around the world and change the perspective towards the construction of a Universal Human Nation.
