A way to support the cultural dialogue between East and West after the revolutions in the Arab region
Rania Elwardy
Assistant Professor of German Literature in Ain Shams University, Egypt
Head of the Arab-European Dialogue Forum at the Arab Writers and Intellectuals Union in Paris since 2019
Member of the Board of Association of the Austrian revolutionary writer Jura Soyfer in Vienna from 2011 until now
Member of the advisory board of INST since 2011 and member of its board since 2019
Introduction:
Revolutions broke out in the Arab region in 2011, and the dreams of youth with the possibility of change and transit into the future came with them. And the gap between dream and reality overthrew the dreams of the youth, and indeed the dreams of Arab societies, in the safe passage to the future. In light of these tensions, the shouts of the existence of a conspiracy hatched on the Arab countries by the West have risen, but The Arab Virtual European Conference demonstrated by the conclusive evidence that is derived from Western literature, especially Austrian literature, the ability of enlightened cultural dialogue, especially through literature, to cross challenges and crises. Building on the success achieved by the Arab-European virtual conference with the testimony of the participants themselves, I propose a set of ideas that would support more enlightened cultural dialogue between East and West after the revolutions in the Arab region.
The first idea:
Supporting the establishment of a virtual conference in the Arab countries
• Supporting the establishment of a virtual conference in the Arab countries to discuss similarities and differences between the ideas of the young revolutionary Jura Soyfer, which he presented in his literary works, and the ideas of revolutionary writers in different Arab countries before, during and after the Arab revolutions in 2011, which they presented in their literary works. Thus, the reality becomes clear through literature, and Arab and Western literature becomes a medium for enlightened dialogue on the thorny issues sparked by the revolutions in the Arab region.
• I suggest that Conference President Dr. Herbert Arlet inaugurate the conference with words on revolutionary literature in Europe, particularly Austria, during periods of military rule, with an evaluation of the literature of Jura Soyfer in the framework of European and Austrian revolutionary literature.
• I also suggest that Researchers in the work of Soyfer in countries such as Croatia, Brazil, Russia Germany and others participate to explain how literary works of Soyfer were received in their country with my translation of these researches into Arabic, which supports the management of cultural dialogue between East and West with a global look.
• I suggest that directors from Austria, Germany, Croatia and other countries participate, explaining how the viewer receives the Soyfer works and their expectations to receive these works in the Arab world. It is an honor for me after the conference to translate these researches into Arabic, while submitting a mini-report on these researches at the end of each day of the conference. This represents an incentive for Egyptian and Arab directors to stage soyfers work on the stage of the Arab theater. In the framework of the electronic conference, Link can display one of the electronic plays that were theatrical in Croatia, Germany or Austria, with a summary in Arabic participate.
• I also suggest that researchers in the work of Soyfer and learners of his work in the German language in Arab universities participate
• The conference could also include literary critics, journalists and writers from Egypt and the Arab countries presenting working papers in the conference on comparing the work of Soyfer and the works of writers of the 2011 revolution in Arab countries.
The second idea:
The second idea: the idea of presenting a series of virtual seminars on European revolutionary and Austrian literature.
Sientific Director Dr. Herbert Arlt can write a series of seminars, two or three seminars on European revolutionary literature, especially Austrian, and I translate it into Arabic and send it to those wishing to attend the symposium from Arab intellectuals and writers, but also from the youth who wish. It is desirable that the attendees be among the writers and intellectuals in the Arab countries who hold positions as peace readers and have their previous activities in the Arab countries in support of this. The discussion in the symposium focuses on discussions on the questions asked. I am honored to write summaries of the discussions in the symposia in Arabic and German in order to document the activities of the symposia on the Soyfer website.
The third idea:
3.1. Poetry evenings to support cultural exchange between East and West
Poetry evenings to support the concept of globalization through the poems of Soyfer where the poem of the simple man is read in different languages to confirm that Soyfer collected through his poems humanity despite its different languages. His poem on peace can be read in different languages. Reading poems in different languages can be recorded and posted on the Soyfer website
3.2. Poetry evenings to support cultural exchange between East and West
Where the poem of Soyfer is read in the German and Arabic language and every Arab poet participating in the evening reads a poem for him or a poem by a revolutionary writer from his country during the 2011 revolution that deals with the human revolution against himself to restore humanity. And if it is not possible to have this human poem during the revolution in one of the Arab countries, he will read a human poem during one of the revolutionary stages that his country has gone through. Thus, revolutionary poetry is supportive of peace in times of revolutions, conflicts and wars.