By: Thangam Debbonaire / The Financial Times
Translation: Telegrafi.com
The playwright Bertolt Brecht said that the function of art is not to reflect the world as it is, but to be a hammer with which to sculpt it. The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have precisely this aim: to create a world that meets basic needs, is educated, treats preventable diseases and combats environmental degradation. But culture is not one of them – and it should be. Adding it as Goal 18, as proposed by the Culture Goal 2030 Campaign, would demonstrate that the international community values culture not only as a means to achieving other goals, but also as an end in itself.
Culture is a vital way to repair the damage of conflict, heal wounded countries, restore relations between nations with troubled histories, and create sustainable economies. While the Sustainable Development Goals aim to protect life - this new goal would aim to make it more meaningful.
Around the world, populist politicians often instinctively use culture as a tool of mobilization. Oppressive forces have long used the destruction, manipulation or elimination of cultural objects and histories as weapons.
But culture is also a space where progressive politics and emerging economies must be shaped in ways that recognize its power to build our future and understand our past. Yes, some may manipulate it for narrow gain, but culture remains a force for good. Our innate creativity and ability to tell stories about who we are, what we can become and how we can relate to each other and the environment around us are the true forces of change. Music, paintings, sculptures, historical artifacts, and poetry not only provide us with tranquility, but also help us understand the world and our place in it. Without culture, there is no imagination for invention, no escape through stories, and no vision of what might be possible.
The protection of culture has a low priority in politics. All over the world, large sums of money are generated from the removal, trafficking and illegal trade of artifacts from ancient temples and monuments. Antiquities and sculptures of religious or cultural significance and artistic grandeur have become commodities. There are international treaties and national laws to address this, but it continues to happen.
One example is the failure to prevent the looting, trafficking and trade of Syrian artefacts under the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Syria now desperately needs the means to develop a sustainable economy and create jobs. Tourism could be one way to do this: its cultural heritage would undoubtedly attract visitors from all over the world. International aid funding, which rightly prioritises essential needs such as health, could be expanded to support cultural revitalisation. In the current post-Assad context, there is an opportunity – however fragile – to promote the informal Sustainable Development Goal 18, in ways led and managed by Syrian civil society. This would also provide employment opportunities for locals as the country recovers from decades of repression, conflict and economic devastation.
Another potential benefit is repairing the damage of colonialism and slavery. This is not just about money. The return of brutally taken antiquities, changing the way stories are told, cooperation between museums of former colonizing and former colonized countries are all part of this. The inclusion of culture in the SDGs can highlight this.
If we add culture to the list, as a feature of existence to be valued, would it have any impact? At this point, maybe not for Syria and other post-conflict areas. But it would provide formal recognition of the full range of freedoms, including the freedom to express culture, which are necessary to create a better future for us all.
The SDGs currently outline what is needed for human beings and our planet to survive, develop and prosper. We all need food, water, clean air, sustainable energy and shelter – yet, despite signatories, conferences, events and campaigns to promote these goals, they remain out of reach for millions of people.
The great Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, wrote: “To be human is to love, to create, and to resist.” Achieving the SDGs would provide people with the means to exist sustainably, to resist oppression, and to care for one another. If we consider sustainable development as the ultimate freedom and fulfilling the SDGs as the path to it, everyone would be better off.
Darwish also acknowledged that creativity is essential. Brecht understood that the purpose of art is to create something new. Failure to achieve the SDGs risks the continued growth of destructive and oppressive forces around the world, both in established democracies and in developing states. It is in everyone's interest that culture be added as the 18th goal and that all goals be pursued with renewed urgency. /Telegraph/
