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Arab Week at UNESCO Strengthens Saudi Arabia's Position in Cultural Dialogue

The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters
The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters
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Arab Week at UNESCO Strengthens Saudi Arabia's Position in Cultural Dialogue

The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters
The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at their headquarters in Paris, France, Oct. 30, 2017. Reuters

The Arab Week will open on Monday at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris.

The event plays a significant role in advancing Arab and international cultural and civilizational efforts, contributing to the progress of education, culture, and science at regional and global levels.

This is the first time in over half a century that Arab countries have organized an Arab Week at UNESCO. The event is spearheaded by the Saudi National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, which reinforces the Kingdom's position in regard to cultural dialogue and coexistence.

The event celebrates the rich cultural heritage of the Arab world through literature and arts. It also provides opportunities for intercultural dialogue, with all Arab countries showcasing the richness and diversity of Arab culture and civilization, promoting intercultural understanding, and contributing to cultural development.
Arab Week at UNESCO features 22 spaces dedicated to Arab countries, each showcasing different aspects of the Arab culture. Seven seminars will focus on topics such as Arabic language, Arabic calligraphy, Arabic literature, AI, education, fine arts, intangible cultural heritage, and world heritage.

The Arab Week will also be an occasion to display activities such as musical performances, handicrafts, Arab fashion, and Arab cuisine. Attendees will also have the chance to explore a cultural exhibition, an Arabic calligraphy exhibition, a photography exhibition of heritage sites in the Arab world, and an exhibition of Arab cultural products.

The committee's work aims to represent the Kingdom in regional and international organizations concerned with education, culture, communication, and information. It focuses on preparing and providing support for cooperation with international and non-profit organizations, building communication bridges, and leveraging all capabilities to foster initiatives that enhance cultural dialogue between Arab countries and the rest of the world. This effort culminates in the significant initiative of Arab Week at UNESCO, which has received the support and endorsement of the Arab countries, and which will highlight their historical diversity and cultural pluralism, as well as their values rooted in a rich cultural and civilizational heritage.

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India’s Architecture Fans Guard Mumbai’s Art Deco Past

In this photograph taken on October 19, 2024, vehicles ride past the Soona Mahal, a UNESCO-designated Art Deco apartment building along the Marine Drive seafront in Mumbai. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on October 19, 2024, vehicles ride past the Soona Mahal, a UNESCO-designated Art Deco apartment building along the Marine Drive seafront in Mumbai. (AFP)
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India’s Architecture Fans Guard Mumbai’s Art Deco Past

In this photograph taken on October 19, 2024, vehicles ride past the Soona Mahal, a UNESCO-designated Art Deco apartment building along the Marine Drive seafront in Mumbai. (AFP)
In this photograph taken on October 19, 2024, vehicles ride past the Soona Mahal, a UNESCO-designated Art Deco apartment building along the Marine Drive seafront in Mumbai. (AFP)

A towering cinema with a roofline like an ocean liner stands out in India's financial capital Mumbai, part of a remarkable Art Deco architectural heritage that campaigners say needs protection.

A short walk away is a state-run insurance office with giant Egyptian-style carvings, and a palm-lined seafront promenade with pastel-colored apartments with porthole windows, curved balconies and exotic motifs.

Architecture aficionados may go crazy over Miami's South Beach, but the coastal Indian megacity is home to what experts believe is one of the world's largest collections of Art Deco buildings.

Decades of neglect, however, have led to buildings being demolished or compromised through slapdash modern renovation.

Lovers of the dramatic architecture fear that will only increase as Mumbai undergoes a rapid $30 billion infrastructure makeover including major road, rail and bridge projects.

A sweep of some Art Deco buildings -- including offices, colleges and residential complexes -- was listed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2018, alongside the city's Victorian Gothic architecture for its "unique style" described as "Indo-Deco".

Today, the city's breakneck pace of development has left a small but dedicated group of building owners, architects and heritage lovers trying to conserve the city's Art Deco character.

The job requires "constant vigilance", said Nayana Kathpalia, who lives in an Art Deco building that was recently restored -- but crucially in a manner that maintained its original character.

- 'Modern, open, friendly' -

Many apartment building owners are eager to cash in and redevelop their old dwellings, making them part of a cookie-cutter modern skyline.

"If too many buildings get done in a totally different style, the World Heritage Site committee will say 'what the hell is happening?'," Kathpalia said.

"We are very, very clear that we have to protect that."

Losing it could strip the city of its history and character, campaigners say.

Art Deco took the West by storm after emerging as a new wave of design in France before the First World War.

Architects used geometric patterns and streamlined structures to evoke the popular technologies of the time, including airplanes and ocean liners.

As a style, Art Deco can appear as an odd hodgepodge, borrowing everything from ancient Mayan to Japanese culture.

But the first generation of homegrown Indian architects who visited Europe in the 1920s and 1930s were inspired.

After returning home, they started designing Art Deco style buildings for rich Indian business families that had profited off the economic boom in the port city, said Atul Kumar, founder of a non-profit that seeks to conserve the heritage.

Art Deco "enabled a certain cosmopolitanism" and contributed to making Mumbai a "modern, open, friendly" city, Kumar added.

- 'Bombay style' -

While Kumar's Art Deco Mumbai organization has spent years painstakingly documenting buildings, it has also more recently started offering "repair and restoration" help.

"We go out, pro bono, and reach out to people," he said, having supported the sensitive restoration of around nine buildings, including a couple in the core World Heritage area.

However, there are challenges, including stringent rent control laws which impose financial constraints on landlords.

Kumar also admits that residents in newer and northern parts of the city have less of a "desire" to conserve their buildings in their original Art Deco style.

A large part of this is due to a lack of awareness.

Many of the city's inhabitants walk past the vivid tropical imagery, elongated turrets and jazzy typography without giving them a second glance.

Pranati Mehta, a 46-year-old school teacher, says most Indians only look at "temples as architecture", as they "feel that is special".

Some Mumbai residents don't realize they "live amongst art", she said.

But Mehta, who was on a weekend walking tour to learn more about the architectural style, quickly adds that Art Deco isn't foreign to Indian sensibilities.

"We recognize it as a Bombay style," she said. "We think Art Deco is also an Indian brand".