ARAB, JEWISH STRANDS OF CIVILIZATION AMONG MOST IMPORTANT, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS

IN REMARKS AT WEST-EASTERN DIVAN ORCHESTRA CONCERT

 

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s remarks at the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra concert held in New York yesterday, 18 December:

First, thank you, dear colleagues in DPI, for making that very professional, and for me deeply moving, film.  Nane and I will treasure it as a wonderful souvenir of these 10 incredible years.  You have captured some of the saddest moments, and many of the happiest.  You have reminded all of us what a privilege it is to serve this Organization, what sacrifices it can involve, but also what fun it can be.  And perhaps that’s the most important thing to remember.

Next, a big thank you to the Government and people of Spain for sponsoring this concert, which is the nicest going-away present Nane and I could ever have wished for.  And thank you especially to the regional government of Andalusia, whose support for the Barenboim-Said Foundation has made it possible.

Maybe this is the moment to make a small confession.  I have always had some slight misgivings about the phrase “Alliance of Civilizations”, as I did about the “Dialogue of Civilizations”.

Of course, I am very much in favour of dialogue, and I think it is very important that people of reason and goodwill in different communities come together to combat extremism and intolerance.  But, I don’t believe that, in the twenty-first century, humankind is really divided into separate civilizations.  I think that, today, for better or worse, we are all living in one civilization.

Unfortunately, that civilization has some barbaric features.  We are much too prone to magnify our differences, and ready to tear each other’s eyes out on almost any pretext.  The Alliance of Civilizations is really about fighting those tendencies in ourselves, and showing what wonderful things we can do when we come together.

I cannot think of a better example than the one set by Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said -- an Israeli and a Palestinian, two intellectual and artistic giants, as well as close friends.  Together, they represented all that is best in their respective nations and cultures.  They were both dedicated to the cause of peace and justice for their peoples.  And they created this marvellous orchestra, composed of young musicians from Israel and from other Middle Eastern countries.

Their example reminds us that our civilization today is composed of many strands, and that the Arab and Jewish strands are among the most important.

So, my final thank you is to Daniel, to Edward -- who, alas, is no longer with us -- and to the young performers who are very much with us tonight. Their talent, their enthusiasm and their courage give us a glimpse of a future worth living for.

I know you are all as impatient to hear them as I am.  So I will leave it at that.

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For information media • not an official record