An open popular cultural document on Egypt and Sudan

As a continuation of the round table event hosted by "Adab and Naqd" magazine on the twentieth of September in Egypt, on "Determinants of popular and cultural relations between Egypt and Sudan...between stimuli and inhibitors", in informal and popular tracks, and the need to reach something similar to an acceptable popular cultural framework, as a means To advance popular relations between the two sides, as a popular cultural document that serves as a lever for relations between the two countries at the informal level.
A joint committee was formed to draft this popular cultural document from both sides-;- The Egyptian side was represented by the writer and academic Dr. Hatem El-Goharey, and the Sudanese side by the writer and researcher in heritage / Adel Muhammad Suleiman.
The drafting committee has reached this document as a culmination of the work of the round table and what was presented in it, and that the document is considered an open text through which it will be put up for public discussion, and it accepts deletion and addition from both sides at the popular and cultural level, hoping that an updated and final version will emerge from it that expresses its goal by the end of the year´-or-the beginning of the new year, after it was raised for open dialogue between the two sides.
This is the text of the open popular cultural document - and the general theoretical framework - in which the two sides see the ability to act as a lever and catalyst for popular and cultural relations between the two countries:
The need for the intellectuals of the two countries to bear their responsibility in bridging the distances between the Sudanese and Egyptian peoples, and no matter how heavy the responsibility is, knowledge and culture alone are not a virtue, unless they turn into an ability to confront, open up, and mutual understanding, and to develop solutions and joint understandings through a realistic discourse that achieves the minimum agreed upon at the beginning, and hopes to accumulate with persistence and patience and work to reach the maximum.
The importance of overcoming prejudices and stereotypes, and what is taken for granted, positively´-or-negatively, and working to re-acquaintance closely with the national character traits between the two sides, and exchanging discussion about them, in order to understand the historical, cultural, popular and social features between the two countries once again, in order to allow mutual understanding of the different points of view, even if it differs somewhat in its premises, but the mutual understanding of the national character traits between the two sides will ensure mutual respect and the establishment of more understanding and acceptable future relations.
Emphasizing that the natural links and the geography of the Nile River, that link the two countries popularly and socially, through history and the accumulated and mutual civilization, is the present and constantly controlling basis for the fluctuations of political affairs and their changing requirements, and that the renewal of these civilizational, cultural and social popular links in the modern era is enough to achieve a solid common ground, that can one day support official political rapprochements and reduce the area of separation, as the peoples of the Nile Valley represent a natural geographical unit that nature has granted protection from all sides with sand, seas and rocks.
Belief in the civilizational and cultural history of the two peoples, with the call to create a correct scientific and critical awareness to break the emergency barriers and stereotypes between the two peoples, shed light on the most prominent manifestations of the common customs and traditions of the two peoples throughout history and until now, and adopt the call for the idea of a popular university between the two countries and the establishment of wisdom councils and workshops in arts Civilization, referring to the role of awareness through education and methodological initiatives in schools and universities, as well as research centers and various activities, and calling for twinning between Sudanese and Egyptian universities, all with a strategic vision and professional effectiveness.
Calling for reviving the role of arts in strengthening the bonds of the two peoples culturally, socially and even commercially, and promoting the call to introduce the civilizational and cultural places as well as the tourist areas between the two countries, with introducing the history of the struggle between the two peoples during the colonial period.
Calling for a review of the negatives between the two countries in the various media, both traditional and modern, drama, cinema, theater, books, art, poetry, novels, stories and folk tales, highlighting the positives and striving to develop and build on them.
Calling for highlighting literature and its various arts, promoting it between the two countries, holding seminars, book fairs and common cultural gatherings between the two peoples through modern and traditional culture, highlighting the role of singing and music, presenting folk and modern artists and roaming lyrical, theatrical and heritage bands between the two peoples, and prophetic praises and Islamic mystical heritage between the two peoples.
Calling for an increase in the areas of cultural exchange and mutual visits between the two sides, an increase in joint cultural, popular and social events, and innovation in researching ways and mechanisms to implement and activate this, such as holding exhibitions of folk arts, plastic arts and heritage handicrafts between the two peoples, which contribute to putting cultural and popular relations on the right track, and that the activity of the document, when implementing its mechanisms and activities, extends to the regions and governorates.
Relying on the ability of the popular incubator between the two countries to contain the diversity, the convergence and coexistence between the various cultural, human, social and ideological patterns, throughout the long history where the popular incubator had its own mechanism in dealing with the prevailing patterns, and at the same time the ability of the accumulated patterns and their other diverse layers to coexist And life with the prevailing pattern -or adopted by the vast group- in the popular incubator, which confirms the presence of a natural and innate characteristic in the incubator of the Nile Valley on life in the light of diversity.
Respecting the “identity repository” that accumulated by its nature in the Nile Valley, and emphasizing the coexistence and contiguousness of its layers over the years, with pride in the elements of the last layer of the Arab/Islamic identity repository, and its historical coexistence with diversity within it, especially before the presence of European colonialism and its contradictions that it created and adopted as a means To fuel the rivalry between the peoples of the Nile Valley, and to emphasize that the true Arab/Islamic values are against all extremism, rather, they affirm the values of goodness, beauty and humanity between the Arab Islamic peoples and all the peoples of the world.
Considering with appreciation the philosophy of "transcendence and liberation" from the “European question” and its cultural Syndromes, as it was the main driver of most of the contradictions of the peoples of the Nile Valley, and emphasizing the ability of the two peoples and their historical selves, to move through the “case study” approach between them and its specificity, to reach solutions And theoretical formulations and unconventional discourses, which carry them to the future and its broad and hopeful prospects.
Postponing the presentation of mechanisms for activating this open, popular cultural document to the next stage, after it was presented for social dialogue between the two countries and their intellectuals.
Considering that this document is a general cultural framework open to societal dialogue between the two sides, subject to deletion, addition and modification, until an updated version of it comes out at the end of this year´-or-the beginning of the new year, hoping that it will be accompanied by several joint activities between the two sides, in preparation for the transition to the executive side and receiving suggestions and mechanisms to activate these Popular cultural document.
This open cultural document, after being presented for general social discussion between the two sides, and after reaching its final version, hopes to be a lever at the informal popular level, while inviting cultural institutions and official stakeholders between the two countries, to receive a copy of the document and contribute to the implementation of its general framework and mechanisms activated.

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