Cultivating ties through culture – Business Mirror
CRADLE to one of the world’s ancient civilizations, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s rich cultural traditions have endured the passage of time, particularly through art, with its various forms, such as architecture, dance and music, among others.
Recently, Iran’s ambassador to
the Philippines Mohammad Tanhaei delivered a speech at the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) headquarters, as he extolled his country’s
undiminished contribution to modern civilization.
“Culture is the mother of human development; the
mother of mental development of a society,” Tanhaei told those in attendance.
“Without culture, there will be no economic prosperity; no political
stability.”
Going further, the ambassador
said that culture is the “mother of freedom:”
“It is about destiny, freedom of the desire,
freedom of the self. That’s why culture has no boundaries.”
He cited as an example the
enduring legacy of Islamic calligraphy, which is the artistic practice of
handwriting based upon the lettering of the peoples sharing the common Islamic
cultural heritage.
The development of Islamic
calligraphy is strongly connected to the Quran, reflecting the centrality of
the notion of writing and written text in Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad is said
to have pronounced: “The first thing God created was the pen.”
Encompassing culture
THE Iranian ambassador explained that
different levels of economic activity are taking place in many countries, “but
what has remained is the culture, the essence of a country’s epicenter.”
“Look at history: A lot of
political, economic [and commercial developments have come and] gone, but what
have remained in society are culture and the arts.”
That’s why, Tanhaei said, “We can easily communicate with Indonesia and the Philippines, and the Filipinos [through shared culture], because it’s the ‘mother of arts;’ the essence of
human needs… something that comes from the heart of the people…”
According to Iran’s
highest-ranking envoy in the country, “Tehran has experienced all these after
our Islamic revolution. It has taught us that culture is important.”
He went on to say: “We can
enable society, politics, the economy, and build the prosperity of the country
or the community. We have learned that we are ready to contribute our culture
to other countries and societies.”
Tanhaei said the Philippines
has many cultural and social aspects that it could share with Iran. “We are
ready to teach, and to be taught. We’re ready to learn, and to be learned; to
give and take.”
In the meantime, the diplomat
thanked those who readily accepted what Iran has to offer “in the form of
calligraphy, handicrafts, films, and so many others.”
At the NCCA, representatives
from Iran and Indonesia—two of the largest Muslim countries in the
world—discussed the significance of the Eid’l Fitr celebration to their people,
which is just as important for Filipino Muslims.
There were musical
performances and cultural presentations, where Iran exhibited important
artifacts of its culture and calligraphy workshops conducted by Iranian
calligraphy artist Tandis Taghavi.
Calligraphy, Taghavi said, has
broad parameters of rules and regulations. Within those said parameters, a
Filipino can remain as much a Muslim as an Iranian, or a Chinese, French or
American, or any individual from any country anywhere in the world.
Culture beyond borders
TANHAEI said, “It is naive to think that any
religion encompasses the totality of culture, as it is to think that any
culture is solely the product of religion.”
He explained further: “Islam,
like many other religions, claims to be universal, accommodating within its
fold the cultures of all its adherents, provided that bounds of religious laws
are not transgressed.”
Then, the Iranian ambassador
explained the meaning of the writings that were on display at the event to NCCA
Executive Director Rico S. Pableo Jr. and the Indonesian Embassy in Manila’s
Second Secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs Agus Buana.
Tehran’s highest-ranking
diplomat in the country believes that the countries he is currently serving
should adopt a cultural-exchange program, “because it is an effective tool in
developing the cultural relationship.”
“It helps people of the two
countries to know more about each other’s cultures and civilization. [That]
way, the relationship between the two countries could get better and deeper.”
(Buana talked about
similarities of Indonesians and Filipinos. The advantage of the latter, he
said, is that they have a national language, which is used all over the
archipelago; unlike in Indonesia, where a native of one locality may not be
understood by one who comes from another province.)
Philippine presence
AFTER his speech, Tanhaei had a brief dialogue
with the BusinessMirror. He said
that Manila and Tehran have already had more than half-a-century of diplomatic
ties.
“In the past five years, Iran
and the Philippines celebrated their 50th anniversary of good relationships,”
he said.
Historical records reveal that
diplomatic connections between Iran and the Philippines were established on
January 22, 1964. This came about in the wake of thousands of Iranian students
who enrolled in local universities, attracted by the country’s low-cost English
education, as well as the warmth and hospitality of its people.
(In February 2010, the Emilio
Aguinaldo College in the City of Manila introduced its Iranian Cultural Week,
which hosted a series of programs and exhibits on Iranian culture. Iran’s
then-cultural ambassador, as well as several Iranian cultural and political
figures, attended the event.)
The diplomat volunteered that
there is a community made up of thousands of Iranians in the Philippines, which
includes a sizable number of students.
He added that at the moment,
there are about 7,000 of his compatriots who call the country as their home, as
some have even tied the knot with local lasses.
“However, over the years, some
of them have gone back to their motherland,” Tanhaei revealed.
There are currently a little
more than 1,000 registered Filipinos in Iran, mostly permanent residents with
their family members, as well as 50 documented overseas Filipino workers.
Embassy records show that there were about 15,000 Philippine citizens in Iran
in the mid-1970s.
Iran and the Philippines have
embassies in their respective capitals, though the two have yet to
significantly grow their relations.
In August 2003, Manila and
Tehran held their first bilateral conference, entitled Dialogue Among
Civilizations. Then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo opted to expand
the two countries’ ties, as he claimed that they “enjoyed [a] good relationship
in the past, which augurs well for a bright future.”
Trading with Tehran
TEHRAN imports bananas and pineapples from the Philippines, while
Manila facilitates the exchange for hydrocarbons from Iran.
Oil and gas remain the main
avenue of economic interaction. According to records, the Philippines in 2006
purchased between 70,000 and 110,000 barrels of oil a day from the Middle East
country, making the latter one of the country’s most significant trade partners
in Asia.
However, as part of sanctions
by the United States against its nuclear program, the Philippines was pressured
to import less oil from Iran to avoid facing sanctions itself, according to
Wikipedia. But in January 2012, former president Benigno S. Aquino III appealed
to a number of US lawmakers to consider Philippine interests, as it would want
to maintain a “non-harmful” trading with Iran.
“Philippine fruit exports to
Iran were greatly affected by the sanctions, so that only 30 percent of
Philippine banana exports went to Iran.”
Further, Wikipedia has it that
obstacles against the trade relations between the two countries were reduced
with the easing of sanctions against Iran and with the securing of the Iran
nuclear deal.
In 2010, Iran and the
Philippines signed a memorandum of agreement, the Diplomatic Conference of
Parties to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification
and Watchkeeping.
The Philippine side expressed
“appreciation to the Iranian government for its willingness to enter into an
agreement with [our country], which is important for the continued deployment
of Filipino sailors to the international community.”
The Iranian envoy expressed
his hopes that “the development of cultural exchanges for both countries would
be even better and better.”
Tanhaei said, however, that
the level of cultural and tourist exchanges could still be improved. One reason
for this is the absence of direct flights between the two countries.
He claims that the distance between Manila and
Iran is too far and makes it hard for traveling—all 7,026 kilometers of it to
be traversed, to be exact—which modern aviation could cover nonstop by several
modern commercial jetliners.
As of February 2016, Iran is
one of the six nations that the Philippines has a Joint Economic Commission at
a ministerial level.
Tanhaei stated that Iran has
signed agreements with the Philippines, and the Asean as a whole, to bolster
diplomatic connections in the region.
“We’re enthusiastic to share our culture and civilization.
At the same time, we’re ready to learn from you,” the Iranian ambassador
averred.
Comments
Post a Comment