Discussion Session on the Role of Arts and Literature in Supporting Human Rights

The Human Rights Program at the Al-Urdon Al-Jadid Research Center conducted a discussion session on 6/9/2000 entitled "The Role of Arts and Literature in Disseminating Human Rights Issues". The objective of this session was to discuss the methods available in Arabic Arts and Literature that aid Human Rights Organizations and activists to disseminate, define and defend human rights employing new methods and means that easily relate to people's way of thinking and are close to their way of life. The proceedings of the session, which was headed by Mr. Hani Hourani, the Director General of the Center, were based on two themes, the first being "Arabic Literature as a reference to Human Rights Studies", while the second focused on "Arabic Drama and Plastic Arts as a means for expressing human rights". Brief interventions by the attendees contained examples on the forms and contents of human rights in Arabic arts and literature.

With regards to the role of Literature, Dr. Abdel Rahman Yaghi said that the role of literature in Human Rights is different than the role of Human Rights Organizations, and that Literature was much more independent.

He added that the role of literature in human rights cannot be effective if the literary works are not innovative and are not done by a creative and educated person, this being a major element in guiding people and changing attitudes, since it deals with all aspects of an issue and then presents a parallel prospect, and however good the society is, an educated person will always seek a better one.

Dr. Mohammad Nagi Amayreh, then presented some poems and novels that clearly stipulate human rights during various periods in the history of Arabic Literature, from the time of Jahiliyah (pre-Islam) until today.

Dr. Amayreh said that Human Rights principles are present in the literary history and are still found in our modern literature, and that these include the right to life and dignity, and the rights of women, children and the environment.

In his intervention, Professor Mahmoud Rimawi's indicated that the relationship between literature and human rights is a relationship between creativity and rigid texts, between ideas and philosophies and legal concepts, and that the best way to ensure harmony between them is to extract the legal concepts from their rigidity and place them in an intellectual and philosophical layout that will directly touch the lives of the people.

While Mr. Mohammad Ghneim described the use of imagery and and its employment a manner that is consistent with the information revolution, since the presentation of information requires a high degree of technique in order to be able to contribute to the formation of an idea. The same applies to the issue of human rights, especially in the absence of general awareness on their social, political and economic components. The artistic characteristic that information requires before it is presented to the people, means that there is a need for drama and plastic arts.

As for Professor Feisal Zoubi, he spoke about two inter-related issues, the issue of Human Rights in Drama and Plastic Arts, and the issue of having the appropriate technique to present them, stressing that Human Rights issues will never reach the required standard without the accumulation of knowledge and understanding, which is what is needed by those working in the field of Dramatic Arts. Dr. Zoubi then asked "Are the Arts capable of formulating an integrated Human Rights Program, and defending it?" Are the Arts concerned with issues related to the struggle of the people, and to their needs? Or are they satisfied with the phrase "Arts for Arts' sake" ?".

The negative aspects of employing arts is the low quality of the technical execution of the dramatic works themselves, which downgrades the message that is being sent. Dr. Zoubi then went on to say that the issue of Human Rights is a general and comprehensive issue, and the violation of these rights and the oppression that people in the Arab world suffer from does not mean that the artists do not suffer the same fate, if not worst.

As for Dr. Zaghloulah, she talked extensively about the status of women in Drama, and the how much this Drama contributed to the dissemination of women's rights, saying that over the years and through various dramatic productions the image of women has been greatly distorted, and that the people remained under the influence of the rural communities, which she said, requires the reformulation of such works to enhance and advance the status of women and draw attention to their rights.

Dr. Mazen Asfour described the historical developments of arts throughout the various eras, starting at the Art of the Caves with its legends that are full of symbols, to the beautiful literature of the Greeks - Plato and his idealistic beauty, Aristotle and his realism, then the Renaissance era, the time of scientific achievements and the struggle with the church which ultimately created a movement that was hungry for innovation in form and content, and the romanticism that attempted to express the relationship of man with nature, describing this era as the time that man was closest to nature and therefore more in touch with the concept of freedom which resulted in a revolution on the world of ideals and arts.

Then came the era of illumination, the era of Voltaire, and Jean Jacque Rousseau, during which time this movement caused many changes and formulated aims that were previously unknown. Then cam the new ages, when the concept of existentialism became widespread, and attention was focused on the human existence which diverted attention from talking about arts and philosophies to portraying them, and how to establish a relationship between the two.

Then came a time when all the artistic world was overwhelmed by a revolution that divided it into two parts, the Latin School of Thought which believed that technological elements should be the foundation of artistic work, and the Anglo-Saxon one which believed that the human being with all his biological and psychological structures is the center of arts.

As for Professor Naser, he indicated that Drama and Plastic Arts are two entirely different things, whereby drama is closer to being a novel while plastic arts are closer to music.

With regards to arts and its relationship to humans, Professor Naser said that in previous times the artist used to present the form and component according to the demands of the authorities, the clergy and the kings, therefore it was not close to the people, and their daily sufferings. The best example of this kind of arts is the Egyptian Arts. Then during the Greek civilizations, the artist was considered a professional and a maker more than being an artist, and based on this Jovial said "Although we worship statues …. We do not respect the people who made them", and artists were not able to become independent until the emergence of the portrait.

Dr. Naser then asked, when did the need for human rights emerge? And answers, "30 thousand years ago there was no such thing as human rights, because there was no "nation" and these rights did not emerge until the establishment of "nations", indicating that the concept of slavery varied greatly between east and west, and that the rights of women in Greece were also violated.

Professor Samia then went on to say that the artist does not attempt to create solutions but expresses the suffering of humanity, and that the fact that art carries with it a message is totally rejected by the authorities, although it is quite common, whereby the message is a reflection of the suffering of the society of which the artist is a member. This message is also a reflection of the artists creativity.

As for Dr. Hussein Da?sah, he said that the story of the death of an artist is becoming more and more widespread, especially in light of the development in Information Technology, and is a sensation that more and more artists are beginning to feel, and when they try to understand "globalization" they say it is the "culture of pictures" and one that the west is trying to create and export to the third world countries, filled with its ideologies. An example of this is the movie "Independence" (Al istiqlal). Dr. Hussein says that there is no difference between the western artists and the Arab artists, and that an artist is an artist and he is linked to the issues of human rights. Dr. Hussein then questions the means and methodologies, and stresses the importance of making authorities and monitors aware, that being the role of art, and that guidance has an effective role in strengthening the presence of artists.

Professor Jihad Hadeeb said that the artistic field lacks the historical references, in addition to the fact that artists have no status or stance in the political field. He then discussed the issue of terrorizing artists, and what happened to the writer Haidar Haidar asking whether it was enough to collect signatures to fight this terrorism? And is this the duty of the Artist himself? Ending his intervention by asking: So what do we do?