Multicultural Partners Planting Trees in Africa

Intercultural communication and overall cultural expansion are growing fields of research for those focused on development studies.

Recent literature has highlighted cultural heritage as a strategy for fostering social cohesion and economic development in communities worldwide.

Currently, there is little empirical evidence directly linking tenets of sustainable development to positive societal outcomes.

However, intercultural communication is essential for conserving national and regional diversity, integrating vulnerable demographics, and promoting social empowerment that can contribute to conflict reduction and economic improvement.

The Budapest Declaration of 2002 echoes a similar sentiment: preserving culture through dialogue and education is integral to future development.

It is important to emphasize the importance of interfaith dialogue within the context of cultural preservation and development.

In the context of Moroccan development, interfaith dialogue between Moroccan Muslims and Jewish people has played a crucial role in agricultural development.

Programs that integrate diverse communities through program development are effective in fostering favorable outcomes in cultural and economic progress.

Within Morocco, a long history of intercultural and interfaith reconciliation has created an environment amenable to these efforts today.

Land in Morocco has been shared between Muslims, Jews, and other groups for over 2,000 years.

Although the presence of Jewish communities in Morocco has declined in modern years, a strong bedrock of communication and trust has facilitated advantageous programs today, such as the House of Life program.

Launched in 2012 with the support of King Mohammed VI, the House of Life program has since restored 167 Jewish graveyards, including 12,600 graves across 40 provinces throughout the country.

Moreover, by securing land grants near the cemeteries of the Jewish communities, the High Atlas Foundation plants fruit tree nurseries that benefit Muslim farmers in the production and cultivation of much-needed sustainable agriculture.

The program ensures that these sites are maintained, fostering trust between communities that support development goals in economic, social, and cultural sectors.

Similar practices, albeit through different methods, have been adopted in Bali to facilitate social interchange and communication between Hindu and Muslim populations there.

In a Muslim-majority Indonesia, Bali is unique in that the island is home to a majority Hindu population. Cross-cultural communication has thus been vital to the sanctity and duration of the community.

In the Cemagi Village of the Menwi District in Bali, the Kramat Ratu Mas Sakti Temple is an extraordinary example of this practice, as the Temple serves as both a destination for Muslim pilgrimages and a site sacred within the Hindu religion.

The Temple is a locus of inter-faith dialogue, both through direct communication between religious pilgrims and worshipers, and through the dissemination of secondary media (print and digital) that emphasize these behaviors.

The harmony between Muslim and Hindu practitioners at Kramat Ratu not only preserves the religious and cultural spirit of the Temple, but also lends itself to increasing interest in cultural tourism, spurring the economic gains associated with the tourism industry.

Through interactions between Muslim and Hindu individuals in the Temple, the region witnesses an expansion and strengthening of religious and cultural identities through increased dialogue and interchange between the Muslim and Hindu faiths.

Similarly, in Karangasem, Bali, the Muslim population lives alongside the Hindu population, and exchanges between these faiths are often required in communal and societal procedures.

The two groups have coexisted peacefully for a long time, with very few recorded conflict incidents.

Exemplified by a mosque and a temple standing adjacent in the center of a Hindu community, the Karangasem district is characterized by profound tolerance.

The development of Bali, specifically the Karangasem district, cannot be attributed solely to its Muslim or Hindu population, but rather to the symbiosis between them.

Karangasem, renowned for its commitment to sustainability and ecotourism, has been lauded as a destination where tourists can explore the region’s unique cultural identity while upholding sustainable practices.

It is impossible to imagine that this commitment to authenticity and sustainability would be possible without the cooperation of a multitude of partnerships, including interfaith collaboration, at the heart of the Karangasem district.

The cases, as mentioned above, focus on cases of successful cross-cultural communication, serving not only as a possible frontier in sustainable development, but also as a societal norm that should be strived towards.

As Morocco increasingly becomes interested in embracing its multicultural identity, there are several opportunities where interfaith efforts could be leveraged to support and enhance the goals of each affected party.

The previously mentioned House of Life program is an excellent example where both parties mutually benefit, as Moroccan Jewish people ensure their historical land and heritage are protected, and Moroccan Muslims, acting as custodians of this land, have the opportunity to cultivate the land to produce prosperous fruit-tree agriculture.

As the world looks to enact development that is both sustainable and profitable, the value of culture has become an ever-more precious commodity.

In an era of globalization, culture and society have become increasingly homogenous, and authenticity has become a resource with marked scarcity, skyrocketing cultural value in the eyes of investors (mainly within the tourism and travel industries).

Efforts to develop interfaith and cross-cultural communication are essential in defending the survival of diverse cultures, which are beneficial for both communities in terms of identity preservation and as a means to facilitate further economic and social development.

A crucial caveat is that development should be fostered sustainably and inclusively.

While inclusivity is inherent within cross-cultural dialogue, efforts to ensure sustainably must be purposeful in execution.

To ensure that targeted communities benefit from development, sustainability and longevity must be key requirements in any purported development efforts.

Nevertheless, cross-cultural and interfaith dialogues have become incredibly important in encouraging inclusivity in development practices and are, therefore, an essential component when looking to the future of development practices.

The participatory approach emphasizes welcoming diverse perspectives in community planning and projects, where communication across diverse stakeholders is imperative to accurately representing communities.

Participatory development thus has the opportunity to strengthen relationships between community stakeholders, offering a pathway towards more inclusive and tolerant communities.

Cultural heritage can serve as a “glue” between the different components of development practices, allowing individuals to both identify themselves within development movements and foster a sense of responsibility for the projects that follow.

Thus, cross-cultural communication can serve as an essential foundation for development works, implying that a stronger focus should be placed on culture's relevance in development frameworks and practices.