Deeper understanding of other cultures reduces conflict

Mahfuz Anam, chairman of the Asia News Network, said that understanding the heritage of different cultures will help build firmer bridges of communication that can stand strong in a world faced with rising misunderstanding and turbulence.

The veteran journalist made his remarks at the Forum on Cultural Heritage Conservation in Selangor, Malaysia, on Thursday.

In his keynote speech, Anam said he cannot read or write Chinese, but Chinese music "resonates in his heart", and he believes such nonverbal echoes will happen to Chinese people who hear music from Bangladesh — Anam's home country.

However, the enormous impact embodied in intangible cultural elements, which he thinks eclipse the sound of language, have been forgotten by people who only have eyes for economic growth.

"We are much too enamored with the buildings we make, the bridges we construct, the enormous edifices we make," he said.

Today, there is more conflict and destructive competition. People live in a world of misunderstanding and an environment of uncertainty, he added.

He warned that if people do not understand each other, misunderstandings and misconceptions will turn economic achievements into weapons of destruction that overshadow all the buildings and bridges that once shone.

After retiring from the army, Anam started a career in journalism in 1972. He cofounded the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star in 1991 and now serves as its editor and publisher.

Anam said that the nature of news media is to communicate with readers and viewers, so it is important for journalists to devote more time and energy to studying and understanding the heritage of different cultures.

He pledged that all media outlets under the ANN banner will devote greater energy to understanding each other in the future.

"Our (ANN's) slogan is to bring Asia closer, and the most effective way of doing that is to know about each other's culture," he said.

He noted that the theme of the forum, "Shared Heritage, Shared Future", is based not on the bridges people build, nor on the technologies they create, "but (lies) in the deep understanding that we must strive for".

Anam said that people spend too much time finding fault with others instead of finding the beauty in them.

He suggested that delegates at the forum invest more resources in understanding the heritage of different cultures to do their part in creating a more peaceful world.