Category: Applied ICD

The Power of Food Emojis

Applied ICD

The power of food emojis, part of The Food Chain series, by BBC.

When the San Francisco based artist and designer Yiying Lu discovered there was no emoji to represent her beloved dumpling, she knew she had to do something about it. She tells us why for her, and millions of others, emojis are an important form of communication and cultural representation.

Do you give food emojis much thought? If not, perhaps you should. Emily Thomas hears how these tiny digital images can have a big social and economic impact. The series reveals who decides which emojis are accepted and how you can propose your very own. Two Venezuelans living in the US explain why their brand new ‘flatbread emoji’ could be one the most significant achievements of their lives, and the emoji artist responsible for everything from the ‘dumpling’ to ‘bubble tea’ tells us why she sees her work as a calling, and how it has made her an unexpected cultural ambassador.

Why I fought to get my bubble tea emoji accepted is another show in the series.

Alternative Narratives and Intercultural Communication

Applied ICDAlternative Narratives and Intercultural Communication: Building Bridges Between Intercultural Policies and Communication, An Intercultural Cities Academy, Council of Europe, 12-21 April 2021, Online.

What story does your city tell? All cities have a history; a sequence of concrete facts that are known, and that have brought us to where we are today. However, how we tell the story of our city, how we choose to frame it, the narratives we choose, will impact how that story is perceived and understood. Our story is but a puzzle of many small, diverse and intertwined pieces with different shapes and forms. The story of our city is in fact not one, but many. Do you know what stories are told and listened to? How are they told, and by whom? Is the same story told by everyone, in the same way? Herein lies the art of narrative – while we cannot change facts, we have the power to choose how we communicate about them, ensuring all stories of our city are told. We understand we can enrich our communication with multiple perspectives, fill it with many voices and value the diversity of our city. Through this, we share our history while adding more pieces to the puzzle.

When to tell that story? For intercultural inclusion to occur, city authorities shall adopt a clear and well-publicised message emphasising their commitment to intercultural principles, on all occasions, in all their communication. Every story is intercultural in a diverse city and can contribute to achieving a climate of public opinion more conducive to positive intercultural relations.

Who should that story target? All residents, regardless of their nationalities, origins, languages, religions/beliefs, sexual orientation and age group. This is not to say that every communication needs to be intended for every resident, as the most effective communications are those that target audience segments defined by particular core values and daily concerns.

Target group? Communication staff, press officers, coordinators and other relevant city representatives of cities that are members of Intercultural Cities Programme.

Musicosophia: Listening as a Necessary Part of Intercultural Dialogue

Applied ICDEscuela Internacional de Musicosophia, in Germany, trains people to listen deeply to classical music. They have suggested that their training may well be relevant to intercultural dialogue, and have shared steps and a meditation video with CID.

The 2020 CID Video Competition asked students to focus on listening, as listening is how intercultural dialogue starts. Listening is what happens when people stop focusing on what they say or do, and start attending to what someone else is saying or doing. Without listening, there can be no intercultural dialogue.

Putting these two together suggests that spending a little time learning to listen carefully to classical music might be useful training for engaging in intercultural dialogue. First, read the steps. Then, view the videotape by clicking on the image above. Try it and let us know what you think.

Intercultural Competencies Applied to Public Administration (Spain)

Applied ICDGuide on Intercultural competencies applied to the development of public administration projects, Intercultural Cities Programme, Spain.

Guide to intercultural competencies

In response to a grant from the Intercultural Cities Programme, several cities in Spain have successfully concluded a project on developing the intercultural skills of public administration staff as a key element for advancing further in the building of strong intercultural cities and territories. The assumption is that an intercultural competent staff at the service of the public administration will result in better municipal services, increase users’ satisfaction, and contribute to greater trust and sense of belonging.

The project responds to the existing gap in documentation by designing a practical handbook for city officials, transforming the concept of intercultural competence into practical language for local administration officers,  defining the basics of an intercultural competent public action, and training  local administration staff.

Duolingo Language Report 2020

Applied ICD

The 2020 Duolingo Language Report, issued December 15, 2020, includes trends, patterns, and analyses about language learning around the world.

The report includes 500 million learners in all 194 countries, and 39 different languages. It describes how interest in learning different languages has changed over time, especially in response to the global pandemic. It is a fascinating window on language learning across the globe and, of course, language learning is  important part of intercultural dialogue.

The major findings include:

The Conversation as a Resource (Australia)

Applied ICDThe Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization in Australia, has published a number of articles on intercultural dialogue topics. These should also be useful in teaching.

Promise & Perils of Interracial Dialogue

Applied ICDRamasubramanian, S., & Wolfe, A. (2 November 2020). The promise and perils of interracial dialogue. Spectra.

 

At its best, dialogue promises to bring together people with different worldviews, life experiences, stakes, interests, and goals and provide opportunities for perspective-taking, learning, open-mindedness, and turn-taking.

The authors are co-directors of the Difficult Dialogues Project at Texas A&M University. In this essay for Spectra, the newsletter of the National Communication Association, they provide a long list of accessible resources (such as Scaffolded Antiracism Resources) and academic publications for those interested in the topic to explore.

Connecting Divides

Applied ICDRiaz Patel is a triple minority: Muslim, an immigrant from Pakistan, and gay. He has been facilitating events at which participants learn to talk across their multiple divides. The article about what he is doing never uses the phrase intercultural dialogue, but it’s a great example nonetheless.

He uses the EPIC system (equalization, personification, information gathering, collaboration). The first challenge is getting people to show up, knowing they will be asked to hold what are at times uncomfortable conversations. Once they are present, activities fall into into 4 stages:

  • Equalization (determining what participants have in common)
  • Personification (talking about your own experiences)
  • Information Gathering (learning about the experiences of others)
  • Collaboration (working together to determine strategies to solve shared problems)

Full article: Connecting divides. (2020 May/June). Pennsylvania Gazette, 118(5), 67-68).

Art and Intercultural Dialogue in Iceland

Applied ICDThe Reykjavik City Library in Iceland has started an  initiative called ‘Beyond Words’ using art to foster intercultural dialogue. This was developed by Martyna Karolina Daniel, project organiser and the library’s specialist in intercultural affairs.

Martyna and her colleagues are committed to making the city’s libraries a safe haven for all Icelanders, whether native or immigrant and a place where cross-cultural dialogue can take place.

The library is offering a variety of art workshops, making available a wide range of foreign-language books, and using more symbols in their signage in response to linguistic differences. They also offer storytelling in multiple languages, inviting community members to read books in any language they know, and invite extended families to participate. And they co-sponsored a Story Circle Map of Iceland, painted 2013 by 35 women who have participated in Women’s Story Circle, coming from 18 countries to live in Iceland. To make the panting they used the method of the indigenous people of Australia, which entails that many work together to create artworks.

For further information, see: 

Askham, Poppy. (2020, July 21). Beyond words: Reykjavík’s city libraries use art to foster interculturalism. The Reykjavik Grapevine.

Interfaith Dialogue Through Chocolate

Applied ICDBorn in Morocco, now based in Germany, Nadia Doukali has created Iftarlade chocolate which is both kosher and halal, with a label in Hebrew, Arabic, and German.

Doukali first designed a Ramadan calendar, which she called “Iftarlender,” (made up of the word “Iftar” – the evening meal during Ramadan used to break each day’s fast, and the German word “kalender” for the German advent calendars with small paper doors, and sayings or candy behind them). Then she created Iftarlade chocolate (“Iftar” + “schokolade”, or chocolate in German). She decided to make it halal, and then wanted it to be kosher as well, so she worked to gain the appropriate certifications. She sees her products as a way for people to be “united in chocolate.”

Read more here:

Avidan, Igal. (28 May 2020). Muslim German sets new bar for interfaith relations with kosher-halal chocolate. The Times of Israel.

Loho, Petra. (20 May 2020). Counting down to Eid? In Germany, Nadia Doukali gave the traditional Advent calendar a Muslim twist. Salaam Gateway.