Using IT To Reserve Cultural Diversity
By P Marilyn

Bandar Seri Begawan - The three-day National training session on the use of information technology in the preservation of cultural diversity started yesterday at the SEAMED VOCTECH Regional Centre.

This collaboration between the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) is supported by the Ministry of Education.

The guest of honour was the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Awg Haji Ahmad bin Haji Abd Rahman.

He spoke of the "advancement in technology affecting our perception of the world and how electronic communication has made possible instantaneous exchange of information around the world.

"Today, our world is shaped by messages, images and ideas delivered by electronic technologies, particularly by the digital technology of the computer. The cultural impact brought by electronic technologies is immense and cannot be ignored.

"The introduction of modern technologies especially in the field of mass media, television, radio, newspapers and magazines and the Internet has also created a society with greater and boundless exposure. The recent development in computer technology has increased significantly the flow of messages between two or more different and distant places," he said.

He spoke of the importance of the role of these modern technologies in highlighting cultural diversity, based on the Unesco's International Convention on the Preservation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Culture.

He hoped training participants will be able to collectively identify strategies and plans of actions in these areas which are important to the Islamic ummah and the future generation.

The Director of ISESCO Regional Office in Tehran, Dr Abbas Sadri, said the aim of this training session is to publicise the principles proclaimed in the Islamic Declaration on Cultural Diversity, and sensitise relevant authorities in charge of the cultural sector in Brunei to the importance of integrating these principles in their cultural and developmental policies.

It also aims to encourage the extensive use of ICT to highlight the prominent features of cultural diversity in Brunei and look into technical and technological requirements to work out a national plan through the use of traditional multimedia and new information and communication technologies.

The training has drawn in more than 30 participants from different academic backgrounds representing various ministries and departments.   -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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