The communities of UNC and Duke are honored to host the visit of Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, Nobel Laureate for Literature, and Dr. Issa Asgarally, Mauritian scholar, writer and activist  to discuss the importance of promoting intercultural dialogues through the humanities and the arts.

After being awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2008, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio and Dr. Issa Asgarally co-founded The Foundation for Interculturality and Peace (FIP) that has been supported by the UN Program for Development. The objective of the FIP is to promote and facilitate the dialogue between cultures within the same country or across geographical barriers. JMG Le Clézio and Jemia Le Clézio, Dr. Issa Asgarally and Sarojini Asgarally have actively engaged in promoting the development of curricula, programs and activities for local schools in Mauritius and Rodrigues. They have also initiated round-table discussions and seminars with opinion leaders in order to reconsider the causes of cultural divisions through the arts, community initiatives and education curriculum.

As we witness the rise of violence and wars, our two guests argue that our only hope for humanity is to engage in promoting cultural dialogues that enable diverse voices across cultures to be heard. How can we promote such dialogues? What does interculturality signify in today’s world? What is the role of the humanities and the arts in promoting interculturality? Such underlying questions lay at the foundation of our events.

Over the course of these three days, UNC and Duke will host an array of events that will provide opportunities for our communities to attend public readings and book-signings, observe scholarly panels on the topic of interculturality, participate in roundtable discussions, attend a musical concert and Keynote addresses.

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