The Three Cultures of the Mediterranean Foundation is a singular non-profit organization created in 1998 by the Regional Government of Andalucia and the Kingdom of Morocco. Since its creation, our institution has been committed to fostering the coexistence of cultures and religions through mutual knowledge and the exchange of ideas and experiences with a view to bringing together the Mediterranean peoples.
The Three Cultures Foundation’s overarching goal is therefore the promotion of dialogue, tolerance and understanding. Our daily work and scope of action is based and focused on our foundational axes: co-operation within the Mediterranean region and between Andalusia and Morocco; the Middle East and the European Union. Since our birth, we have always tried to be useful and active to and for the European Union and be part and contribute to the debate that is taking place in the European institutions on these regards in order to strengthen this particular axe.
How? By broadening the knowledge of the region in all its social, political and cultural manifestations whether historical or contemporary, identifying, discussing and bringing to the fore the latest regional developments and trends, educating present and future generations, furthering links between different countries and peoples within the region and encouraging the creation of networks, undertaking an active role in breaking down cultural stereotypes about the region and filling an important gap in a terrain scarcely explored by commercial initiatives.
As it was largely debated in the 5th edition of WOCMES (World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies) organised by our Foundation and celebrated in Seville between July 16th and 21st 2018 where more than 3000 scholars, professors, researchers, academics, journalists, politicians, artists and businessmen gathered to discuss these issues and present their latest works, we are living hard times in Europe and many other parts of the World which are putting in danger many of the contributions and goals achieved during past years of hard work. The exacerbations or particularisms, the rise of extreme nationalisms or the growing waves of xenophobia among other issues are devastating the welfare state and widening the gap of inequality between the two shores of the Mediterranean.
To sum it up, we firmly believe that after almost 20 years of ongoing activities and strenuous efforts, which have consolidated our institution as an instrument especially attentive to intercultural dialogue and as a tool at the service of the citizens, the Three Cultures Foundation is more necessary than ever to help in this arduous task that European Union has been developing for many years to build an Europe more based on the richness and benefits provided by the cultural diversity and to avoid debates fostering separation, inequality and racial hate in many cases.
