28th annual Conference of COPEAM

"Media narratives for intercultural and interreligious dialogue”

27 October 2021

The 28th Conference of COPEAM - devoted to "Media narratives for intercultural and interreligious dialogue" and organized in collaboration with Rai-Radiotelevisione Italiana - took place online on October 27, with the participation of professionals and international delegates from across the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The President of Rai Marinella Soldi opened the works with a welcome address, followed by a message from the Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social and Human Sciences, Ms. Gabriela Ramos, and a general introduction by José M. Pérez Tornero, President of Radio y Televisión Española who, among other things, launched concrete proposals for cooperation, such as the creation of a Mediterranean audiovisual university.

In the session moderated by the RaiNews24 journalist Marina Lalović, the main speakers from Italy, Serbia and Tunisia highlighted the problems relating to religious and cultural "illiteracy" and the solutions that could be adopted by the media to promote dialogue in these areas more effectively, including the possibility of deepening the intercultural and interfaith “issue” not only in times of crisis, but also in their ordinary programming. In addition, particular emphasis was put on the important role of national regulators in the fight against speech inciting hatred and violence.

A session dedicated to positive narrative models of intercultural and interreligious dialogue took place in the afternoon, with the presentation of some TV programs proposed by Rai and by public broadcasters from other countries such as France Télévisions (France) and PakaPaka TV (Argentina). Space was also given to a number of regional intercultural initiatives promoted by UNESCO, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), such as the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development and the Mediterranean Day, celebrated for the first time on November 28th, start date, in 1995, of the Barcelona Process.

Summaries of COPEAM Commissions