‘Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum’ Organizes Session on the ‘Role of Arab Media in Reviving and Preserving Heritage’

Special to TAG Educa News Agency 

AMMAN - Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum (TAG-KF), a member of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global (TAG.Global), in cooperation with the Arab Women Media Center (AWMC) organized a digital panel session entitled “The Role of the Arab Media in Reviving and Preserving Heritage” through livestreaming on the Forum’s Facebook page and broadcast on Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Business and Culture Radio & TV.

During the session, TAG-KF hosted Syrian Journalist Ms. Suad Jaros, reporter Ms. Zeina Sandoka from Palestine, and TV presenter Dr. Hanan Elshibini from Egypt, in addition to the TV presenter, Ms. Haya Alda’jah, from Jordan. 
The panel session which was moderated by Mr. Fadi Daoud, executive director of TAG-KF and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global (TAG.Global) Education and Youth Consultant, discussed the experience of the media professionals and their role in reviving and preserving Arab heritage and legacy.

The Palestinian reporter, Ms. Sandouka affirmed that her profession in the media has become her own weapon of resistance and one of the most important forms of struggle against the Zionist occupation, which attempts to destroy and obliterate the Palestinian heritage and to claim it for themselves.

She also explained the concept of heritage as the accumulation of peoples' creations of tales, proverbs, songs, food, fashion, and others which are considered  a true reflection of the peoples' culture, and their national identity. She underlined the importance and the need of preserving the Palestinian legacy and protecting it form the systematic Occupation claims that Palestinian cultural traits such as fashion, traditional food, popular songs, and others belong to them. That can be achieved through the oral documentation, and the preservation of history and national identity.

Presenter and researcher in Jordan heritage, Ms. Alda’jah affirmed the importance of systematic academic documentation to preserve heritage which doesn’t even exist in many areas and lacks real and well-informed references.

She further presented some information on the authentic Jordanian heritage, stressing the importance of the land, the human being, and  the identity as the key components of Jordan’s heritage referring to the particularity of the nature of the place and region where the Jordanians live, in addition to costums, proverbs, weddings and other social events. She went on to say, heritage is a means of conveying knowledge and culture between peoples as well as an important factor for promoting tourism. 

Alda’jah concluded with a question: “Are we going to leave a legacy to our grandchildren?”.

The Egyptian TV Presenter, Dr. Elshibini said that she is deeply involved in preserving heritage and legacy by producing and presenting many TV programs that highlight different local cultural and heritage related issues, adding that she works through the Arab Women Media Center to highlight social issues of interest to women and try to connect them with their heritage.

Elshibini pointed out that one of the forms of stolen heritage is the cultural encroachment, which invades all aspects of life and imposes itself to present a different image of the indigenous community, staying away from everything that is ancient and authentic.

For her part, Syrian journalist Ms. Suad Jaros touched upon the consequences of globalization which blew away heritage and community identity, resulting in various adverse reactions that called for the preservation of heritage and consolidation of its concepts.

She also talked about her project that aims to preserve the ancient legacy of printing in Hama, Syria, that dates back to the Roman-era, emphasizing the importance of supporting domestic craftsmen who use real raw materials that are considered part of the heritage and preserves its values.

To watch the recording of the session: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk5C0tdjNr0