As the Syria Conference ends, UNESCO, Cine ONU screen The Destruction of Memory at the Italian Cultural Institute

On April 5th, UNESCO, Cine ONU and the Italian Cultural Institute were proud to host Tim Slade, and his powerful film ‘The Destruction of Memory’, at the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels. This event captivated an audience of 500, and was introduced by Paolo Fontani, UNESCO Representative to the European Institutions.

A panel discussion followed the screening of the film, featuring Tim Slade and Diego Marani, Policy Coordinator for Cultural Diplomacy at the European External Action Service (EEAS). Both panelists were lively during the discussion, asserting their passion for the protection and conservation of cultural heritage.

Caroline Petit, Deputy Director of the UN Regional Information Centre (UNRIC), opened the discussion expressing her fascination at how disturbing the destruction of cultural heritage appeared in the film.   

In his opening statement, Diego Marani, emphasized that “Culture is in everything in our life, [it is] essential for everything! We should spread awareness of the importance of culture. It's sad that we have to convince people of its importance"

Tim Slade, a passionate filmmaker, communicated how important film can be for the protection of cultural heritage “The way you can bridge people is through a film. This film was an attempt to see how people protect the core of our experience on earth”.

Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary General of Europa Nostra, contributed to the discussion, stating that “We need to raise our voices when heritage is in danger, whether it is in times of war, or times of peace”. The audience had the opportunity to pose questions to the panel, and to voice their opinion on the protection of cultural heritage.

There was universal agreement that ‘togetherness’ plays a key role in protecting cultural heritage worldwide. ‘Togetherness’ is a concept that UNESCO supports, and the audience were encouraged to lend their voices to the protection of cultural heritage by joining the UNESCO #Unite4Heritage global campaign.

More information about the protection of cultural heritage can be found on the following websites:

#Unite4Heritage

UNESCO

UNESCO Brussels

European External Action Service

For the handout from our event please click here!!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @UNESCO_EU #Unite4Heritage

Did you know: We filmed a Q&A with Tim Slade? Find it on our Facebook!