Pluralism suppressed by colonialism, need to give voice to traditions: S Jaishankar
Speaking at the Global Media at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), he made a strong pitch for smoother mobility for talent
Pluralism was suppressed by colonialism and big power dominance in the past, and it’s essential to give voice to traditions, heritage and ideas amid attempts to democratise the world order, external affairs minister, S Jaishankar, said on Friday.
Speaking at the Global Media at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai, he made a strong pitch for smoother mobility for talent to contribute to stronger creativity.
“The truth is that the world is essentially, intrinsically and essentially diverse, and that pluralism has been suppressed in the past by both colonialism and big power dominance,” Jaishankar said addressing representatives from 60 countries.
“As we seek now to democratise the international system, it is not enough to just assert political and economic independence. It is equally essential that we give voice to our traditions, to our heritage, to ideas, to practices, and to our creativity,” he said.
“We have a microcosm of the global community at WAVES: content creators, policy makers, actors, writers, producers, visual artists and others, and the lively conversations and intense networking that we seek to promote are supplemented by exhibitions, innovation pavilions, creativity bazars and technology kiosks,” Jaishankar said, adding: “This conversation at the beginning of day two however holds a special significance, because we are discussing as policy makers the contours of the emerging environment”.
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Jaishankar added that as the world comes closer, people could contemplate both a global workplace and a global workforce. “Both digital connectivity and physical logistics make this a growing reality. But we need accompanying shifts in mindsets, frameworks, policies and practices. Remember, neither talent nor tasking will be stationary. Smoother mobility can certainly contribute to stronger creativity,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated WAVES, a first of its kind summit in India, with the tagline of “Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries”. Participants from over 90 countries, with more than 10,000 delegates, 1,000 creators, over 300 companies, and over 350 startups expected to attend the event.
