Context: Recently, Gwalior and Kozhikode from India are among the 55 new cities which have joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Kozhikode’s Literary Heritage and Gwalior’s Musical Legacy in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network

• • Selection: While Kozhikode was included in the category of literature, the city of Gwalior was added in the category of music under Creative Cities Network.
  • Total Members: With the addition of 55 cities, the UCCN now includes 350 cities in more than a hundred countries across the world.

• Kozhikode’s Rich Literary Heritage and Cultural Significance:

• Kundalatha, the first novel in Malayalam, authored by Appu Nedungadi, was born in Kozhikode in 1887.
• S K Pottekkatt, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Uroob, Thikkodiyan, NN Kakkad, P Valsala, Akbar Kakkattil, Punathil Kunjabdulla and MT Vasudevan Nair are some of the famous writers of Malayalam tradition from Kozhikode.
• Kozhikode is also the city where several leading media houses are headquartered, has hundreds of publishing banners and several libraries.
• The city is also famous for producing many film and theatre professionals, further adding weight to the literary tradition.

• Gwalior’s Storied Musical Legacy: From Tansen to the Scindia Gharana
• Gwalior is the city that gave birth to legendary musician Tansen and where the Scindia Gharana has preserved and propagated music for centuries.
• The city has a rich and diverse musical heritage, encompassing classical Hindustani music, folk music, and devotional music. The city also hosts a number of prestigious music institutes and festivals.

UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN): Fostering Urban Creativity for Sustainable Development

• Cultivating Creative Cities Network Collaboration: Originated in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.

• Aim: Encouraging a culture of creativity in urban planning and solutions to urban problems, the UCCN includes 350 cities in over a hundred countries.

• Objective – Role in Diversity and Resilience: Leveraging the creative, social, and economic potential of cultural industries.

• UNESCO’s goals of cultural diversity and strengthening resilience to threats such as climate change, rising inequality, and rapid urbanization will be promoted by UCCN.

• Categories: Cities in the network have to represent any one of the seven creative fields — crafts and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music.
• Activities Associated: The network works both at the level of the member cities and at the international level, mainly through sharing experiences, knowledge and best practices.

• Professional and artistic exchange programmes, research and evaluations on the experience of the creative cities, are among other activities that are held under UCCN.

• Annual Conference: An annual conference of mayors and other stakeholders of network cities is held every year to strengthen ties between creative cities from across the world.

• The conference is an opportunity to exchange practical information on policies and activities carried out by cities and stimulate inter-city collaborations.

• Functions of Members: Member cities have to submit a Membership Monitoring Report every four years, with the aim of demonstrating their steadfast commitment towards the implementation of the UCCN Mission Statement.
• The report provides an action plan for the following four years, giving insights into their achievements and lessons learnt, as well as the impact of the designation.

India’s Creative Cities Network: Celebrating Diverse Artistic Traditions Across the Nation

• Mumbai: Mumbai has been added to the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of Film-making. It is the location for India’s largest film industry.
• Chennai: Chennai city has been added to the UCCN in the field of Music. The city is known for its 6,000 years old musical tradition.
• Hyderabad: The city of Hyderabad has been added to the network under the gastronomy field. The Hyderabadi cuisine is known for its combination of local flavors and international recipes.
• Varanasi: The city of Varanasi finds a place in the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of Music, especially Hindustani.
• Jaipur: Jaipur has been designated as a creative city under UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts.
• Srinagar: Srinagar has been given the status of the creative city in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts.

UNESCO: Fostering Global Cooperation for Education, Arts, Science, and Culture

• UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), which has an aim of promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture.
• UNESCO succeeds the League of Nations’ International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.
• It seeks to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values.
• Apart from 193 member states and 12 associate members, UNESCO also includes partners in the non-governmental, intergovernmental and private sector.
• UNESCO’s objectives: Promoting Education, Science, Diversity, and Peace
  • Attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning
  • Mobilizing science knowledge and policy for sustainable development
  • Addressing emerging social and ethical challenges
  • Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace
  • Building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication
  • Focuses on global priority areas – “Africa” and “Gender Equality”.
• Working Areas: UNESCO works under five major programme areas:  education, social/human sciences, natural sciences, culture and communication/information.
• UNESCO’s Major Initiatives:
  • Man and Biosphere Programme
  • International Geoscience and Global Geoparks Programme (IGGP)
  • Creative Cities Network
  • World Heritage Site
  • Memory of the World Programme
  • Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • World Water Assessment Programme
• Major Reports of UNESCO:
  • UNESCO Science report
  • Global Education Monitoring Report
  • World Heritage Glaciers

Conclusion

The addition of Kozhikode and Gwalior in the UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN) is an acknowledgment of their strong commitment to harnessing culture and creativity.