What are the dialogues en humanité ?
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This year, Greater Lyon is organising Dialogues en Humanité for the 6th year running, in the heart of the Tête d’Or park. This worldwide forum on the human factor saw the light in 2002 during the Johannesburg Summit Meeting, when Gérard Collomb French Senator and Mayor of Lyon, met Patrick Viveret, a philosopher. This forum springs from the humanist tradition in Lyon aiming to consider the human factor as a political issue.
Most of humanity’s problems are self-generated. On the basis of this supposition, Dialogues en Humanité aim to gain better understanding of what the human being is and how humans can grow wiser together, gain in self-confidence, believe in others and in the future, towards greater understanding and justice, in a word greater peace.
The leitmotiv of this event is maximum cultural and geographical diversity welcoming a variety of opinions and possible answers to the many questions.
Three themes will be discussed on July 6th, 7th and 8th 2007
- The ecology challenge “in the face of ecological risks, let’s change the producer-consumer pattern and tend towards happy sobriety“
- Peace strategy “Faced with war strategy, let’s build a peace strategy”
- The democracy challenge “in the face of authority, let’s build democracy”
Three main events each day
2 p.m – 4 p.m : train to be discerning and sensitive
Through artistic and behavioural workshops offered by the many associations present, start thinking via sensitivity.
4 p.m – 6 p.m : palaver
Exchanges will take place on three agoras. People are invited to take part in a debate let by people from different places, on a particular aspect of human research (science, the arts, religion, politics in a wide sense). Everyone can take part in debates on major human problems. One theme will be discussed on each agora, according to that day’s main theme.
6 p.m – 7.30 p.m : cooperation
A quieter meeting now, so that people taking part can make suggestions of how to work together, based on the afternoon’s thoughts.
Friday July 6th
A NEW ART OF LIVING THANKS TO THE ECOLOGY CHALLENGE
Honorary President Wangari Maathai
To learn some discerning
Workshops :
- The effect on ecology
- Money for solidarity (SOL)
- Music and artistic expression on the theme of water …
Personal experience :
- Pierre Rabhi : founder of the international movement « Terre et Humanisme » he stands for a society respectful of man and the earth and supports environmentally aware agriculture, taking care of natural resources, especially in arid countries.
- Siddhartha : founder of the Pipal tree NGO in Bengalore and Asian-Pacific coordinator to try to make the world a responsible and united place, he opened and ashram known as Fireflies, where people go to meditate on the link between spiritual life, social action and ecology. He has put many ideas into practice and has organised training schemes for the local population on the following themes : improvement of living conditions, appeasement of conflicts between people of different faiths, between men and women and between the various casts, and awareness of the fact that religious beliefs and respect for the living world are intricately linked.
Time to talk
Happy sobriety
Increasingly, there are signs that our resources are running out (global warming, loss of biodiversity, depletion of mineral resources…) calling us to rethink the way we use the Earth’s resources, at a time when inequality where access to these same resources has reached a critical level. Now is the time to take the opportunity of rethinking our life-style and the way we produce and consume. Could we share resources differently across the world and give more consideration to future generations ? Could a combination of sobriety and solidarity become a new source of satisfaction ?
With :
- Lama Denys (France, Karma Ling),
- Vivian Labrie (Québec, Un Québec without poverty),
- Siddartha (Inde, Pipal Tree) and
- Pierre Rabhi (France, Terre et Humanisme).
Health and wealth
When humans are not a saleable commodity, they are capable of developing goods indefinitely.
How can we bring together the legitimate search for wellbeing and health of body and mind ?
How can equal opportunity to a modern way of life fit in with all the expertise acquired by the civilised world up to now ?
How should be use medecine while keeping an eye on the risks involved with a growing chemical industry. How should we link pharmacy and ecology ?
How can each person feel in charge of his own body and way it is treated : therapeutic abuse ; changing the way we consider handicapped people and their place in society ; the question of life and death ; old age ?
With people such as :
- Bruno-Marie Duffé (France, Ethics in the work place),
- Georges Kepenekian (France, Surgeon),
- Mahina Mapu Tuki (Easter Island, Doctor),
- Guenael Rodier (Geneva, WHO) and
- Patrick Viveret (France, philosopher et author).
Mankind as living creatures or mankind in the natural world ?
For a long time, man thought he could dominate nature and make an artificial world as long as he pleased. But can he carry on manufacturing and still respect nature ?
How can mankind fit into the natural world ? Can nature be brought back into the urban world that once rejected it ?
Can environmental conservation be done on a joint voluntary basis ?
In the long term can modern agriculture cater for the food shortage by ceasing to deplete natural resources?
With :
- Bernard Bolze (France, Campaign "this is too much"),
- Wangari Maathai (Kenya, Nobel Peace Prize 2004),
- François Letourneux (France, International Union for Nature Conservation)
- Francisca Rodriguez (Chili, National Association of rural native women, Commission de Via Campesina Internationale) and
- Serge Orru (France, WWF)
Time for cooperation
Life-story
- Wangari Maathai : political militant and ecologist, member of the Kenyan parliament, she founded the Green Belt Movement and directed the Kenyan National Womens’ Council. She is also the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, for what she calls ‘her contribution in favour of sustainable development, democracy and peace’.
Discussion groups and topic suggestions
People who already support Dialogues for Humanity
Antonella Cilento (anti-Mafia, Italy), Keet Dot (African Trade Network), Claire Douchet (Represents Spanish international cooperation in Jerusalem), Stéphanie Grimaldi (UN ambassador on AIDS), Christel Hartmann Fritsch (Schlesische Cultural Centre, Germany), Boris Kagarlitsky (Russian research institute for globalisation), Axel Kahn (doctor), Théo Klein (Lawyer), Abd Al Malik (composer and singer), Edgar Morin (Doctor of philosophy), Wenda Munoz (Handicap International, Mexico), Guenael Rodier (WHO), Adama Samassékou (President of the African academy for French-speakers), Aminata Traoré (Former culture minister in Mali and militant member of anti-globalisation), Rokia Traoré (musician and singer), Catherine Trautmann (European Deputy), Chico Withaker (Founder of the World Social Forum), Kaka Wéra (tradition Tupi-Guarani, representative of all native peoples of Brazilian Amazonia)
And also UNESCO, Greenpeace, WWF, ADECCO France and Véolia.
