The National Commission of the Republic of Tajikistan for UNESCO in co-operation with the UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Dialogue in the Modern World at the Tajik-Russian (Slavonic) University prepared an educational publication "Kaleidoscope of Cultures".

This publication is based on

i) the model of the previous successful publication prepared by the UNESCO ASPnet school "Best" in Kazakhstan that was published in Almaty in 2005;

ii) the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (multilingual PDF document) and its existing youth version "All Different, All Unique"(PDF document in English and French); and

iii) the history and culture of Tajikistan as a part of Central Asia by illustrating the "shared" and "common" elements of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the region while taking into account the realities of cultural dialogue and common heritage of Central Asia.

One of the fundamental aims of this educational publication is to make the study of the Central Asian nations through the example of Tajikistan both interesting and valuable. Moreover, the illustrious publication helps its readers to discover all aspects of culture and explore the contribution of the Tajik culture to the global civilization. The publication is primarily geared toward the youth audiences of high schools as well as university students; however, the accessible language of this educational tool makes it comprehensible to a much broader audience interested in the issues of culture, heritage, and arts in Tajikistan.

Currently, the publication is already popular and widely used among the students of the Tajik-Russian (Slavonic) University who benefit from the existence of the UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Dialogue in the Modern World at their university. One might note that the publication has been effectively utilized and adopted by the cultural discipline present at the university. Furthermore, the National Commission of the Republic of Tajikistan is planning to present the publication at the Ministry of Education in order to ensure its dissemination among many educational institutions within the country

The educational spirit of the publication is especially vivid through its 15 lectures dealing with various topics including theory of culture, global and national culture, intercultural dialogue, language, arts and music, and historical monuments. Each lecture features sections such as dictionary, questions, archives, and emblems in order to easily guide the readers through diverse themes. In addition, colorful maps of Tajikistan and Central Asia, pictures of historical monuments, related articles and vibrant photos assist in conveying the message of cultural diversity within the region

Full list of lectures:

• Lecture 1: Introduction. UNESCO – United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organization

• Lecture 2: Culture – source of humanism

• Lecture 3 : Civilisation

• Lecture 4 : Mother tongue

• Lecture 5 : Intercultural dialogue

• Lecture 6 : Our motherland – Tajikistan

• Lecture 7: Dialogue in Central Asia and cultural policies

• Lecture 8: East – West

• Lecture 9: Dushanbe – city of peace

• Lecture 10: Borbad epoch

• Lecture 11: Music Shashmaqom – Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – masterpiece of intangible cultural heritage of humanity

• Lecture 12: Avesta and culture of Aryans

• Lecture 13: Adjina-epa – monument of historical and cultural heritage

• Lecture 14: Central Asia during the Samanid epoch

• Lecture 15: Day of Tajikistan at UNESCO

For more information, please contact the National Commission of the Republic of Tajikistan for UNESCO.