The cities have been selected to represent seven creative sectors: handicrafts, folk arts, design, film, food, literature, media arts and music. Kozhikode is included in the literature category and Gwalior in the music category.
UNESCO Creative Cities Network
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote collaboration among creative cities, identifying creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. It now covers 350 cities in over a hundred countries.
The network aims to improve the creative, social and economic potential of cultural industries. It was launched to promote UNESCO’s goals of cultural diversity and strengthen resilience to threats such as climate change, rising inequality and rapid urbanisation. It promotes a culture of creativity in urban planning and solutions to urban problems.
Apart from Kozhikode and Gwalior, Varanasi (music), Srinagar (handicrafts and folk arts) and Chennai (music) are part of this network.
Literary heritage of Kozhikode
Kozhikode is said to be Kozhikode meaning Kozhikode. Some reports suggest that it was called Chullikadu and Kallikottai in earlier times.
Although the English and Chinese called it by different names, the Malayalis call it Kozhikode.
Kerala’s Kozhikode is a beautiful natural haven with lush greenery, home to historic forts and tranquil beaches .
Kozhikode has been named India’s first literary city.
Kozhikode has been named ‘City of Literature’ by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Kozhikode is named among the 55 cities across the world recognized by UNESCO under various categories.
The involvement of Kozhikode writers, literature and cultural activities is seen as important in gaining this recognition.
Apart from Kozhikode, 54 other cities have been named as ‘Creative Cities’. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh is named the ‘City of Music’.
The newly designated ‘Creative Cities’ have been invited to participate in the UCCN Annual Conference to be held in Prague, Portugal from 1st to 5th July 2024.
Kundalatha, the first Malayalam novel, was born in Kozhikode in 1887. This is written by Appu Nedungadi. SK Portekad, Vaikam Muhammad Basheer, Urup, Digkodian, N.N. Kakkat, B Valsala, Akbar Kakkatil, Punathil Gunjaptullah, MD. Many famous writers like Vasudevan Nair have given awards to Kozhikode. The city has produced many film and theater professionals over the past half century.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network allows member cities to be recognized as an important element of urban development. particularly through joint action involving the public and private sectors and civil society. It plans to create hubs of creativity and innovation and expand opportunities for creatives and professionals in the cultural sector. These cities must achieve the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The objectives of this network are implemented at the level of the member cities and at the international level, especially through the sharing of experiences, knowledge and best practices. There are professional and artistic exchange programs, research and evaluations on the experience of creative cities, among other activities.
The highlight of the network is the annual conference of mayors and other stakeholders of the network cities, which provides a unique opportunity to strengthen ties between creative cities around the world. The main objective of this conference is to exchange practical information on policies and activities undertaken by these cities and to stimulate cooperation between these cities.
The last conference was held in Santos, Brazil. This year’s conference was held in Istanbul. The next conference will be held in July 2024 in Prague, Portugal.
Every four years, member cities are required to submit a Member Monitoring Report with the aim of demonstrating continued commitment to the implementation of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) Program Statement. They present an action plan for the next four years, which provides insights into their achievements and lessons learned and the impact of the position.
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