“Every person has different dreams in life, yet we all dream of a life rich with happiness, health and prosperity. Culture is a manifestation of this simple, profound want of good life, interpreted and developed in its own historical, environmental and social contexts.  

We all know, by experience and by inherent understanding, that happy, healthy and prosperous life can be truly achieved when we live in harmony with community and in connection to nature. Despite the seeming differences in their practices, every mature culture has respected this old wisdom.

We all sing, we all dance, and we all seek creative ways to express ourselves. Culture is expressed through voice and body movement in the most fundamental level, while humans have continuously expanded their expressive realm, using tools.

Cultural expression may vary in great detail, yet we can still share the emotions and thoughts with each other. Culture makes each one of us unique, and at the same time, culture opens up our common humanity, connecting us all.

We are shaped by culture on the one hand, and we shape culture on the other. Culture is the way of life we have learned from our fathers and a guide for our children to learn how to live and what to appreciate in life. Culture, we believe, is the cardinal key to happy, healthy and prosperous life for each and for all – a key that is in our hands.”

Excerpt from the Preamble of the Constitution of World Culture Open