Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education

6.4. The Activity of the Baku International Multiculturalism Centre

Baku International Multiculturalism Centre (BIMC) was set up by a decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, issued on 15 May 2014, as is mentioned in Chapter 2. The decree says clearly that multiculturalism is the state policy and way of life in Azerbaijan:

‘It is internationally acknowledged that being located at the intersection of civilizations Azerbaijan possesses rich cultural and spiritual values and traditions of tolerance. As a multi-ethnic and multi-faith country the environment of national and cultural diversity and ethnic-­religious tolerance has turned it into an incomparable space of multicultural dialogue. The state policy, being successfully carried out today to protect that cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity in the Republic of Azerbaijan, demands that special care be taken of this great historical experience of multiculturalism, accumulated down the centuries, and that it be enriched. The policy also calls for the international promotion of these unique achievements.’

The BIMC statute sets out its aims and objectives in line with this Decree. In conformity with the ideology of Azerbaijanism the Centre’s main goal is to protect tolerance and cultural, religious and linguistic diversity, and to ensure the worldwide recognition of Azerbaijan as a centre of multiculturalism. The Centre’s main functions are as follows:

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  to study the cultural, social, and political essence of Azerbaijani reality, which has turned multiculturalism and tolerance into a way of life and to develop a way to promote it;
  

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  to determine how cultural and ethnographic diversity in the Republic of Azerbaijan may serve the development of Azerbaijanism and to ensure that it does;
  

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  to conduct scientific analysis of the tolerant foundations of cultural and religious diversity in the Azerbaijan Republic and to determine ways to preserve them;
  

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  to study the cultural heritage of different regions, to ensure their harmonious development and to support the protection and preservation of historical, cultural and religious monuments by making use of the potential of civil society;
  

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  to study the degree of contact among the cultures of different regions in multicultural life and to promote more contact;
  

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  to search for traces of old cultures in different regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in cooperation with the respective research institutions (to organize archaeological digs in accordance with the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan ‘On the protection of historical and cultural monuments’) and to collect and protect cultural and ethnographic heritage;
  

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  to introduce projects in education, culture, science and other social spheres in order to tackle failings that impede the harmonious, holistic spiritual development of the individual;
  

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  to carry out measures to increase the professional religious and secular knowledge of young clerics of different religions;
  

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  to ensure that international experts study the multicultural achievements of the Republic of Azerbaijan and to promote those achievements abroad;
  

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Chapter 6

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Azerbaijani Multiculturalism

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  to develop a mechanism to appreciate and promote local and foreign citizens, who have made a major contribution to individual purification and to building mutual respect and trust among the nations and religions;
  

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  to analyse and disseminate the personal experience of international experts in multiculturalism and of current and former politicians, public figures, academics and artists;
  

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  to perform other functions in conformity with this Statute.
  

The Azerbaijani President signed an instruction on 11 March 2016 ‘On the Action Plan for 2016 as the Year of Multiculturalism in the Republic of Azerbaijan’. Baku International Multiculturalism Centre was made coordinator of the Action Plan. BIMC carries out several projects in different areas, arising from the plan, and works closely with the bodies mentioned in the Instruction.

One of the most significant issues in the Action Plan is the creation of BIMC branches and representative offices abroad. Work on this has been under way since January 2016 and BIMC now has branches in Germany, Israel, Moldova, Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and Russia.

BIMC is building its work in two directions:

analysis and promotion of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan and the rest of the world and to prepare publications on this;


development and implementation of projects designed to maintain tolerance, cultural, religious and linguistic diversity in accordance with the ideology of Azerbaijanism, and to introduce Azerbaijan as a centre of multiculturalism in the world.

BIMC has carried out a number of important projects in this regard.

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The Book of Dada Qorqud: How Basat Killed Tapagoz

The story of ‘How Basat Killed Tapagoz’ (Cyclops) from the epic The Book of Dada Qorqud (Kitabi Dada Qorqud), published in Germany in 1815 by orientalist and diplomat Friedrich von Diez with his foreword, was translated and published in 25 languages. This project also followed an instruction of President Ilham Aliyev on celebration of the 200th anniversary of the first translation into German and publication of The Book of Dada Qorqud.

The translations were published in Turkish, German, English, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian and Ukrainian, as well as in the languages of minorities living in Azerbaijan – Khinaliq, Tat, Kurdish, Talysh, Udi, Lezghi, Georgian and Armenian. The publication of these books is a clear sign of both the richness of the spiritual world of the Azerbaijani people and the spirit of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan. The book consists of Friedrich von Diez’s foreword entitled ‘Comparison of the Newly Discovered Oghuz Cyclops with that of Homer’ and the story of ‘How Basat Killed Tapagoz’ (Cyclops) from The Book of Dada Qorqud.