Culture and University: "If We Are Not Cultural Beings, We Are Cannon Fodder for Manipulation"

Aldous Huxley, in his unsettling 'Brave New World', envisioned a hypothetical future where stability and happiness would be achieved by suppressing individual freedom through technological and psychological control. "Culture is essential to avoid the dystopia Huxley outlined. If we are not cultural beings, we will be cannon fodder for manipulations." This literary reference underscores the importance of culture for personal development, a field where universities have much to contribute.

The statement comes from the Vice-Rector of Culture, Sport and University Extension at UA, Catalina Iliescu, a participant in the second panel of the forum 'Education and Culture, Values for a Progressive Society', organised by TodoAlicante. Her counterpart was María Asunción Amorós Marco, Vice-Rector of Culture, Equality and Diversity at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche.

Both have advocated for public universities as cultural engines that should promote the personal development of their students. "It is not enough to make culture visible. We must also create it," explained Amorós, detailing the numerous cultural initiatives offered by her institution.

From poetic and musical recitals, interviews with writers, performances by its young orchestra and choir, to interpretations of popular music like pop and rock on the streets. "We must involve students in all these offerings. For example, instead of bringing a German orchestra to perform on our campus, we want to feature our own orchestra. This way, we encourage our students to be immersed in a continuous learning process."

Iliescu also listed the reasons that make UA a cultural engine, starting with its museum—the MUA—making it one of the few universities in Spain with such a resource. A "true gem," as the university leader assured, but one that requires "urgent" help from the public administration to improve its infrastructure, as it has been years since the university has been pending to restore the water sheet on the museum's floodable roof.

Apart from this claim, UA also boasts a cultural programme articulated through the auditorium, concerts offered by the philharmonic or choir, as well as the talent detection platform, the contemporary art competition, or the film forums organised in different spaces.

The head of Culture at UMH referred to one of her department's flagship projects, Cultural Dialogues. This initiative seeks to establish a fluid relationship between cultural activities carried out within the university and those inherent to the city where each of the four university campuses is located. Thus, activities conducted by UMH students will be showcased in municipal venues, and, as a result of this dialogue, city activities will be brought to the university.

This cultural effervescence articulated in Elche has its roots in antiquity through the Misteri d'Elx, the only medieval sacred-lyric drama still performed uninterruptedly since the 15th century, preserving its original religious function and medieval performance style.

For its part, at UA, culture is structured through three strategic lines. As Iliescu explained, these are transversality, internationalisation, and inclusion. Examples of the latter include the installation of hearing aids, pictograms, or subtitles at the MUA to make art accessible to people with functional diversity.

The best example of internationalisation is represented by the performances of the UA theatre workshop in countries like Portugal and Romania; and, regarding transversality, an initiative where poets and visual artists collaborated to publish a printed work that has also been translated into eight languages thanks to Translation and Interpretation students.