On 23rd June 2024, Kozhikode in north Kerala has become the first Indian city to be officially declared as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) “City of Literature”.
- P A Mohammed Riyas, Tourism Minister, Kerala unveiled the logo of the “City of Literature” by UNESCO.
City of Literature Day of Kozhikode:
i.MB Rajesh, State Local Self Government Department (LSGD), Kerala in an official event held in Kozhikode, Kerala declared that from 2024 onwards, 23rd June will celebrated as the “City of Literature” Day of Kozhikode across Kerala.
ii.During the annual observance special awards will be given under 6 categories of literature.
Background:
i.On 31st October 2023(World Cities Day), Kozhikode (Kerala) and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) were the only two Indian cities among the 55 cities placed in the list of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
- Kozhikode was designated as the UNESCO “City of Literature”, while, Gwalior was designated as the UNESCO “City of Music’’.
ii.At present, UCCN features 350 cities in more than 100 countries, which represents 7 different creative fields namely, Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts, and Music.
Note: These newly designated 55 creative cities will participate in the 2024 UCCN Annual Conference which is scheduled to be held in Braga, Portugal from 1st July to 5th July, 2024.
Theme 2024 UCCN: “Bringing Youth to the Table for the Next Decade”
About Kozhikode:
i.Kozhikode once known as the city of Zamorins, later, known as Calicut during the British rule, recognised for its rich culture and historical significance.
- It served as the gateway to the Indian coast for many foreigners, Persians, Arabs, Chinese and Europeans especially for Portuguese, as Vasco da Gama a Portuguese explorer who arrived in India at Calicut in 1498.
ii.At present, over 500 libraries are functioning in Kozhikode, Kerala and for several decades, has been the base of literary activities of Renowned Malayalam writer MT Vasudevan Nair.
Point to Note:
Apart from Kozhikode and Gwalior, 6 other Indian cities are featured in the UCCN list, they are: Jaipur in Crafts and Folk Arts category (2015), Varanasi in Music category (2015), Chennai in Music category (2017), Mumbai in Film category (2019), Hyderabad in Gastronomy category (2019), Srinagar in Crafts and Folk Arts category (2021).
About United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO):
Director General (DG)- Audrey Azoulay
Headquarters- Paris, France
Established- 1945
