Context

• Kozhikode in north Kerala, known for its rich cultural heritage, was officially declared as India’s first UNESCO ‘City of Literature’.

Key Details

• In October 2023, Kozhikode had earned a place in the ‘Literature’ category of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
• Known as the city of Zamorins once, Kozhikode, also known as Calicut during British rule, served as the gateway to the coast for many foreigners, such as Persians, Arabs, Chinese, and eventually Europeans, centuries ago.
• Kozhikode is a city where there are over 500 libraries functioning, and has been the base of literary activities of legendary Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair for several decades.
• Gwalior and Kozhikode from India are among the 55 new cities which have joined the UCCN.
• While Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh made it to the coveted list in the ‘Music’ category, Kozhikode earned the place in the ‘Literature’ category.
• These cities join the list of places which received tags from the UNESCO including Bukhara – Crafts and Folk Art, Casablanca – Media Arts, Chongqing – Design, Kathmandu – Film, Rio de Janeiro – Literature, and Ulaanbaatar – Crafts and Folk Art.
• With the latest additions, the UCCN now counts 350 cities in more than a hundred countries, representing seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music.
• The newly designated Creative Cities are invited to participate in the 2024 UCCN Annual Conference (July 1-5, 2024) in Braga, Portugal, under the theme ‘Bringing Youth to the Table for the Next Decade’.

Source: HT

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