Andalusian caliph Al-Hakam II gathered in the 10th century Cordoba one of the biggest libraries of the known world in its time. The library, symbol of a pluralist and cosmopolitan reign, had more than four hundred thousand books that dealt with all the different fields of knowledge, from science to poetry. Al-Hakam had agents that searched for books for him in all the other focus of medieval culture, such as Cairo, Baghdad, Damascus or Alexandria. According to the chroniclers, in a suburb in Cordoba there lived one hundred and sixty women who worked as copyists, among them, the famous Lubna of Cordoba. Miniaturists and bookbinders worked with the copyist to keep and enlarge the library. Such a cultural exchange centre would not be seen until two centuries later, in the School of Translators of Toledo.

One of the main achievements of the court of Cordoba was to reunite the Byzantine monk Nikolas, the jewish doctor Hasday ben Saprut, born in Jaen, and the personal doctor of the caliph, Ibn Yulyut, a muslim. Together, the three sages translated and adapted the terminology of the Dioscorides, one of the most important books on pharmaceutical knowledge of Ancient Greece.

Of course, life in medieval Spain was not always idyllic. The internal tensions between different social groups, and the wars between Al Andalus and the christian kingdoms were frequents, just as the truces, alliances and shifts of interests. A real Game of Thrones. but what we really want to focus on is the everyday relationship between the inhabitants of Cordoba. The neighbours getting along, people going to buy at the market, the goldsmiths, potters and other artisans. The image of three men, each from a different religion, translating a greek book that would be used by Europe's best doctors until Renaissance times.

Cultural exchange brought progress and prosperity, just as it does nowadays in many cities and universities. However, we cannot be prepared for this intersection between diverse thoughts and ways of behaving if civic education is not among the teachings that children and young people receive. Civic education is focused on social relationships and aims to strengthen the spaces in which people live together. It also deals with solidarity and cooperation. It is not an exclusive competence of the educational system: families, governments, religions and mass media are some of the institutions involved in civic education, according to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

One of the four pillars of the international peace education institution CISV is precisely Conflict and Resolution. It is important how the words are phrased, as both are sides of the same coin. Conflict is inevitable among human beings, friends, families, couples, groups, societies. Avoiding conflict is not an option, but how to face it is our choice. Education on values of tolerance, dialog, solidarity, empathy, diplomacy, allow us to build the society that future generations deserve.

The tools that CATED provides for children and young students focus on achieving this pluralist education, that seeks building bridges between individuals and cultures. Starting by learning foreign languages, and developing also self confidence and leadership skills, CATED prepares the new generations for travelling, discovering, broadening their horizons and creating new points of view.

By

Elena Higueras Pajares

Consultor en Deloitte Digital

Spain