The International Pantheon Arts Center
Pulau Seni, Thousand Islands, Jakarta,
The 1^st to the 17^th  day of the eighth month
in the year 58 AP (After Present)

Declaration on the
inalienable rights
of artists & intellectuals
 

Declaration

on the

inalienable rights

of artists & intellectuals

We, the members of the Global Academy of the Arts & Sciences, alarmed that culture is at the brink of extinction and the world is facing the imminent demise of civilization, have called an unprecedented extraordinary meeting to address the issues and find solutions. We are particularly concerned and worried by the extent of commercialization in all fields, including the arts, culture and education. We feel that the materialistic trends of today’s society pose a great threat on the intellectual and spiritual well being of the human race. Our meeting was held at the International Pantheon Arts Center Pulau Seni, Thousand Islands, Jakarta, from the 1^st to the 17^th  day of the eighth month, in the year 58 AP (After Present) and was called to coincide with JakArt@2008. Our meeting concluded with the following declaration:

Before the inevitable demise of the nation state, and as long as nation states exist all governments of these nation states recognize, accept, support, admit and acknowledge:

1.  that ideas, concepts, the arts, culture and the sciences are universal and belong to the whole of humankind and therefore can neither be confined nor restricted or controlled by national boundaries.

2. both our tangible and intangible heritages are born and propelled from ideas, concepts, the arts & culture and that these collectively form the basis of our civilization on a global scale.

3. that all inspiration originates from the same source and therefore all knowledge belongs to the public domain and no government, group or individual shall be allowed to dominate, control or monopolize it in any way.

4. that all the people of the world have the inalienable right to think and imagine whatever they want and to express their ideas in whatever manner they deem appropriate.

5. that no government or organization will ever censor, ban, or in any way distort or deform these ideas nor will they ever punish or in any way imperil or threaten their conceivers and/or implementers.

6. that freedom of movement is a fundamental human right and that all people shall be granted this freedom without any restrictions and shall be allowed to move wherever and whenever they want without let or hindrance.. The definition of freedom of movement is not confined to persons but it includes amongst others ideas, intellectual concepts, the arts culture, and the sciences.  

7. that ideas, concepts, the arts, culture and the sciences do not necessarily have to be commercially viable and therefore they must be supported by the public sector. For this reason each government shall allocate in their annual budgets an amount for the arts and culture that equals plus 3 percent the amount that they allocate for military purposes.

8. that thinking and inquiry are vital for the intellectual and spiritual well being and freedom of people and therefore they have to be reintroduced in the educational system, taught through the arts, culture and the sciences, with a particular emphasis on the historical perspective of our global cultural heritage.

9. that the integration of the arts & culture in our daily life is a cause to be encouraged and supported.

10. This declaration shall be endorsed and signed by each head of state and shall be ratified by each state’s legislature.

JakArt secretariat: Jln. Lebak Bulus II / 20 A, Cilandak – Jakarta 12430, INDONESIA
Tel/ fax: + 62-21-75907687, Tel: + 62-21-70830742, email: proseni@indosat.net.id