Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Promoting Cultural Understanding through Education & Communication
Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute is registered as a private nonprofit foundation in the United States. The Institute sponsors activities and programs with a primary focus on preservation, transmission, and instruction of Persian culture as defined below. To execute its mission, the Institute develops initiatives that provide support for partnerships with other nonprofit organizations and institutions such as schools, universities, libraries, museums, and private sector donors that share its goals in support of Persian culture.
Roshan literally means "enlightened, bright and clear" in Persian. As such, it is closely associated with light and connected to concepts such as clarity, understanding, and authenticity. This word embodies the guiding principle behind Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute’s mission of bringing to light the importance of Persian culture and achieving clear understanding through community involvement and education. The Institute’s logo reflects a blooming sun inspired by the lotus flower motif used at Persepolis (capital of Achaemenid Empire, 550-330 B.C.) as well as Shamseh used in Persian-Islamic architecture.
Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute supports cultural and educational activities that bring to light the richness and diversity of Persian culture. We are dedicated to fostering community among Persian people and those interested in Persian cultural heritage. We encourage intercultural communication with host countries and focus on the following activities:
Definition of Culture
The word 'Culture' is often misunderstood as its wide semantic field includes but is not limited to:
Language: the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated medium of expression.
Arts & Sciences: the most advanced and refined forms of human expression.
Thought: the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand the world around them.
Spirituality: the value system transmitted through generations for the inner well-being of human beings, expressed through language and actions.
Social activities: the shared pursuits within a cultural community, demonstrated in a variety of festivities and life-celebrating events.
Interaction: the social aspects of human contact, including the give-and-take of socialization, negotiation, protocols, and conventions.
We believe that Peace among people can, and should be achieved through education, communication and cultural understanding. The Institute is guided by values and principles that uphold a community: compassion, tolerance, respect, and the desire to improve communication and understanding among people of diverse background.