Walk of Truth unites people on the path to a better world by creating an independent platform which enables respectful dialogue between people living in conflict areas. Walk of Truth (WoT) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in The Hague, The Netherlands. Tasoula Georgiou Hadjitofi in an effort to raise awareness among people of different ethnic, religious and natio
nal identities about the value of cultural heritage in all its forms. The WoT concept began as one woman’s dream… The dream of Tasoula Hadjitofi, who simply envisaged an international art dwelling for disputed pieces of art and threatened monuments. WoT aims to unite people on the path to a better world by creating an independent platform which enables respectful dialogue between people living in conflict areas. Because of its universal nature, culture offers people a common language. Where politics and religion tend to separate, culture binds at the deepest level and by doing so, it can contribute to reconciliation. The vision of WoT is to broaden everyone’s responsibility and sensitivity on the protection of cultural heritage and gradually become the people’s conscious voice which calls for the necessity of cultured societies. And just as legal identity is essential, cultural identity should be imperative. Mission
Raise public awareness of threats to Cultural Heritage from crime and war
To foster intelligent debates about protecting cultural property from violence
To engage ordinary people in the struggle to protect and restore endangered monuments and artifacts
WoT aspires to empower people to embrace and protect endangered cultural heritage. It promotes respect for cultural diversity through the creation of an independent platform for respectful and constructive dialogue between people living in conflict zones. It does this by encouraging people to engage in dialogue concerning their own culture and that of the other. Through the mutual respect that ensues, conflict areas are ultimately transformed into areas of peace. WoT endeavours to raise awareness among people of different ethnic, religious or national identities of the value of cultural heritage in all its forms. In particular, it promotes the preservation, protection and conservation of monuments and artifacts of significant cultural and historical value, especially where they are threatened by conflict or prejudice. WoT also strives to increase public awareness of the destruction and misappropriation of precious cultural objects, whether through looting, art trafficking or the direct effects of war. It campaigns to ensure that there are adequate deterrents to curb the deliberate abuse of cultural objects, as well as a proper legal framework to ensure restitution for people affected by such abuse. WoT seeks to preserve important cultural objects both by encouraging a change in public consciousness as well as in more direct ways. It attempts to combats art trafficking in all its forms by lobbying for a change in international legislation, and in the way law enforcement agencies act to counter and pre-empt destruction and abuse.
