"Cultural exchange."
This phrase represents the goal of Urban Walls Brazil and the mission Roberta set out to accomplish when starting this organization... Cultural exchange is the idea that people from around the world, no matter where you come from, can find an appreciation for one another through culture - art, music, food, architecture, tradition, and folklore.
There are sooooo many benefits to learning about other cultures: it helps to expand and open your mind (because ethnocentrism never helped anyone), you receive a better understanding of the world at large, and hey, you may even enjoy a culture so much that you integrate aspects of it into your own life.
Learning about different parts of the world from the people who live there, not only allows you to experience their culture, but it forces you to look introspectively at your own culture. It provides you with a fresh lens and new point of view when you analyze your culture. You start to understand why your city or region is full of people like you. You start to truly understand the major forces that pushed your culture forward. It becomes easier to take a step back and look at the shifts in culture.
Being a part of Urban Walls Brazil for 2 years now (WOW!), I have become more and more aware of the significance of cultural exchange and why it is imperative that we have it (and protect it). Without it, the world would be a dull place.
-Thomas