EXPLANATION FOR THE “RAINBOW” LOGO
FOR THE UNIVERSITIES PARTNERSHIP FOR TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS
UP
6
T
Universities Partnership
W for Transboundary Waters
Universities, Diversity, and Knowledge. The seven colors of the rainbow
symbolize diversity, tolerance and solidarity. The multicultural symbolism
of the rainbow is nothing new. Several peoples consider the rainbow to be a
bridge between earth and sky. Rainbow symbolism is seen in Hinduism,
Buddhism, Judaism, and in Christian art. For example, a Christian reading
of the rainbow is the covenant of God with the human race that He will
never again permit world-wide destruction. In Genesis 9:13-16 God said "I
set My rainbow in the cloud over the earth that the rainbow shall be seen in
the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you
and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a
flood to destroy all flesh." Another example of rainbows is found in
Buddhism, where the "rainbow body" is said to be the highest state
attainable in the realm of "samsara" before the "clear light" of Nirvana.
There is no mention of the rainbow, or its significance, anywhere in the
Koran.
The Partnership. The brown line represents the soil or the Earth. The
small arches in the center represents a hand shake. The handshake is a
common symbol representing a partnership. The handshake in the center of
the logo represents a partnership across the world.
Transboundary Waters. The circular form of the logo represents the
globe. The vertical lines represent meridians, or other fiat boundaries
developed by humans as opposed to bona fide boundaries such as
watersheds or catchments, for the many forms of global waters and water
knowledge to move across.