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Workshop A1: Culture in EU external relations in collaboration with local and regional authorities

 

 

in Maison Heinrich Heine Working languages: English and French

Moderated by Rainer Kern, representative of the Lord Mayor of the City of Mannheim, Germany

with

Anuradha Ananth, Cultural journalist, Cottbus, Germany and previously Head-Features Programming (arts & lifestyle) at NDTV-Hindu, Chennai, India

Eric Lebas, in charge of the Unit for local and regional authorities – Institut Français, France
Cécile Peyronnet, responsible for the European Affairs – Institut Français, France

Anne Poidevin, Project Manager – Direction of European and international relations, City of Strasbourg, France

 

 

Rainer Kern

He starts with a painting by Peter Paul Rubens called 'the Ambassadors' to underline cultural diplomacy has been around already for quite some time. Even some say that cultural diplomacy is baroque.

In Germany the Ministry of Foreign Affairs puts emphasis on three domains: economy, politics and culture. The main tool for implementing its cultural policy are the Goethe Institutes around the world.

Just recently there was a round table to illustrate one example: China-Germany and 40 years of cultural diplomacy

At EU level:

Cultural Diplomacy in the USA e.g. Madeleine Albright – every guest of hers is taken in the evening to a Jazz club in Washington to experience something typical of American culture, and one can wonder what impact that shall have on negotiations or talks the next day.

There is the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (icd). It is based in the USA and in Germany and connects all levels. The philosophy is to foster trust, mutual understanding and dialogue.

Since he comes from the City of Mannheim, there culture pertains to all activities and includes social dimensions so that work is not only done with artists.

Anuradha Ananth
Cultural journalist, Cottbus, Germany and previously Head-Features Programming (arts & lifestyle) at NDTV-Hindu, Chennai, India

anuradha.ananth@gmail.com

She wants now to zoom in on India, the country where she comes from and there from the most urbanized region. It has a rich heritage and traded already with Ancient Greece. When conducting a survey of 60 cultural organizations with 200 000 performances, she found out that they were all private, that is not state supported at all. The region is called TN/Chennai urban mela. Cultural activities are realized in collaboration with Goethe / British Council / Indo Italiano. She did her desk research on this question of collaboration.

Taminadu.

Her research questions were leading up to the role of EUNIC: European cultural institutes acting in unison. A key question she put to all was what independence they have in decision making?

Source: www.germany-and-india.com

Of interest is that there is this focus on European perspective, at local levels all avoid taking any position on foreign cultural policy issues.

Cecile Peyronnet – Institut Francais

Eric Lebas – Institut Francais

He will say things which complement what Cecile Peyronnet has already pointed out. Institut Francais is a public institution and does take part in cultural diplomacy. In that sense our role is fairly wide. We have a way of working together with local and regional authorities.

Diplomatic relations and diplomacy is handled at national level, but the experience we make show that local and regional authorities are involved in external relations.

  1. challenge of cultural diplomacy - how to involve local and regional authorities who have a role to play in international diplomacy?

  2. make use of the resources of cultural creation which exist across the country to make things happen

  3. develop special relationship with local and regional authority so that on the basis of this partnership it becomes possible to share experiences and have a shared basis for projects so that cultural cooperation becomes possible.

There is the form of decentralized cooperation which works.

Cultural cooperation is complex and difficult to enter and to make it into an answer as to what local and regional authorities are capable of doing.

Use a cultural network which exists abroad.

Today with the economic crisis it is extremely important to work together.

Obviously economic diplomacy has taken the first place.

Institut Francais in India is organising a 'Bon jour' event across the entire country. It shows that various regions in France are interested in contacts with India.

 

Anne Poidevin – Strasbourg

She has in mind the role of a local authority e.g. Strasbourg. In that city we have a European Community so that there is an interplay between the French administration and European environment. This brings about a rich cultural policy.

The City of Strasbourg has a special department for International Relations due to the France / Germany border, but more so because of the European Council, the Council of Human Rights, the European Parliament and other institutions being present in the city. We created as a result our own network called 'Club of Strasbourg'. We have gathered in this club big European cities (2004 – 2007) with the objective to exchange experiences, in order to become more efficient at European level.

For example, we implement thereby two schemes centred around the book and illustration.

A third project is around modernist architecture. We try to open up to partnerships with non European architects. The project includes as well buildings outside of Europe.

 

Report by Eduard Millares

We heard different visions and also one external from India.

Three conclusions may  be drawn:

  1. almost redundant to talk about internationalism for what is outside is inside Europe which is based on an interaction of institution which are all international now;

  2. forces us to rethink the traditional role of state institutions e.g. Cervantes Institute because they do not have the necessary doors outside especially for the local and regional authorities and secondly we need to change the traditional idea of cultural diplomacy by changing to cultural cooperation (Rod Fisher)

  3. towns/ regions acting locally/globally – new people involved in the cultural activities – e.g. Twinning – networks – cross border connections – inter regional cooperation – shared ways of evaluating and planning – culture and development

 

Question by Hatto Fischer

Culture is being discussed here in terms of a specific organisational logic, with some very specific reference to administrative practices, but what does it mean to represent European culture with national, regional and local interpretations?

 

Answer: not competent – look for other organisations – cultural operators -

don' t overestimate our capacity – European representation play an important role together with other institutions and often it is a question of people – some experimentation done -

 

Question: different from institutional levels – Marseilles – treasure we have go through ports with strong identities and experiences in international communication – where are strong relationships – thinking about how we do thinks and not just think about infrastructure – if we put too many administrative levels in then we have problems – national capitals have the possibility to foster international relationships and the system must adapt to where is the vitality

 

Answer: administrative barriers – blocking politicians by those who are engaged a good thing

Question: Toulouse – towns are very different, Europe is there very little present but what is important is Twinning, cooperation agreements and at a cultural level it is often just a matter of putting on a good show – but now try to work on the long term and not just focus on an event – set-up: people take the initiative and who are the driving force – e.g. circus schools from Toulouse

Answer: within Institut Francais have agreements with British Council and Goethe how to work together in India, for example, so that this can be called the Europeanization of Cultural Institutes

Eduard Millares go beyond the old method of cultural diplomacy to cultural cooperation – culture is not a peripheral activity but coming into the centre – power of culture – today when the towns and regions cooperate to do something in culture they do something which differs from strict artistic exchange – clearly we speak about something else today – training for a new form of governance – the question is how national cultural institution how can they become a useful tool in this new panorama

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