BALKAN
CULTURAL
CO-OPERATION
CULTURAL
CO-OPERATION
What has been done? What will be done?
Reestablishing and revitalizing trans border artistic and cultural ties within the Balkan nations and with other European countries is important for the return of mutual trust between different peoples.
Between Tradition and Future
Development Aspects of Cultural Foundations in the SEE
Preparing the environment for setting up a regional foundation
The conferences on foundations
→ The present and future role of the Foundations in Cultural Funding and Policymaking in the Balkans (Belgrade, 29th October 2001)
→ Funding the future – the role of Cultural Foundations, Funds and Endowments in the SEE region (Belgrade, December 2002)
Out comings
Preparation and Realisation of a number of seminars and workshops "Cultural challenges and creativity: Role and potentials of foundations"
Establishing of a database "Cultural Foundations in the Balkan region"
In the Balkans, the societies are presently experiencing important political and economical changes, having serious repercussions in all social and cultural life. In this transition period, culture and the arts are becoming of high importance for the development and reconciliation process, for communication, exchange and trans-border understanding.
Due to serious shortcuts, the public sector lost its financial power to support cultural activities, now mainly concentrating on the maintenance of public-run institutions. There is a crucial need of new governance structures for the cultural sector, promoting diversification of arts financing and enhancing new co-operation models for development at all levels.
There is a lack of support for creativity, new trendsetting and critical artistic expression all over the Balkans. For meeting this challenge, we must promote the building and the reinforcement of foundations in the region. Foundations by their structure and purpose are best suited to act as missing link between the public sphere and the profit-oriented market, aiming at opening and protecting space for cultural creativity in the public-private arts financing concert.
Foundations could collect private donations and identify international sources in order to provide free money for flexible and mobile funds which are needed for a vital arts' scene of high quality. Their funding practices, however, still follow old criteria and outdated knowledge.
Foundations are still lacking in openness for and experience in interregional and international co-operation. A number of international bodies are in a position to assist foundations in the region to empower and to take their place. Though some important foreign foundations are reducing their presence, new ones express their wish to establish in the region and to link with well organised, open-minded co-operation partners. Our foundations need to be prepared.
What needs to be done?
For making sufficiently use of its potentials, present and future cultural foundations in the Balkans must:
- review existing funding schemes on the basis of new challenges and needs;
- be trained in new managing skills and the wide range of co-operation possibilities;
- meet improved legal and fiscal operating environments;
- get a maximum of free and easily available information on existing foundations and related issues;
- (in some cases ) successfully try to get back their wealth confiscated by the state in the 40s and 50s.
Besides of this, the establishment of a true BalkanKult Foundation would be crucial for strengthening and pressing ahead joint cultural activities in the region. As a grant seeking and grant giving body, it will become an important partner for international institutions and policy makers from the region and abroad, offering to them highly qualified co-operation, project coordination and implementation. It will even become an integrative factor, helping the region to grow together.
To sum up:
Foundations can play a major role for future financing of arts and culture in South East Europe – to fulfil this task, they need to be empowered. BalkanKult has been asked by experts in cultural policies and research as well as by foundations all over the Balkans to further coordinate the development process and is ready to assume this task. In accordance with the newly established “Balkan Foundations Development Group”, it agreed on the following concrete steps to be taken next:
Enhancing the role of foundations in the Balkans: BalkanKult's former activities on the subject
BalkanKult recognized the importance of the subject at an early stage. Working on it since 1999, it has acquired large expertise in the meantime, being demonstrated below by some of its major results:
• Conception and Organisation of Round Table "The Present and Future Role of Foundations in Cultural Funding and Policymaking in the Balkans" (Belgrade, 29 Oct. 2001), in the framework of the Project "Creative Europe", with the participation of eight experts of the Region and one delegate of ERICarts (Bonn), the supporting European Research Institute.
• Possession of national reports on legal aspects of foundations, collected on demand: In preparation to the Dec.-Conference, BalkanKult asked experts all over the Balkans to report on the national legal framework for foundations. The results were evaluated and presented at the conference by an expert of the Institute of Comparative Law in Belgrade.
• Conception and Organisation of Action Conference/ Balkan Workshop "Funding the Future - The Role of Cultural Foundations, Funds and Endowments in the South East Europe Region" (Belgrade, 5-7 Dec. 2002), with the participation of 45 experts from eight countries of the SEE Region, from other parts of Europe and the USA.
• Establishment of a “Balkan Foundations Development Group”: This idea first came up at the Round Table in Oct. 2001, being confirmed and officially established by the members of the Conference in Dec. 2002. This group of highly qualified experts is supposed to act as an advisory body for improving the framework for foundations in the region and will help to enable partnership- and capacity-building between and within foundations. Further tasks are awareness-raising for foundations as a factor for regional cultural development and supporting new cultural foundations in the SEE Region.
Ms. Ana Krstic has presented a project to make a BalkanKult Foundation, which was immediately supported .
• Present members: Dimitrije Vujadinovic (BalkanKult, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro);
Arben Papandhopulli (Ruga me Pisha Foundation, Albania);
Sofiya Zahova (National Civil Forum for Culture, Bulgaria);
Corina Raceanu (Board of Culture, Religion and Heritage of Timis County, Romania);
External advisor: Andreas Joh. Wiesand (ERICarts, Bonn, Germany). .
See also: Proceedings from the conferences on Foundations
Published: 2005-01-12
Updated: 2005-06-13
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