BALKAN
CULTURAL
CO-OPERATION
CULTURAL
CO-OPERATION
Sarajevo: Conference on Reconstructiong Cultural Productivity in the Balkans
The international conference "Reconstructing Cultural Productivity in the Balkans"--in reality, a European conference for the revival of cultural cooperation and development of industries of culture in the Southeast of Europe--was held recently in Sarajevo. Some 63 cultural workers from the region, among them practitioners from various areas of the cultural industry, made up the majority of participants. But there were also many important guests from other parts of Europe. The general topic was strengthening original regional abilities and improving existing conditions for the development of a democratic cultural atmosphere in the Balkans.
The idea for the conference was born last summer when a small group discussed the importance of such a conference and agreed on its program. They were: Dimitrije Vujadinovic´, director of the Independent Research Center "Blue Dragon", Sremski Karlovci, Andreas Wiesand, director of ERICArts (European Research Institute for Comparative Cultural Policy and the Arts), Bonn, and Ritva Mitchell, president of FINN-EKVIT (The Finnish Institute for Cultural Research), Helsinki
Besides these three significant cultural institutions, the European council, the Finnish government, as the chair country of the European Union, the Finnish National Committee for UNESCO, the Austrian NGO "KulturKontakt" from Vienna and the "Goethe Institute" from Sarajevo, lead by its director Carmen Scher, joined in organizing the meeting.
THE FIRST RESULTS
Positive results have arisen from the very first Sarajevo Conference. For the first time, people from Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary, together with participants from a number of European countries, discussed possible directions of co-operation in the cultural industry. After many years of lack of contact, this was really very precious. Publishers from the region have already agreed on a joint appearance at the next International Book Fair in Frankfurt, thanks to Rudiger Wieschenbart. It was also agreed, together with the representatives from Finland, to start cultural exchanges in the performing arts. A week of Finnish film will be held in Belgrade, and Helsinki will host examples of Yugoslav cinematography. In visual arts, there is already a connection with the Internet presentation of The Balkan Artist Network (BAN). A meeting for the visual arts will be held in Ohrid (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) in the spring of 2000 and another in Labin (Croatia) at the end of the summer.
Among the participants of the Sarajevo conference were also Anne-Marie Tuerk, the president of the Austrian NGO "KulturKontakt" from Vienna and Norbert Riedl, counselor adviser for culture of the Austrian chancellor. We wanted to know how they see cultural co-operation in the region and what "KulturKontakt" and the Austrian government are doing to improve it?
A SUCCESS STORY
" 'KulturKontakt' is one of the success stories of Europe"- said Norbert Riedl. "But, simultaneously, it is a success for Austria, as well as for all the countries in transition in the former Eastern Europe. 'KulturKontakt' was founded ten years ago by our ex-minister Hinde Havlicek, with the aim of helping culture in countries in transition. All the activities of 'KulturKontakt' must go before the Austrian Administrative Board, which approves them in most cases. Our minister himself and the office of the Austrian chancellor support some great activities intended for the eastern countries. Among these is the Summer Academy for Musicians, which is held in Vienna, Budapest and Prague and lasts four weeks during every summer. We also support translating books in the various languages of the countries in this region in order to encourage contact between cultures."
Riedl emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria is active in supporting Austrians- musicians, painters, directors- who are actively creating in the Eastern countries. "In Ljubljana we have a cultural attaché; in Belgrade we have our cultural institute, as well as in Zagreb, Warsaw, Prague, Moscow and Budapest… We also have a program for sending Austrian libraries to the countries in transition. We have already done this in Sarajevo, but, unfortunately, the building housing the library was torn down and all the Austrian books were destroyed… The point is", said Riedl, "that every country in transition can send a request to the Austrian government and 'KulturKontakt" and ask for help for its cultural activities. Such requests are almost always met positively if they are in accordance with the principles of our activities," Riedl adds.
CULTURAL NETWORK
"For the last ten years we have had very close relations with the counties of this region and we are very interested in improving these even more”, said Anne-Marie Tuerk. "In the year 2000 we wish to concentrate not only on traditional cultural relations in the Southeastern Europe, but also to introduce some new activities. Our greatest interest is to take part in improving understanding through cultural exchange, so we started with a program of supporting literary translations from one to another Balkan language. We support all cultural networks in the Balkans. Among these is the organization BAN founded in Sarajevo…We also have a number of projects for the fine and visual arts and their creators. In the future we see the reconstruction of regional culture, not only because of better understanding within the region but also due to an improvement in the attitude of Western Europe towards Eastern Europe art. When the artists of this region start working together and jointly present themselves to the West, it will be a chance for them to be understood and accepted there."
"KulturKontakt" has, as Tuerk told us, become a member of the new-made Balkan cultural network BAN. "We also have some other very interesting projects for the fine arts. Painters and artist under 40 years of age can apply to come to Vienna for a three-month study stay. They are provided with living and working space, and at the end of their stay we organize an exhibition for them, most often in a famous gallery. If we judge that it is not appropriate for an exhibition in a gallery, we organize a final presentation of the artist's work in their studio itself…Once a year we have a ten-day seminar for fine arts authors, with a very intensive program. We also support exhibitions for the authors from the Balkan region in Austria and organize presentation of their work. We have recently supported printing of a Macedonian catalogue for the Venice biennials.". Tuerk added at the end of our conversation: “Last summer in Macedonia we enabled refugee artists from Kosovo to contact Macedonian colleagues in Skopje and to organize a joint exhibition. We are also intensively cooperating with a NGO from Labin, "Arts-Express," that is engaged in promoting and producing culture and arts with a special accent on alternative arts and youth culture…"
Danica Radovic
Published: 2000-01-20
Updated: 2003-11-20
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