Brexit, and a cultural way forward, together

On January 31st Allianz Kulturstiftung, British Council, Compagnia di San Paolo, European Cultural Foundation and Goethe Institut launched this public statement - which resonated with many of you.

Collaborations in Europe have been through turbulent times before; Europe has overcome many severe crises and has bridged deep divisions in the past. And today, now that United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union has become a reality, we, foundations & cultural institutions working in Europe respond by strengthening our ties.

Brexit is a symptom and not a cause, and it is an indicator of social and cultural fault lines in British society. Moreover, ‘Brexit’ is a Europe-wide, even global phenomenon in it representing growing gaps between communities, between citizens and their political representatives, and between political ideas. We consider Brexit an igniting moment in time that creates a new positive sense of urgency and forges a renewed commitment to building and strengthening shared European cultural spaces, of which the UK has always been and will always be part.

We are convinced the ongoing political and institutional alienation between the United Kingdom and the rest of the EU must not lead to a more cultural and societal separation, neither in the UK nor in other European societies. We want to look beyond the institutional realities and emphasise the importance of relating to each other in person, through both everyday encounters: at work, while travelling, in libraries, cafés and pubs, and also online interaction.

True cultural exchange and European experiences can counter the widening gaps between people and can help to overcome political divides. We believe in an open, democratic and inclusive Europe. Culture plays an important role in that, as the space for exchange and dialogue about differences, and the goal is to unearth frictions – we don’t need to all agree but we do need to talk to each other.

Based on our experiences, long-standing cooperation and broad networks, we are committed to creating even more European sentiment, through shared European experiences and more European exchanges. For all Europeans: in the countryside or in cities, living in the East or in the West, in the North or the South, born here and arrived here. We need to work, learn and live together.

Therefore, we will intensify our activities and efforts to enable communities and individuals across Europe to co-shape their dreams, their futures, a common cultural space, with creativity and in cooperation. We will develop new initiatives and programmes that will maintain and regenerate institution-to-institution, network-to-network, but most importantly people-to-people contacts. With this we will engage as many people from different walks of life and divergent opinions as possible.

We invite you - citizens, socially engaged practitioners, opinion makers, cultural workers  and representatives of institutions - to join us in co-shaping a European cultural space!
 

Culture for Solidarity

In our latest ezine we announced an open call for applications to participate in Culture lab Europe, which will take place from 16-18 april in Rijeka. We are happy to announce we received 356 applications, from all corners of Europe, and beyond:




Needless to say, but it’s encouraging to see how many people are motivated to start initiatives contributing to an inclusive European public space, even if there is not a direct financial incentive!

As you might recall Culture Lab Europe is part of our Culture for Solidarity project - an artistic research into root causes of fragmentation in Europe - we run with Krytyka Polityczna (Warsaw) and ZEMOS98 (Seville), co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union. Recently we could add some videos of cultural practices that bring unusual groups of people together to the outcomes of the project. You can see them here. 
 

Colectiv

At the November 2019 International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam we were proud supporters of the pathway Life in Europe. One of the films in that pathway was Colectiv, by director Alexander Nanau. His film is an uncompromising look at the impact of investigative journalism, and an painful study into the destroying effects of fraud and corruption on a society. Prior to Colectiv being released in Romania we like to draw your attention to the film, their protagonists and the power of art to cause positive change. Read on. 

More stories of Europe
 

Democracy Needs Imagination grantee EDRI - one of the PrivacyCamp2020 organizers - launched a new edition of their Activist guide to the Brussels maze, "to provide activists with an insight into where EU legislative and non-legislative proposals come from." 

Hacking in another sense of the word happened at the media.activism Hack Camps. ECF colleague Nikola Pucarevic wrote a report.

Our friends of the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development launched their open call 'The Next Generation 2020'. Do you have a project idea that will inspire your peers to open their minds and get engaged in a more inclusive society?  

Civitates, in its second year of operations, supported the work of 13 coalitions in 9 European countries that strengthen the resilience of civil society.