Culturewatching ...

I was invited to Brussels for a gathering organized by The Council of Europe, together with the EU Commission for Culture, Culture Action Europe and other organizations. It was part of the Council's CultureWatchEurope program. 


Nearly 200 people met at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) building, among them several Ministers of Culture, State secretaries, Commission representatives as well as many people from the civil sector: networks, institutions and organizations. Considering the tough limitations that EU architecture (hierarchical room settings) puts on real conversation, the meeting was an enlightening and lively experience.
I had the privilege of moderating the plenaries but after (good) keynote speakers each day a considerable amount of time was given to discussion in smaller groups. An exceptional situation, as there were such clear and focused people participating. Nine groups around different themes within the main threads: Mainstreaming Culture, Cultural Diversity and - the most urgent maybe? - Resources.
The first day was animated by Jeremy Rifken, an American scientist and economic advisor to the European Union. He began by announcing that it was quite rationally already too late to save the planet. The challenges were no longer, because we have already failed. That said, he went on to propose empathy as the primary force of change, something he underlined was built into our dna code. And - to summarize - only parenting, schools/education and cultural action can inspire the empathy we desperately need to generate to survive. Economic, industrial and political strategies are insufficient.
This dark optimism hung in the background throughout the two days and, for a change, when the unavoidable but usually boring reports from the groups were given at the end - there was energy and humor and a common will to go home and get back to work.
What was remarkable also was the diversity of experts present, coming from both EU and wider Europe nations. This opened the perspective and manifested the strength released when the Council of Europe (representing 47 countries), the EU (27) and the civil society (millions of citizens) join forces on cultural rights and policies.
Earth-shattering? Absolutely not. But after joining many conferences, it was uplifting to leave with a sense of common purpose. Not empty debate to "convince each other" but to be changed by each other. A transnational breath of fresh air from the staid and uninspiring election campaign we are winding up in Sweden, where culture, if mentioned at all, is about events, cuts, and technology.


chris


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