we are more: a campaign call

Text delivered at the Culture Action Europe’s conference The Time is Now, including the launch of the Campaign for Culture we are more


Chris Torch, Brussels, 8 october 2010

Artists! Authors! Performers! Makers of Policy! Makers of Spectacle! Soundmakers!

We are rooted in our communities and we cross frontiers. We are more than local citizens.
We are profoundly European in practice and ethics. Although we are more than simply of European origin.

We defend a culture of quality, shared and accessible. We are more than vendors.
We imagine a democratic Europe: fair and curious. We are more than just a few votes.

We must re-learn living together, with fundamental rights - individual and collective - in sustainable development, both environmental and social. We are more than consumers.

We believe that re-thinking culture and its public policies is possible. More than possible. Essential.


Spectators! Opera singers! Street buskers! Funders! Storytellers! Civil servants! Citizens!

We are many actors that shape contemporary European cultures. We are more than many.
We are committed to education and active citizenship. We are more than producers.

And we are confident in our empowering capacities. We are more than bridge builders. We move the rivers.
We can open doors to participation in public space. We are more than observers.

We are ready to engage in responsible dialogue with decision makers. We are more than lobbyists.

We already are engaged with the civil society, with funders and audiences. We are more when we recognize different beliefs and approaches and respond to them.

Let’s go beyond hesitation and fear stemming from crisis situations. Let’s re-imagine public investment, contribute to human and social capital - Europe’s most precious asset.

The time has come to invest seriously in culture. What’s more: in education, in justice and in our natural resources.

The time has come, within our borders and with our international partners, to invest in collaboration.

The time has come to give culture the means to contribute to a collective re-invention of the European project.