Innehåll
1
Inledning ................................................................. 5
2
Why cultural policies for development?...................... 11
3
Les politiques culturelles et l’ éridication de la
pauverté................................................................. 17
4
Cultural policies and cultural diversity....................... 23
5
Education pour tous ................................................ 33
6
Cultural policies in the information society ................ 41
7
New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural
Reserarch............................................................... 51
3
1
Inledning
På våren 1998 var den svenska regeringen värd för Unescokonferensen ”The Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural
Policies for Development, Stockholm, Sweden, March 30 – April
2, 1998”. Konferensen antog The Stockholm Action Plan, en
handlingsplan som riktade sig till medlemsländerna och till
UNESCOs generaldirektör.
För att undersöka vad som hänt på området kulturpolitik i medlemsländerna och vad Unesco gjort sedan 1998 och ifall The
Stockholm Action Plan fortfarande är relevant arrangerade Svenska Unescorådet expertmötet ”Stockholm +5” under fyra dagar
i maj 2003. Expertmötet samlade drygt 100 deltagare från hela
världen.
Kulturbegreppet har förändrats. Det är ett begrepp som är både
positivt och negativt laddat. De fem år som gått sedan den stora
världskonferensen i Stockholm visar tydligt hur kultur spelar en
allt större roll, på gott och ont, i världspolitiken.
Expertmötet hade fyra tematiska diskussioner och under varje
tema slog man fast att kulturpolitik och utveckling har ett starkt
samband:
- Att fattigdomsbekämpning utan hänsyn till den kulturella
miljön är dömd att misslyckas,
5
Inledning
- Att kulturell mångfald måste respekteras och erkännas som
berikande faktor
- Att utbildning utan hänsyn till kultur enbart är instruktion och
därmed inte en effektiv del i en hållbar utveckling
- Att ägarkoncentrationen av medierna kan påverka
informationsflöden och utveckling av nya informationskanaler.
Svenska unescorådet arrangerade mötet tillsammans med Sida,
Riksbankens jubileumsfond och Kulturrådet.
Programme
Stockholm + 5 Expert Meeting, Follow-up to the World
Conference on Cultural Policies for Development, 11th – 14th
May, 2003, Solna, Sweden
Sunday, May 11
Opening
Ms. Ingegerd Wärnersson
President of the Swedish National Commission for UNESCO,
former Swedish Minister for Schools.
Keynote address:
Cultural Policies, Diversity and Sustainable Development
Ms. Lourdes Arizpe
Professor, Mexico, former Assistant Director-General ,
UNESCO, member of the World Commission on Cultural
Policies for Development
Round-table:
Why cultural policies for development?
Ms. Lourdes Arizpe, Professor, Mexico
Ms. Aida de Fishman, Deputy legislative Assembly, Costa Rica
6
Inledning
Ms. Bahia Hariri, President of the Hariri Foundation, Lebanon
Ms. Angeline Kamba, Consultant, Zimbamwe, member of the
World Commission on Cultural Policies for Development
Mr. Carl Johan Kleberg, Professor, Sweden
Mr. Colin Mercer, Professor, UK, Project leader of the Tools
Report
Moderator: Mr. Magne Velure
President of the Norwegian
UNESCO
National
Commission
for
Monday May 12
Cultural policies and the eradication of poverty. Introductions:
Mr. Amar Galla, Professor, Australia
Ms. Aida de Fishman, Deputy, Legislative Assembly, Costa Rica
Moderator: Mr. Jean-Pierre Boyer
Secretary-General, French National Commission for UNESCO
Cultural policies and cultural diversity. Introductions:
Ms. Alberta Arthurs, Principal Consultant, USA
Ms. Angeline Kamba, Consultant, Zimbabwe
Ms. Cathérine Tasca, Envoyée spéciale de la francophonie,
Franve
Moderator: Ms. Alissandra Cummins
Chairperson, Barbados National Commission for UNESCO
Intervention: Mr. Max Wyman, Canada, President, Canadian
National Commission for UNESCO
Presentation of national answers to the questionnaire on the
implementation of the Stockholm Action Plan adopted in
Stockholm 1998
Mr. Jens Cavallin, Ph. D., Linköping University
7
Inledning
UNESCO and the Stockholm Action Plan
Ms. Katerina Stenou
Director, Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural
Dialogue, UNESCO
Conclusions
Mr. Svante Beckman
Professor, Linköping University
Tuesday May 13
Cultural policies and the EFA-process. Introductions
Mr. Duncan Wilson, Research Coordinator, Right to Education
Project, IBE, France
Ms. Penina Mlama, Professor, FAWE, Kenya,
Moderator: Ms Fatma Tarhouni
Secretary General, Tunisian
UNESCO
National
Commission
for
Intervention: Mr. Max Wyman Canada
Cultural policies in the information society. Introductions:
Mr. Allister Sparks, Writer and Journalist, South Africa
Ms. Hellen Niegaard, Chief Consultant, Danish National
Library Authority, Denmark
Moderator: Mr. Nils Gunnar Nilsson
Journalist and Editor, former President of the Swedish National
Commisison for UNESCO
Intervention: Mr. Max Wyman, Canada
New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural Research.
Workshop. Introductions:
8
Inledning
Mr. Colin Mercer, Professor of Cultural Policy, UK
Mr. Carl Johan Kleberg, Professor, Sweden
Moderator: Mr. Anders Falk
Secretary-General of the Swedish National Commission for
UNESCO
Wednesday May 14
Conclusions
Ms. Milagros Del Corral
Director and Deputy Assistant Director-General, UNESCO
Closure
Ms. Marita Ulvskog
Minister of Culture, Sweden
9
2
Why cultural policies for
development?
Round-table
Moderator: Mr. Magne Velure, President of the Norwegian
National Commission for UNESCO.
Introductions:
Ms. Aida de Fishman, Deputy legislative Assembly of Costa
Rica, former member of the Executive Board of UNESCO.
Ms. Bahia Hariri, President of the Hariri Foundation.
Ms. Angeline Kamba, Member of the World Commission on
Culture and Development.
Mr. Karl Johan Kleberg, Professor.
Mr. Collin Mercer, Professor.
Ms Lourdes Arizpe, Professor, who presented a keynote address
in the afternoon, also participated in the round table.
Ms. Aida de Fishman:
The new international order is globalisation. Globalisation
eliminates physical and mental boundaries thereby making us
citizens of the world. This has both positive and negative results.
On the positive side the increase in international trade, tourism,
and telecommunications have connected people across the
cultural borders.
Reality in the developing countries is however not evolving in a
positive direction. Instead the information that is spread from
11
Why cultural policies for development?
the Western world has created an illusion of well-being that leads
to acts of desperation and violence, as well as to a loss of identity
and integrity. As a result of this the values of family, associations
and the nation are put at risk.
Benefits of globalisation are spread unequally. In the words of
Giddens: tomorrow, more than ever, it will be important to
invest in social capital.
Ms. Bahia Hariri:
She pointed at the principle of round-table discussions as a
positive contribution in a situation dominated by the dichotomy
between North and South.
We have to rethink the concept of development. It has become
associated with ignorance, and with poor and underdeveloped
peoples. What we need is a complete sustainable concept that
will make equilibrium between concepts and at the same time
respects the privacy of others. This concept cannot be one that
satisfies one side only.
Power has established a form of cultural policy by itself. This
power does not differentiate between industrial, developing and
poor worlds. This cultural policy of power leads to cultural
conflicts and crashes. In addition it legalizes the destruction of
one culture by another.
Globalisation ought to build upon an agreed set of concepts. The
most important one of these is the Human Rights declaration,
which has led to the establishment of international agencies and
organisations, such as the UNESCO.
Ms Hariri concluded with a wish that this meeting would take
into consideration what is really happening in the world today,
12
Why cultural policies for development?
and do so in a way that confirms that the world still believes in
the round table-dialogue between peoples and cultures.
What we need are cultural policies that strengthens
communication between people and makes us eager to know
other peoples and other cultures, cultural policies that create an
image of the human being as a thoughtful and creative creature.
Ms. Angeline Kamba:
Ms Kamba started by reminding the audience of the Uppsala
Conference of 2001 and of Mr Mercers Tools-report that
became a result of it. New tools have do be defined and
improved in order to make cultural policy easier to understand.
These new tools have to be easily accessible and easy to
understand. Culture has to be made central and more connected
to other fields of policy, as development and culture concerns all
aspects of life. A framework has to be made to enable people to
define culture and development for themselves. Governments
are not always able to evaluate the culture of local communities.
Local communities have to be empowered in order to make
room for a new way of creating development. Only through a
synergy between all sectors of society can development and
nation building be ensured.
Mr. Carl Johan Kleberg
Professor Kleberg emphasized the need for a holistic approach
to cultural policies.
In Sweden cultural policy was defined as a policy field in the
early seventies. Cultural ministries were established in many
countries, and cultural activities thereby recognized as a sector.
From the perspective of the individual boundaries between
cultural policy and other fields of policy are incidental. They
exist only as practical devices for the bureaucracy. This necessary
13
Why cultural policies for development?
development has led to positive results in the cultural sector, but
at the same time making it difficult to connecting cultural policy
to other fields of policy.
Cultural policy has to be made democratically. Definitions and
applications, however, have to be approved by governments.
Governments however will continue to need the help of
researchers outside to supply the necessary knowledge to make
cultural policies applicable and at the same time useful in a
broader context of societal development.
Mr. Collin Mercer
The biggest problem in cultural policy according to Professor
Mercer is lack of definition of the cultural policy field. By
becoming more connected to other fields the cultural fields has
in recent years been placed higher up on the agenda.
The creative industry establishes a necessary but not sufficient
connection between culture and the economy. Creative industry
exists all over the world and includes everything from traditional
cultural expressions to the most modern, reaching ‘from
Hollywood to Bollywood’, thereby providing us with new ways
of understanding the world.
Cultural creativity now constitutes the only area in which many
developing countries to some extent are in control of their own
recourses. Professor Mercer concluded by stating that the only
way to fight poverty is to enable the poor person to produce
value. This can be achived in the cultural field.
Main points voiced in the open discussion:
The local communities always have to be involved in the creation
of culture and development. Governments cannot work in this
14
Why cultural policies for development?
field without taking them into account. Inspiration for cultural
policy has always to come from the people.
Discussion emerged on the question of who is to decide about
cultural policy and development in developing countries.
International NGO’s can sometimes be considered having an
imperialistic influence. On the other hand the need to involve
the resources of local NGO’s is obvious.
Culture has to be an implicit actor in the economy.
In the words of a delegate from Togo: Until now African
countries have continued to produce what they do not consume
and consume what they do not produce. This seems to be true in
the cultural field as well as in other fields. African countries can
no longer be satisfied with being the victims of globalisation.
Instead they will have to take an active and influential part in the
process of globalisation.
No action in the cultural field is also a kind of policy, but one of
which we seldom speak.
A central function of the cultural policy-maker is to translate the
‘language’ of artists into that of politics and the ‘language’ of
politics into that of artists.
Discussion also emerged on the possible contradiction between
the exploitation of culture as a sector of the economy and the
authenticity of culture.
One interesting experience from Latvia: it is an illusion to
believe that we first have to develop other political sectors of a
society, before we start thinking of cultural policies. Cultural
policies should be developed simultaneously with the policies of
other sectors.
15
Why cultural policies for development?
Closing remarks by the moderator:
As expected, the round-table presented us with many answers
why we need cultural policies for development, or to be more
precise: we got many observations and elements towards an
understanding of why cultural policies should form an integrated
part of policy making of countries and communities.
As for the keynote speech of professor Arizpe, it was an
intellectually rich and dense presentation, which needs a
thorough reading and further analysis. I will not try to give a
comprehensive summary of her many messages, but among
many other things, I was intrigued by her observations that we
need cultural policies that address a plurality of loyalties and
identities, that fight tendencies of univocal, extremist identities,
and that target creativity, focusing on processes and
involvement.
During the afternoon session Tuesday 13, Alistair Sparks in a
very simple way gave an answer of why we need cultural policies.
Together with other speakers of this meeting he described the
worldwide need of mutual cultural knowledge and
understanding, the need of cultural awareness and cultural
sensitivity. This is needed, simply because we as citizens of a
global village need to manage living together in a cultural
coexistence. This forms a fundamental answer to the initial
question of why having cultural policies for development.
16
3
Les politiques culturelles et l’
éridication de la pauverté
Modérateur: Monsieur Jean-Pierre Boyer : Secrétaire Général de
commission nationale française de l’Unesco
Intervenants :
Mr Amar Galla: Directeur d´étude du Centre du Développement durable du patrimoine, du Centre de recherche des
Etudes Pacifiques et Asiatiques et de l´Université Nationale
Australienne de Canberra 0200
Mme Aida de Fishman: Députée de L´Assemblée Nationale du
Costa Rica et ex-Vice Présidente du Conseil Exécutif de
l´UNESCO.
Introduction:
L’objectif principal du plan d´action sur les politiques culturelles
de développement de 1998 a été rappelé lors de cette conférence:
placer la politique culturelle au coeur du développement afin
d’éradiquer la pauvreté. Cinq années aprés, il est important que
l’Unesco poursuive cet objectif : il ságit d’une exigence
démocratique et éthique dans un souci de dignité humaine.
Présentation de Madame de Fishman :
Madame de Fishman rappelle que :
17
Les politiques culturelles et le eridication de la pauverté
- Pendant longtemps, la politique culturelle n’était pas
considérée comme un outil de développement économique et
social. Tandis qu’aujourd´hui, son impact sur le développement
est davantage reconnu, grâce à l’Unesco en particulier, par les
gouvernements et les institutions internationales
- Pour éradiquer la pauvreté, il faut d´abord prendre en compte
les spécifités culturelles locales. Sans cela, on risquerait
d´aggraver la situation au lieu d´apporter une aide constructive
- Il faut combattre la pauvreté dans sa dimension matérielle,
sociale et culturelle, qui se perpétue de générations en
générations. Les institutions publiques doivent jouer un rôle
déterminant dans cette lutte.
Elle insiste sur:
- Le rôle essentiel de l’éducation dans la politique de
développement : « au Costa Rica, les professeurs sont nos
soldats et les crayons sont nos armes »
- Le budget des Etats devrait être plus important en matiére de
politique culturelle et d´éducation
- Les Nations Unies et les gouvernements doivent se rallier
autour d´une déclaration commune sur l´importance de la
culture dans l´éducation, qui est vecteur de démocratie et
développement humain
Présentation de Monsieur Galla :
L’expérience personnelle de Monsieur Galla cristallise en quelque
sorte tous les aspects de la culture et de l’éducation évoqués par
Madame de Fishman
En effet, Monsieur Galla insiste sur le fait que :
- Le coeur du problème de la pauvreté est un manque de dignité
et d’estime de soi. Il préfère parler de « destitution » que de
pauvreté. Ce problème existe aussi bien dans les pays
occidentaux que les pays en voie de développement
18
Les politiques culturelles et le eridication de la pauverté
- La culture peut être un élement « unificateur » dans un
contexte de globalisation. Le football et les jeux olympiques sont
en cela des exemples éloquents
- La politique culturelle ne doit pas appartenir à une élite mais
doit être accessible à tous, y compris aux populations
marginalisées. Les populations doivent être les acteurs de leur
propre développement
Il met également en exergue que :
- Les objectifs du Plan d´action de 1998 doivent être davantage
appliqués sur le terrain et être appropriés par les pays concernés
afin d’éradiquer la pauvreté
- D´après son expèrience en matière d´ingéniérie de projets
intégrant la culture dans le développement, il a pu déterminer
trois modéles d´actions :
interventions de consultants
extérieurs, partenariat stratégique entre consultants ètrangers et
locaux et enfin, participation de la société civile en coopération
avec les spécialistes
- Il faut disséminer les bonnes pratiques et apprendre des erreurs
commises par les projets non aboutis
- Une participation efficace de la societé dans les transformations
sociales et politiques est indispensable. Cela n´est possible
qu´en faisant du développement humain une priorité absolue
Les réactions du public :
Les réactions du public ont été vives et constructives. Elles se
sont à la fois concentrées sur les thèmes evoqués précédemment
par les intervenants et ont apporté d´autres éléments de
réflexion :
La question des moyens financiers :
- Pour de nombreux pays, en particulier les pays africains,
l´UNESCO doit se donner les moyens politiques et financiers
pour préserver et promouvoir les ressources culturelles de
19
Les politiques culturelles et le eridication de la pauverté
chaque pays. En réponse à cette remarque, Monsieur Galla a
indiqué que le soutien financier de l´Unesco,aussi limité qu´il
soit, peut susciter d´autres sources de financements
- Madame de Fishman a rappelé que le budget alloué à la culture
et á l´éducation était au coeur du problème
La question de l´éducation :
- Un intervenant était d´avis que l´éducation est plus importante
que la lutte contre la pauvreté, car l´education est essentielle
pour l´avenir. Mais
Madame de Fishman considère que
l´education et l´éradication de la pauvreté sont d´égale
importance.
- Un autre collégue a insisté sur le rôle de la culture dans
l´éducation et la science pour les rendre plus créatives et
flexibles
- Le dialogue entre les générations doit aussi être pris en compte
pour la luttre contre l´analphabétisme
La question de méthodologie
- Une question a été posée a Mr Galla au sujet de la hiérarchie
des modèles. Selon lui, ils sont interdépendants et ne doivent pas
être imposés, mais le deuxième modèle (le partenariat stratégique
entre consultants étrangers et locaux) lui semble généralement
plus approprié
- Mr Galla recommende à l´Unesco de produire un volume
d´études de cas stratégiques relatant les succès et les échecs dans
des projets de développement
La question de l´exploitation des ressources culturelles locales
- Il convient de veiller au respect des réglementations
protégeant les populations des pauvres contre toute exploitation,
notamment dans le domaine touristique
20
Les politiques culturelles et le eridication de la pauverté
- Il doit également avoir un renforcement de la législation
concernant les droits d´auteur
Le rôle des politiques culturelles
- Un intervenant a posé le problème de la légitimité de la culture
par rapport á la faim, par exemple. La culture peut cependant être
un facteur economique important en faisant la promotion des
richesses culturelles d´un pays.
- « La culture ne doit pas être instrumentalisée mais au coeur des
politiques publiques », selon une autre intervenante
- La politique culturelle a un role significatif à jouer dans les
politiques de santé, en particulier dans la lutte contre le VIHSida
- La signification du rôle de la politique culturelle a ète élargie en
integrant la notion de paix : il faut établir un lien entre la paix, la
culture et le développement
Conclusion :
Un ensemble de souhaits et de priorités a été formulé :
- Concentrer le budget des Etats davantage dans l’éducation que
dans les dépenses militaires
- L’éducation pour tous devrait être réalisée selon les objectifs de
Dakar
- Des institutions publiques solides doivent être mises en place
dans les pays en voie de développement
- Il faut que chaque groupe veille au respect de ses
caractéristiques culturelles
- l´UNESCO devrait avoir plus de ressources pour les projets
sur le terrain
- Il est indispensable de préserver les valeurs locales contre
l´uniformisation culturelle globale
- une charte internationale de l´écotourisme devrait être adoptée
pour éviter l´exploitation du patrimoine des cultures indigènes
21
Les politiques culturelles et le eridication de la pauverté
- Il a surtout été recommandé à l´Unesco de prendre davantage
en compte les expériences de terrain, réalisées par des ONG, qui
mettent en valeur les dimensions culturelles de la pauvreté
- L’Unesco devrait jouer un rôle essentiel dans l’initiative
conjointe du système des Nations Unies visant á éradiquer la
pauvreté
22
4
Cultural policies and cultural
diversity
Workshop
Moderator:
Ms Alissandra H Cummins, Barbados National Commission for
UNESCO, Barbados
Introductions:
Ms Alberta Arthurs, Principal Consultant, USA
Ms Angeline Kamba, Member of the World Commission of
Culture and Development, Zimbabwe
Ms Cathérine Tasca, Envoyée spéciale de la francophonie, France
Ms Alissandra Cummins opened the seminar by stating that
culture has to be a part of the social, economic and political
agenda. She then continued by describing, changes, which had
accrued within society during the five years that has passed since
the previous Stockholm conference, with a large degree of globalisation and profit maximising. She stressed that globalisation
should not only be centred on economy, but social cohesion and
identity must be a part of it. Ms Cummins also pointed out the
creation of international instruments, for helping small countries
to maintain a positive cultural diversity, were critical strategic
responses to the development of multilateral trading systems.
In her keynote address ms Alberta Arthurs focused on culture
and diversity, and in her address she examined the role of arts
and performing arts for cultural diversity. As an example she
23
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
eluded to the activities the migrant communities in the United
States, retaining their patrimony in their new country. Ms
Arthurs also discussed the strategies of masking and marking for
dealing with difference or diversity, and that art is capable of enriching a society and of creating mutual understanding and
appreciation between different communities. As an example she
mentioned a study in the USA, which showed that despite
ethnic, social and economic differences various social groups
shared the same taste in culture, and that a society finds comfort
in shared standards.
Ms Angeline Kamba opened her keynote address by referring to
HIFA – Harare International Festival of Arts – an international
festival based on the celebration of diversity. Ms Kamba also
stressed the issue of knowledge of diversity in the work with
legal framework, and that states must learn to deal with diversity. As an example she mentioned that children do not see
diversity as a barrier, and how important it is that they be
supported to maintain this ability when they grow up. Ms
Kamba also pointed out the importance of listening to the ones
affected by globalisation.
She drew attention to the difficulty of fostering linguistic
diversity. Without literature in native tongues it will hard to
fight illiteracy. Another topic which Ms. Kamba keynote
addressed was the use of media policies to promote cultural
diversity. Finally she pointed out that gender serves as a catalyst
in the transmission of cultural diversity. Women are in the
forefront of arts and crafts.
Ms Cathérine Tasca stressed three points in her keynote address,
starting with the progress that has been made in the last five
years in the area of cultural diversity. She then continued by
stressing the importance of government support for the
promotion of cultural diversity, and to ensure that it remains a
part of living culture rather than a dead heritage. Culture is not a
24
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
given but something that has to be constantly defended. This is
clearly the responsibility of governments. At the same time this
has to be achieved without centralism that is with a bottom-up
policy. It is also important that a budget is provided to make
reality of such a policy.
Her third point was the importance of creating international
juridical instruments and of proactive intervention. Globalisation
gives new opportunities for the movement of people and ideas.
We should however not be too trusting in globalisation, it also
bring risks. The strong concentration in the cultural economy,
like for example in the music industry, creates inequality. We
must act as soon as possible. Cultural goods are not simply
goods like any other, and the protection of cultural diversity is
not for reasons of protectionism but pluralism. This cultural
exception has to be defended. UNESCO is the right forum for
the creation of such an instrument.
In the following debate three main topics were addressed: The
need for an international, instrument, NGO’s, Language and
linguistic diversity, Communities and responses to cultural
diversity and responses.
The need for an international instrument
Max Wyman (Canadian commission for UNESCO) started the
debate expressing the urgency of a new cultural instrument,
which he sees as the main task for UNESCO. He also stressed
the proposed instrument as a crucial step for peace in “the global
village” and as a test of how seriously we are prepared to back up
our belief with legal words. He also mentioned that several
countries still opposes such an instrument, and he is perplexed
by their intransigence.
Biserka Cvjeticanin (Croatian Commission for Ministry of
Foreign Affairs): There is a process underway, were culture is
25
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
subjected to the rules of trade. Cultural goods are treated like
other good. She also invited all participants to a world wide
communications conference that will be held in Croatia later this
year.
Pulat Tacar (Turkish National Commission for UNESCO) said
it will be difficult to capture all the issues of diversity in the same
convention and that there is a need for several conventions.
Kimmo Aulake (Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland)
mentioned two reasons for an international convention:
1. The relative weakness in present international regulations,
concerning culture and cultural diversity.
2. There is multilateral policies in for example the area of trade
and competition and there needs to be one for culture and
education as well. He also said we must ensure cohesion between
different policies.
Einar Solbu (Rikskonserterne, Norway) said that UNESCO had
to utilise the Non Governmental Organisations to bridge the
gap from concept to action in the matter of cultural diversity,
and in order to reach the community.
Lars Farago (Riksföreningen för folkmusik och dans, Swedish
Section of CIOFF, Sweden) stressed the importance of
remembering the amateurs. He wanted an action policy for
everyday creativity, by strengthening the NGO involvement in
cultural policies.
Language and linguistic diversity
Sveinn Einarsson (Icelandic Commission for UNESCO,
member of Unesco’s Excecutive Board) raised the question of
language as a cornerstone in cultural diversity. In Iceland 80% of
the programs on TV are in English, as is most of the computer
software. When we were poor, he said, we had a rich language,
26
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
now that we are rich we have a poor language. As a small country
with a small language Iceland is very concerned about the use of
English as it threatens our native language.
Shepherd Malusi Mayatula (National parliament of the Republic
of South Africa) stressed the importance of copyright and of the
artists ability to value their own work. He also mentioned the
equality of the eleven official languages of South Africa.
Andre Perinetti (Institut International du Theatre /UNESCO)
stated the difference between language of communication and
language of creation. He agreed with several of the previous
speakers in the need of a legal framework. It is however of
utmost importance that such a framework will not be restricting
the artist’s freedom and become a kind of censorship. We need a
convention, but also checks and balances to avoid the risk of
censorship.
Daniel Ndagala (Ministry of Education and Culture, Tanzania)
agreed with Mr. Einarsson on the problems of small languages.
He also stressed the importance of helping artists to value their
own work. He considered work like Mr. Mercers report to be a
step in this direction.
Gregoire Nehemie Nzasi (Sectreatariat General du Ministere de
la Culture et des Artes, Rep. Democratique du Congo):
Something needs to be done to ensure there is real movement in
the arts.
He also pointed out the danger in asking an artist only to work
in her own native language. He said that is important not to get
enclosed in this discussion. Language is a tool to affirm identity,
but at the same time a weapon as you get excluded if you use a
language that people do not understand. Everyone should be free
to choose his or her own language. In conclusion he stressed the
importance of translation to make this possible. He referred to
27
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
the West Indian writers and their problems with writing in
Creole. Such hybrids, however, he considers to be to the benefit
of the language from which they are derived.
Alisher Ikramov (National Commission of Uzbekistan for
UNESCO) stated that illiteracy has to be seen in a cultural
context. He continued by raising the question of whether
biological diversity should be included in cultural diversity or
not?
Bashir Lagaa (Libyan National Commision for UNESCO):
continued the discussion of language diversity, by raising a
question: How do we improve the quality of education if we are
going to encourage the language diversity? There will be
problems, he stated, due to the fact that international documents
and meetings almost every time is in English or French. In other
words it is important also to learn English or French. He
continued by saying that language is like human beings, they die.
Communities and cultural diversity
Alexandra Burton-James (Dominica National Commission for
UNESCO, Commonwealth of Dominica): Cultural diversity
does not happen in vacuum. The needs of minority groups have
to be taken into consideration. She therefore stressed the
importance of good practices.
José Sasportes (Portugese Commission for UNESCO) gave an
example of Portugese festivals that have been held in two
communities in the USA, one in California and one outside New
York, were there are large concentrations of Portugese and
Portugese speaking immigrants. These festivals contributed
significantly to the self-esteem in these communities and had
several other positive effects. For example, the museums in the
communities started programs for children and the Portugese
who do not usually take part in cultural activities started to send
28
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
their children there. He also stressed the importance of a budget
to back up political orientation. Nation-states must contribute
to culture.
Arief Rachman (Ministry of National Education, Indonesia)
gave an example of a cultural conflict in his home country. A
“modern” dancer had split the nation into two groups. On the
one hand this “ultra-modern” dancer provoked a strong moral
reaction from religious leaders. On the other hand
choreographers and others who defended the dancers right to
continue to perform, referring to human rights and the freedom
of expression. He than asked the participants what to do in such
a matter. He also raised the question of how to welcome
Chinese immigrants into Indonesian society. Finally he asked
why God created us different if not to enrich the World.
Katérina Stenou (Director, UNESCO, Division of Culture
Policies/Intercult. Dialogue) talked about identity and diversity.
Thompson Kumbirai Tsodzo (Ministry of Education, Sports and
Culture, Zimbabwe) continued the debate by saying that not
every culture is equal. There are always a dominant culture and
minority cultures and the important thing is that the dominant
culture allows other cultures to live and to express themselves.
Alister Sparks (journalist/writer, South Africa) delivered an
answer to Mr Ranchman’s question: Go home and tell the sexy
dancer to continue dancing, and the religious leaders to shut
their eyes. There is no one that forces the religious leaders to be
a part of this. He also stressed the danger in forcing your values
on someone else, and took the South African society as an
example.
A delegate from Tanzania raised the question of what happens
when cultural diversity is manipulated for political reasons? As
an example she mentioned the previous general elections in
29
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
Tanzania, when politicians used tribal dancers to promote
themselves.
Responses
Ms. Tasca again took the floor to tell the auditorium about a
working document that the francophonie has made available
through the Internet. As an answer to the Icelandic speaker she
talked about the importance of financial support to production
such as film and software in national languages. She also said that
this is a reverse that cannot be made over night.
In answer to Mr. Perinetti she stated that globalisation is perhaps
a more urgent threat today than an increase in censorship.
In answer to Mr. Rachman she discussed the problems of
answering moral reactions with prohibitions. Such problems
tend to be larger in countries that has not separated the church
and the state.
Ms. Kamba agreed with Ms. Burton-James: Culture diversity
does not happen in a vacuum. She said that interactivity is utterly
important and that we need learn to live together.
Ms. Arthurs answered Mr. Rachman. Questions concerning
moral conflicts are difficult to answer across culture and country
borders. Ms. Arthurs however continued by speaking of a work
she had been involved in back in the USA. There was a
foundation that founded both religion and the arts. These to
groups often clashed, and there were conflicts. Ms. Arthurs was
contacted to do something about this. She and her colleagues
soon found out that this was an area with lack of knowledge and
they had to look at several different aspects of the problem. One
of the conclusions from this work was that religion wants to
preserve tradition wile artists wants to challenge it. Discovery
and discourse are often missing in this kind of situations.
30
Cultural policies and cultural diversity
In her final speech Ms Arthurs concluded that there was little
diversity of opinion in the room, we all want to preserve and
encourage diversity. However she also pointed out some fears:
· Standardisation of culture
· Instrumentalism in the arts (for example misuse of the art for
political reasons)
· Diversity we can not tolerate (for example rich-poor, terrifyterrified)
· Amateurs vs. professionals
· Concern and imbalance of power
In her final statement Ms Kamba commented on the speech of
Bashir Lagaa: Some language will die a natural death –but let
them do that and let us not kill them, she said.
She also said that all cultures are equal and that we should
encourage this cross-cultural dialogue rather than believe the
superior. She also agreed that the misuse of cultural diversity has
to be fought.
31
5
Education pour tous
Les politiques culturelles et le processus EPT
Modératrice:
Madame Fatma Tarhouni: Commission Nationale Tunisienne de
l’Unesco
Intervenants:
Madame Penina Mlama : Présidente du Forum des Educatrices
des Femmes Africaines, Duncan Wilson : coordinateur du projet
du droit à l’éducation pour le rapporteur spécial des Nations
Unies et expert associé auprès du Bureau Internation de
l’Education
Introduction:
Il s’agit de faire le point de la situation depuis le Plan d’Action de
Stockholm en 1998 et la Conférence de Dakar en 2000 qui
constitue en fait une continuation de Jomtien en 1990. A ce
propos, il a été signalé que, si des progrès ont été réalisés en
matière de développement culturel et éducatif, il reste encore
beaucoup à faire et qu’un rapport organique lie les politiques
culturelles et le processus EPT.
Présentation de Madame Penina Mlama :
- Elle se demande comment le Plan d’Action de Stockholm a été
communiqué aux autres agences spécialisées des Nations Unies
33
Education pour tous
et aux organisations intergouvernementales, ou comment la
dimension culturelle a été intégrée dans la politique d’éducation
- Elle se demande également si les six objectifs formulés par le
Plan d´Action de Dakar 2000 ont été atteints du point du vue de
l’intégration de la dimension culturelle dans chacun de ces
objectifs
- Dans son argumentation, elle se concentrera davantage sur le
cinquième objectif, à savoir : éliminer les disparités entre les
sexes dans les écoles primaires et secondaires d’ici 2005, et
atteindre l’égalité des sexes dans l’éducation d’ici 2015, en
veillant tout particulièrement à assurer l’accès complet et égal à
une éducation de base de bonne qualité
Selon elle, ces objectifs sont sévèrement mis à l’épreuve par
certains facteurs culturels. Les jeunes filles sont les plus souvent
discriminées quant à l’accès à l’éducation. En voici les causes
principales:
- A cause de certaines valeurs culturelles traditionnelles et de
facteurs économiques, les parents n’envoient pas leurs filles à
l´école et préfèrent envoyer les garcons à leur place
- Les filles sont mariées de force à un très jeune âge, ce qui les
obligent à quitter l’école
- Les filles sont souvent considérées comme des objets sexuels,
ce qui augmente le nombre de grossesses précoces et la
propagation du virus du HIV-Sida. Les filles sont six fois plus
touchées par ce virus que les garçons
- Une représentation de la femme très restreinte véhicule une
image de femme au foyer et passive ; tandis que les garcons sont
encouragés à jouer un rôle de leader
34
Education pour tous
- Les actions éducatives ne doivent pas être seulement
concentrées dans la sphère de l’école mais doivent prendre en
compte l’environnement culturel dont sont issus les enfants afin
d’avoir un système éducatif efficace
Selon elle, une des questions fondamentales est de savoir si le
processus EPT associe le lien culturel dans les stratégies pour
atteindre la parité et l´égalité des sexes dans l’accès de
l’éducation pour tous. D´après l´étude de plans nationaux
concernant l´EPT, elle note que :
- Tous les gouvernements reconnaissent qu’il y a une disparité
entre les sexes et dans l´accès à l´éducation. Mais leurs actions
respectives ne s´appuient pas suffisamment sur la dimension
culturelle
- Mais les autres secteurs ont-ils conscience de l´importance
d´associer la culture à l´EPT pour le développement du pays ?
Présentation de Monsieur Duncan Wilson :
Monsieur Wilson a inclut la dimension des droits de l´homme
dans ce débat.
- Il doit exister une liberté de l’éducation à plusieurs niveaux.
L’éducation doit être disponible, accessible, acceptable et
adaptable : elle ne doit pas être uniforme dans son contenu ou
dans sa présentation et de bonne qualité pour tous
- La scolarité obligatoire ne doit pas être un instrument de
propagande de l´Etat
- L’école doit s’adapter aux individus, mais il y a un conflit entre
le choix de la langue dans laquelle l’apprentissage scolaire sera
fait. Il faudrait d’abord privilégier les langues des minorités et
35
Education pour tous
introduire progressivement la langue officielle
l’enseignement pour éviter toute exclusion sociale
dans
- Les droits de l´homme ont pour but de préserver les cultures,
mais faut-il conserver les pratiques les moins acceptables ? La
Commission Africaine des droits de l´homme a différencié les
pratiques culturelles positives et négatives. Dans ce sens, il faut
revoir les programmes scolaires qui véhiculent des idées
traditionnelles négatives, en particulier en matière de l’égalité des
sexes
- Favoriser le respect de chaque culture ne signifie pas qu’il faille
les compartimenter. Ceci risquerait d´aggraver les tensions entre
les différentes communautés au détriment de l’enfant, en
particulier dans les régions en conflit
- Le manque de précision de certaines législations concernant
l’âge minimum requis pour le mariage et la fin de la scolarité
obligatoire est un problème à résoudre si l’on veut maintenir les
enfants, en particulier les filles, à l’école
- Dans le développement des politiques nationales, il faut en fait
trouver le juste équilibre en respectant l’héritage linguistique et
culturel de chacun
- Les politiques nationales ne doivent pas promouvoir qu’une
éducation uniforme mais une éducation pour tous afin de
favoriser le dialogue interculturel, comme il est stipulé dans la
convention des droits de l´homme
Question de la qualité de l’éducation :
- Il faut souligner l’interaction de la culture et de l’éducation et
promouvoir une ducation de qualité pour tous prenant en
compte les activités artistiques et culturelles
36
Education pour tous
- La qualité de l’enseignement et de la formation des professeurs
est essentielle: les connaissances religieuses, éthiques et
culturelles locales sont aussi importantes que les connaissances
académiques
- L’éducation des femmes doit s’élargir à d’autres domaines,
comme celui des questions de la santé (limitations des naissances
...)
- Le contenu des programmes scolaires doivent s’adapter aux
individus et au marché de l’emploi
- Il faut encourager la publication de livres dans les langues
minoritaires
- les médias doivent également jouer un rôle important dans
l’éducation
Les pratiques culturelles traditionnelles négatives :
- Dans de nombreux pays en voie de développement, il y a des
différentes pratiques traditionnelles culturelles négatives qui
empêchent les filles d’aller à l’école : ex, le kidnapping et le
mariage arrangé avant la naissance
- Il existe un conflit entre l’éducation formelle et traditionnelle
qui pourra être résolu en favorisant le domaine de la recherche
sur leurs contenus
- la diversité culturelle a un côté négatif et positif. Il faut évaluer
comment les valeurs culturelles respectent les droits de l’homme,
qui n’est pas un principe négociable
- La législation doit jouer un rôle dans la lutte des mauvaises
pratiques comme celle concernant les abus sexuels perprétrés par
37
Education pour tous
les professeurs en Afrique du Sud. Il faut également lancer le
débat sur la sexualité, qui est encore un sujet tabou
Le rôle des hommes dans l’égalité des sexes :
- Il faut intégrer les hommes dans le débat
- Il faut rappeler que le Coran constitue un cadre référentiel des
systèmes éducatifs des pays musulmans appelant au respect de la
femme et à l’Education pour tous, y compris la femme
L’éducation pour tous :
- L’éducation doit englober toute la société, en particulier les
couches les plus pauvres
L’importance de la culture dans les politiques de l’éducation et
de développement
- Mme Stenou a paraphrasé Aimé Césaire en rappelant qu’ «
aucun projet politique ne peut être digne de son nom sans
finalité culturelle »
- Il faut rappeler la résolution adoptée par l’Assemblée générale
de l’Unesco le 20 février 2003 qui « invite tous les Etats
Membres, les organismes intergouvernementaux et les
Organisations non gouvernementales compétentes à assurer, en
coopération acec l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour
l’éducation, la science et la culture, l’application du Plan
d’Action »,et notamment « à évaluer la relation entre culture et le
développement et l’élimination de la pauvreté, dans le cadre de la
première décennie des Nations Unies pour l’élimination de la
pauvreté (1997-2006)
- Cinq après le Plan d’Action de Stockholm, il faut toujours
s’efforcer à appliquer les principes énoncés sur le terrain á travers
38
Education pour tous
l’action d’initiatives locales.Il faut donc penser globalement mais
agir au niveau local afin de changer les mentalités
- L’éducation n’a de sens que si elle forme des hommes
culturellement civilisés et sains
Conclusion :
Madame Mlama s’est certes concentrée sur un objectif particulier
du plan d’Action de Dakar, mais elle insiste également sur la
prise en compte de tous les autres objectifs pour obtenir
l’éducation pour tous
Monsieur Wilson a ajouté que la Convention pour les droits de
l’enfant n’a pas été ratifiée par les Etats Unis et la Somalie
39
6
Cultural policies in the
information society
Workshop
Moderator: Mr Nils-Gunnar Nilsson, former President of
The Swedish National Commission for UNESCO
Introductions: Mr Allister Sparks, Writer and Journalist, South
Africa
Ms Hellen Niegaard, chief Consultant, Danish National Library
Allister Sparks, South Africa, journalist/writer
In his keynote address Mr Allister Sparks talked about the new
post-modern world of globalisation, where national borders are
melting down and where people fear a loss of identity. He said
that what defines the world we now live in is the globalisation
and the religious and ethnic fundamentalist reaction to it. “That
is the powerful dialectic that now threatens the world and which
needs to be understood much better than it is”, he said.
What is globalisation, he asked and mentioned two opposed
views. On the one hand there are the free marketers, which sees
globalisation as the ultimate solution to the eternal happiness of
the human race, as the end of history with free market capitalism
standing alone as the only system to be pursued and perfected
for the rest of time. On the other hand there are the equally
passionate opponents to whom globalisation is an epithet for a
new form of capitalist colonialism that enables the rich countries
41
Cultural policies in the information society
to exploit the poor. “The truth”, he said, “is that globalisation is
neither of these things.”
Mr Sparks gave a brief historical background of globalisation,
starting with the first trade of skin between cave men in
neighbouring valleys. At first the process of global integration
was slowly expanding, but technology has speeded up that
process. The first great leap forward came with the Industrial
Revolution and the latter half of the Nineteenth Century and
the beginning of the Twentieth Century saw a tremendous
expansion of international communication and trade. However
the World War I, the Russian Revolution and the Great
Depression slowed this down and divided the world in two
separate ideological and economic camps.
The globalisation of today is formed by the acceleration brought
about by the convergence if two new revolutions – the collapse
of communism and with it the bipolar global divide, and the
information revolution with its digital and satellite technology
which has brought about the greatest and fastest advance in
human communication in the history of the world, he said. After
the Berlin wall had fallen suddenly the whole world was open to
free trade and movements.
Mr Sparks continued by talking about the big winners of the
globalisation: the multinational corporations. He said: “Yet
despite the power these economic behemoths wield in the new
globalised world, no one elects those who control them in an age
when democracy is supposed to be the corollary of capitalism.”
He stressed the importance of noting that globalisation’s impact
not only is economic, but political, technological and cultural as
well. The globalisation is homogenising the world with the
spread of the English language, as the international language of
business, and with the spread of American entertainment
industry. He stressed that it is eroding national boundaries with
the emergence of international regulating bodies, such as the
42
Cultural policies in the information society
WTO, EU, Nafta, Mercosur, Seato and the Southern African
Development Community.
He pointed to the participants the importance of noting that this
changes in society is placing stresses and strains on traditional
ways of life and culture, focusing on materialism rather than
moral. “A cultural imperialism, in other words, that is corrupting
traditional values and eroding ethnic identity.” All this is
dividing the world between global cosmopolitans and ethnic and
religious fundamentalists and here lies the battleground of the
twenty-first century, he means.
Mr Sparks then discussed the USA and the American responses
to the 11 September. He stressed the importance of knowledge
and greater cultural understanding. “It is one of the great
paradoxes of the modern world that the United States, as the
prime harbinger of globalisation and itself a melting pot of so
many different cultures, knows so little about, and has so little
interest in, the rest of the world”, he said. Militariaism and war is
not the answer to the alarming danger presented by globalisation
and the fundamentalist reaction to it, he said. Experience
indicates that terrorism driven by deep cultural and historical
grievances cannot be quelled by military means alone. There
must be a political dimension to the solution. And that can only
be devised if there is a proper understanding of the underlying
cultural and historical issues causing the grievances. “That is the
challenge of our times” Mr Sparks said.
Mr Sparks then presented the participants with some
observations, starting with purpose of the conference: to
progress the action plan on cultural development. He stressed
that we are living in a different world today, then five years ago.
There is a need to look at the result from the previous
Stockholm conference again, to update the document taking into
account the thing that has happened, with 11 September, two
wars and several regime changes.
43
Cultural policies in the information society
He then addressed the UNESCO, with a suggestion. The most
important thing, as he sees it, is the dire need for cultural
education. Perhaps business school should offer courses in
cultural policies and awareness. There is a lack of awareness in
many developing countries of this areas.
Hellen Niegaard, Denmark, Danish National Library Authority
·
The right to receive and impart informations and ideas
trough any media and regardless of frontiers ( stated on article
19 of the United Nations declaration of human rights), was the
starting point of Nirgaard´s lecture, who pointed out the fact
that the main interest today is on the individual access to
information in order to have freedom of expression.
·
UNESCO´s public librararies Manifesto, revised in
1994, describes public libraries as the “local gateway to
knowledge”. And today the major challenge for these
institutions come from the rapid ITC development, that requires
an effort in order to guarantee tthe freedom of access to
knowledge.
·
Access to knowledge is and has always been a privilege.
And, despite the fact that Internet is based mostly on the idea of
an open society, the openness is far from certain. In fact, as the
International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions has identified, there are 6 potential barriers to the
access of the information via internet:
1.
The Digital Divide – the gap between those who have
access to information and communication technologies (ICTs –
and in this case the Internet) and those who do not is present in
all countries around the world.
44
Cultural policies in the information society
2.
Commodification of information – as observed in the
increasing amount of ‘pay’ services on the Internet, from e-mail
storage to access to databases.
3.
Corporatism of the Internet/Privatisation of the
commons ( growing power of corporations to influence
legislation relating to the future of the Internet)
4.
Filtering/blocking of information by governments.
5.
Data retention/Surveillance/Monitoring of
6.
Content rating systems (mechanism of self-censorship in
a middle ground where corporations, nation states and
individuals come together to impose restrictions through the
rating of website contents
Those technological barriers have to be added to the already well
known problems of the lack of literacy and the computer
illiteracy. Those barriers have to be strongly opposed by
UNESCO, together with NGO’s and the member states,
through an action capable to stimulate national cultural policies.
·
Libraries in the information society have become hybrid
places, that means that they provide access not just to physical
information, as traditionally they have done, but even to virtual
(web based) information.
·
Despite this new form public libraries must continue to
guarantee the quality of the provided informations (as they
traditionally did during the industrial age). That means that they
have to pay attention to problems such as the selection, and the
storage of both physical and online materials (which are
extremely growing in those years) (printed digital resources,
home users, new users, new system of licences)
45
Cultural policies in the information society
·
Furthermore libraries need to focus on the provision of
free and equal access to knowledge to all citizens, because it
becomes more and more obvious that knowledge is the crucial
competitive factor in the information Society.
·
The tasks for the hybrid libraries are
·
Provide/create high quality content in internet resources
·
Establish well functioning internet guides & services
·
Develop target oriented/personal services
·
Build bridges between printed and digital resources
·
Use the internet to promote traditional services
·
Play proactive role in promoting cultural values and
strengthening
democracy
·
Denmark for instance has afforded these tasks
§
Strengthening
methods
of
dissemination
and
communication
§
Combining traditional and virtual services
§
Information competency programmes for citizens – in
the library and as e-learning programmes (all age and user
groups)
·
Any UNESCO actions in that field should ensure the
connection between both traditional media formats as the books
(program IV) and the online media formats (program V),
fostering cooperation whith national State members.The role of
UNESCO should be the one of building bridge activities,
stimulatung traditional literacy and computer literacy program
whithin libraries in the developing world, and cultural diversity
46
Cultural policies in the information society
in advanced Internet application in the area of digital libraries in
general. Program have to be flexible, in order to attract talented
resarchers and facilitate co-ordination and convergence with
private sector priorities.
Debate
From the discussion that followed many questions arose.
Allister Spark´s intervention has been very appreciated, and
someone regretted that such a broad vision about the recent
situation, hadn’t been scheduled in the opening session of the
conference.
Asked, by the Indonesian delegate, about the attitudes that
cultural education and cultural sensitiveness could produce in
those societies that still faces primary needs (such as the
electricity) Sparks´s replied that in this moment cultural
education and sensitiveness is much more needed in western
countries.
Milagros del Coral, appreciated very much the intervention but
expressed some doubt about the division in cosmopolitans and
fundamentalist towards globalisation. This distinction, she
argued, appear to be too simplifying and pessimistic, in fact
cultures have demonstrated in history to be very resistant, and to
be able to survive to the challenges of the history. She suggested
then to think more about the role of the press in the recent Iraq
conflict. Sparks replied quoting the effects of that what
Chomsky defines the “elite consensus”, and suggested to look at
the media and their influence in a wider way, considering even
experiences such as the communities radio in South Africa.
Related to these themes can be seen the Swedish intervention
that described the private ownership as athreat for the freedom
of press, and a mean of pression and restriction of the sphere.
47
Cultural policies in the information society
Many intervention have been suscitaed even by Niegaard
intervention.
The need of linking cultural and media policies, not just inside
the UNESCO activities, but also even at the national-ministerial
level, has been recognized by many delegates.
On this particular point Milagros del Coral has reminded that in
recent years many project involving both the cultural and the
media sector inside the UNESCO have been made, and that this
intersectorial collaboration has demonstrated to be positive and
stable.
A second theme emerged from the discussion concerned the
problem of copyrights and intellectual property in relation with
the ICT world. This theme is deeply linked to the cultural
problem, and will surly become one of the major problem to
afford in the next years. The problem has been first evoqued by
Milagros del coral, who, referring to the question of the free of
charge services provided by libraries in the speech of Hellen
Niegaard, invited to think about the copyrights protection,
especially if we speak about creativity. The balance between
copyrights and right to access, related especially with the ICT, is
delicate and has to be afforded.
Another problem noted by Togo delegate regards the high VAT
on all audiovisual and electronic equipment, the suggestion of
Ms. Coral was to keep down VAT, not just on electronic devices
but on all cultural goods.
The problem of the use of ITC has then been further developed
in the intervention of the German delegate, that underlined the
fact that internet must be dedicated to citizen and not to simply
consumers. There has been a shift from “information for human
rights and democracy” to “media development for economic
growth and industries”. Governments have reacted in a confuse
way to the rapid changes in this sector, but now it’s time to
rebalance the power of regulation on the internet between the
48
Cultural policies in the information society
public sector, the market and the technologies producers.
Technology in itself, she said, it is no neutral, and we need to be
critical in reading and writing.
Two intervention (Iceland, Belgium) stressed on the practical
and technical difficulties that the acceleration of the evolution of
hardware and software creates for the everyday user. Iceland
suggested UNESCO to promote “Wolkswagen”computers.
Croatia pointed out that if on one hand Internet can bring
cultures closer, in the other it can also bring changes in the
cultures.
49
7
New Directions and
Imperatives for Cultural
Reserarch
Workshop
Moderator: Anders Falk
Keynote speakers: Professors Karl-Johan Kleberg and Colin
Mercer.
Introduction: Professor Karl-Johan Kleberg, summary:
Professor Kleeberg opened his adress by referring to the
Stockholm action-plan, an important document, but one that
doesn’t mention research more than once, and even than without
stating any specific goals. On the other hand the same plan states
that the aim of cultural poicy is the improvement of life. This
aim can not, according to Professor Kleeberg, be reached
without the nesessary knowledge, and that can be provided only
research.
The main prolems of cultural policy research today are,
according to Profssor Kleeberg the folowing:
·
What is allready known has to be clearified and stated in
such a maner that it can become accessible to the non-experts.
·
The relevance of research results isn’t allways clear and
there is need for more policy oriented projects.
·
More interdisciplinary research and more colaboration
between researchers is needed.
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New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural Reserarch
·
International coordination and support is needed in the
field of cultural policy research. This is a possible role for
UNESCO.
The Tools-report of Professor Mercer is a big foreward, as well
as a good example of the kind of research that is needed. It is
also a good example of the kind of reports that comes as a result
of foundation- and SIDA-founded reserch.
More needs, however, to be done. Most importantly: we need a
world report of facts from the cultural policy field. Such a report
has been prepared by German researcher Helmut Anheimer. An
even more thourogh report including both statistics and casestudies could be the result if UNESCO took responsibility in
this area. This would be of grate utility since the main problem
in the cultural policy field is the lack of knowledge and of an
over-all strategy, such a strategy can only come into existence if
the nessessary knowledge is provided.
Introduction: Professor Colin Mercer, summary:
Colin Mercer stated that we need to improve both the
quantitative and the qualitative baselines for cultural research
and also take into account data from the regional and
subregional levels. He gave the example of recent work on
cultural policy in the UK where, in spite of the absence of a
written UK-wide cultural policy, there is a lot of work being
done in cultural policy research and development. Scotland has a
national cultural strategy and there are now nine regional
cultural consortiums, each with their own cultural strategy, and
each of the 400+ local government authorities now has a cultural
strategy. The ´creative industries´ agenda, initiated by the
establishment of a national Creative Industries Task Force in
1997 has been an important policy driver in this context. There
have been two national Creative Industries Mapping Documents
published by the government [1998 and 2001] which calculate
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New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural Reserarch
that this industry sector is now worth about 150 billion euros
per annum in turnover, employing 6% of the work force and
representing the fastest growing industry sector. These statistical
facts have drawn attention to culture as an important industrial
sector in its own right. This, he stressed, is a necessary but by no
means sufficient condition for getting government agencies to
take culture and cultural policy seriously.
We have to move up the knowledge value chain and recognise
both strategic connections to a knowledge based creative
economy and the central role of culture in social inclusion, social
cohesion and quality of life.
An approach to understanding the connections between culture,
economic and social development is provided by recent research
and work in the field of social and cultural capital in which it is
well-recognised that participation in cultural activities can
contribute directly to reciprocity, trust and mutuality in a
community and provide the conditions for sustainable cultural
development. Social capital assessment is a methodology that has
been well developed by the World Bank and is also now being
used by some national statistical agencies to assess community
well-being and quality of life.
Mercer suggested the development of a similar Cultural Capital
Assessment Tool for use in the context of culture and
development and advocated that this should be part of a new
culture and ethos of research, essentially owned and managed by
stakeholder communities, which he called cultural mapping. This
is a form of action research which does not mean the imposition
of external models on indigenous communities but, rather, the
development by the communities of their own protocols and
ethics of research in collaboration, as necessary, with
professional researchers.
Summary of discussion:
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New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural Reserarch
Mr. Alisher Ikramov (National Commision of Uzbekistan for
UNESCO) did not agree that UNESCO is in lack of a strategy
regarding cultural policy and cultural policy research. On the
contratry, there are many ongoing projects, espesialy within the
heritage sector.
Mr. Arief Rachman (Ministry of Education, Indonesia):
Speaking from personal experience of cultural conflicts in
Indonesia Mr Rachman stated the need for knowledge in order
to avoid sterotypes and overcome conflict. On the other hand,
he also pointed out, there tends to be seveer problems with the
objectivity of research in the social scencies and in the
humanities when relating to other cultures than that of the
researcher. He agreed with the previous speaker, who said that
culture does not exist in a vacuum but in a specific context. This
is the reason behind such problems of understanding and
comunication.
Mr. Purevtogtokh Khambin (Ministry of Science, Education and
Culture, Mongolia) adressed the problems created when
modernism meets with a traditional culture, such as his own. In
such a situation important values may be at risk.
Ms. Eleni Nikita (Cyprus National Commision for UNESCO)
agreed that UNESCO may be the only major forum in which
these issues can be adressed properly on an international level. In
adition to the reseach projects proposed by Professor Kleeberg,
among others, UNESCO should try to conect the artist of the
world, in order to promote the values for which it stands.
Alberta Arthurs: Research texts has to be as clear as posible...
Mr. Karl-Johan Kleberg: In response to the Uzbek delegat
Professor Kleeberg repeted the need for an overall stratagy and
claryfied that although many projects exists general knowledge is
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New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural Reserarch
still lacking. The Mongolian situation is one more example of
what must be taken into acount in a world report on culture.
In response to Mr. Rachman Professor Kleeberg repeted the
need for qualified research to overcome ignorance. He also
stressed that the problems of ojectivity refered to by Mr
Rachman are posible to overcome with the proper methods.
Mr Collin Mercer reflected that thodays research in the cultural
policy field is sadly impoverished as the development in fields
such as antropology has not been taken into acount properly.
In agreement with Mr. Rachman Professor Mercer again stressed
the importance of involving local communities in scientific
cultural maping, both to ensure democracy an to improve the
objectivity of scientific results.
A Vietnameese delegat reflected on the problems of cultural
policy and cultural policy research in economicaly problematic
situations and on how hard it can be to make an argument for
public spending in such areas in a pressed economy. (?)
Mr. Amerswar Galla (The Austalian National University)
informed the audience of research projects taking place the
Austalian National University in the field of Cultural Policy. He
also advocated the use of what he decribes as “case study-driven
research”.
In response to Professor Mercer Professor Galla stressed the
problems for indegenous peoples in the cultural markets. When
autenticity is put on the market place it will at least to some
extent sese to be autetic. Nigther is such a market place
nessesarily under the controle of the indeginous people
themselves. Their right has to be protected.
Egypt asked how the Action Plan could be linked to research.
Even if research is not mentioned very clearly, there is the
whole underlying need of further research. Without this you
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New Directions and Imperatives for Cultural Reserarch
could not even make a plan or a program.We came here to see
the application.
Roumania reported about serious problems concerning
partnerships in research. We give money with serious
expectations and do not see the results.
Sténou: The issue of observatories has has become an
unsurpassable problem. The existing observatories are afraid of
loosing their specialisations. They have difficulties in finding
their context . They are also located in many places in the world
like Colombia, Mexico, except those in Europe. And five new
observatories are on their way. It is about the need of cultural
mapping. There is a loyality conflict between different programs
and their research on data., i e www.culturalpolicies.net by
Ericarts. The members (of Unesco ?) want a more action
oriented research.
Carl Johan Kleberg reminded that there is a need of « selling the
research » to foundations, autorities and research sponsors.
Colin Mercer : A new architecture on cultural policy – that is the
stakeholders- « a stakeholder research scenario ». A last question
concerned the need for « investigators » to respect the integrity
of poor people when making their enquiries.
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