Europe and the Value of Culture for International Relations

We will start with a brief historical overview of the EU’s engagement in international cultural relations. This history displays a trajectory marked by change, experimentation, and ongoing uncertainty. Despite the firm belief that culture should become a stand-alone goal for sustainable development, peace and security, several instances have shown that it is also a battlefield dominated by a fight over interests between global, regional and national powers. How to deal effectively with this duality of culture as being both a promise and a threat to international relations? How to envisage a form of international cultural relations that moves away from propaganda and soft power, enabling more inclusive and democratic approaches to culture?

After this historical overview there will a short film will be projected, produced by ‘Historias en Kilómetros’, a community-based filmmaking lab based in Colombia. This provides an example of what inclusive international cultural relations could look like, and forms a stepping stone to the discussion that follows. Afterwards, a diverse group of speakers actively working in the field of international cultural relations will discuss the challenges the EU faces today, its key dilemmas, and where its greatest potential lies. How do these different actors see Europe’s role — and what needs to change for culture to truly contribute to a more just and peaceful world?

Speakers

Eugene Downes has served since 2019 in the newly created role of Cultural Director of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, leading the Irish Government’s cultural diplomacy and international cultural relations. In that capacity he is the Irish member of the Heads group of EUNIC (EU National Institutes of Culture). He previously served as Artistic & Executive Director of Kilkenny Arts Festival and as founding Chief Executive of Culture Ireland, the state body for the promotion and advancement of Irish arts worldwide.

Lars Ebert is Secretary General of Culture Action Europe, the political voice of the Cultural Sector in Brussels, and advocates for strong cultural policies in Europe. Previously he was co-director of H401 in Amsterdam and deputy director of The European League of Institutes of the Arts. Lars has a specific interest in participatory practices and art-based research, holds a postgraduate degree in theology, is a frequent speaker and facilitator, publishes regularly and serves on the board of various organisations in the areas of culture, education and research.

Lynn Fu is a Shanghai/New York based independent curator and producer. Her career focuses on international collaboration between China, Asia and beyond with her passion in exploring new possibilities of connecting people from different backgrounds through the performing arts. Lynn is an ISPA global fellow, Edinburgh Fringe industry associate and international jury member of the European Spaces of Culture. In 2021, she co-founded Arts Access Shanghai, a platform to increase access to Shanghai’s cultural institutions for the local disability community through connection, education and advocacy.

Aya Kasasa is a specialist in strategic and multi-stakeholder partnerships with expertise in EU and OACPS cooperation frameworks. She previously served at the Secretariat of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) in Brussels, where she led the implementation of the ACP–EU Culture Programme and coordinated policy portfolios on migration, urbanisation and demography within the EU–OACPS partnership framework. She currently works as an independent consultant and serves as a jury member for EUNIC’s Spaces of Culture programme.

Claske Vos is anthropologist and Assistant Professor at the Department of European Studies at the Humanities Faculty of the University of Amsterdam. Her current work focuses on the intersection of EU funding, cultural activism and enlargement. Her expertise is in European cultural policy, cultural heritage, Southeast Europe and European identity formation.

Katz Laszlo (moderator) is a freelance radio reporter for broadcasters including NPR, WNYC’s Radiolab, BBC World Service and the Dutch Public Broadcaster’s Radio 1, and makes The Europeans Podcast.