Nordic Cultural Assembly in Visby, May 16-19 2007

The Nordic-Baltic/Russian Cultural Assembly is a joined event of the Nordic Artists’ Councils, hosted by the Swedish Joint Committee for Artistic and Literary Professionals (KLYS) and the Baltic Centre for Writers and Translators (BCWT) in Visby. Artists, politicians, officials and civil servants from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Greenland, Sapmi, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Germany and Sweden will discuss cultural policies and cultural cooperation.

The Assembly is coordinated in time and partially in program with the Baltic Meetings, arranged by the Baltic Writers Council (BWC).
The Culture Assembly is arranged with support from Nordic Cultural Fund, Municipality of Gotland, Swedish Arts Council, Swedish Institute, Gotland County Administration and Gotland University.

Programme

Wednesday, May 16

Cultures in the Nordic region and around the Baltic Sea
A joint day for the Nordic Artists’ Councils and the Baltic Writers’ Council (BWC).

16.00
Opening.
Location: Wisby Strand Congress Hall, Visby
- Opening speeches by Anders Granat (Gotland County Administration) and Inger Harlevi (Chairman of the Gotland Municipal Cultural Committee)
- Welcome addresses by Lena Pasternak (BCWT), Karin Enberg (KLYS) and Klaus-Jürgen Liedtke (BWC)

16.30
Cultures in the Nordic region and around the Baltic Sea seen from different perspectives
- Tor Eystein Överås: To wake up in Oslo and go to sleep in Riga – about the Baltic Sea cultures.
- Andrey Bitov (St Petersburg/Moscow) reads accompanied by Vladimir Tarasov (Vilnius), percussion, and Rosemarie Tietze (Munich), translation.
- Rose-Marie Huuva: About Saami culture
- Erika Drungyte (Kaunas): Lithuanian folk song

17.30: Break - refreshments

18.00

Cultural affinity in the Baltic Sea region
Discussion between P O Enquist, Argita Daudze (translator of Enquist) and Mats Hellström.

Next stop St Petersburg. Ilya Foniakov.

20.00
For Conference guests only: Dinner at Wisby Strand Congress Hall, hosted by Gotland County Administration.

Thursday, May 17

The situation for artists in Scandinavia and around the Baltic Sea
Location: Gotland University
Moderator: Karin Enberg

09.30
Introductory speeches:
- Karin Enberg, President of KLYS, Sweden
- Franz Ernst, President of the Council of Danish Artists

09.40
“How things are just now...” Presentations by
- Jaan Elken, Estonia
- Kornelijus Platelis, Lithuania
- Dainis Grinvalds, Latvia
- Harri Vessman, Finland
- Alexander Zhitinsky and Konstantin Smely, Russia
- Agust Gudmundsson, Iceland
- Jessie Kleemann, Greenland
- Jens M Dalsgaard, Faroe Islands
- Randi Urdal, Norway

10.40: Coffee

11.00: Discussion

12.00: Lunch

13.00:
The new arrangement in the Nordic Council of Ministers
Moderator: Jonas Forssell.
Introductions:
Riitta Heinämaa, (advisor, the Nordic Council of Ministers)
Henrik Wenzel Andresen (head of the Music Centre of the Danish Arts Agency, and president of the joint organisation of Nordic music centres, NordMic)
Discussion.

15.00: Coffee

15.30 – 17.30
Cultural cooperation in the Nordic countries and around the Baltic Sea – opportunities and obstacles
Introductions:
- Rikke Helms (director of the Danish Cultural Institute in St Petersburg)
- Mats Hellström: Is there a Baltic Sea region identity? Illusion or reality?
- Inger Harlevi (Gotland Municipality) Gotland as a cultural meeting place
Discussion.

19.30
Dinner buffet at Gotland University hosted by Gotland Municipality.

Friday, May 18

Cultural policy by and for who?
Moderator: Susin Lindblom

09.30
The Nordic region and the EU – confrontation or cooperation?
Introductions:
- Carl Tham (Swedish Minister of Education 1994-98, former president of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee): Cultural politics in the Nordic region seen in a historical perspective, as well as the Baltic challenge and EU.
- Jesper Söderström (Director of the Swedish Authors’ Fund): EU Pressure on the Nordic Public Lending Right compensation systems.
- Simon Pellar (Vice President of European Council of Artists): Artists’ cooperation in Europe.

10.15: Coffee

10.30: Discussion

11.00
Cultural policy that recognises diversity?
Introductions:
- Peter Curman on the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity
- Jessie Kleemann (Greenland)
- Sanna Tahvanainen (Åland)
- Chris Torch (Intercult)

12.30: Lunch

13.30
Trond Okkelmo (Association of Norwegian Theatres and Orchestras): The Norwegian proposal to establish culture in the Constitution
Discussion.
Moderator: Bernt Lindberg

14.15
How do we move on?
The formation of a working party with Nordic and Baltic Sea region participants.
Priorities. Resolutions.

15.00
Coffee and conclusion of the Artists’ Assembly.

Saturday, May 19

The Baltic Sea region in the perspective of European regions
Voluntary participation in BWC’s programme.
Location: Main Hall, Gotland University

9.00
Appreciating culture as culture – and how culture interacts with commerce and national policy
Introductions:
Representatives of writers’ and artists’ associations (in the Nordic region, the Baltic states, Russia and Germany) and cultural institutions in the Baltic Sea region.
Conversation, summary and outlook.

13.00
Final speech; message for St Petersburg.

Lunch, departure.

The organisers reserve the right to make changes in the programme