12 culture news headlines from 6 countries in June
Armenia
Yerevan to host international music festival and competition. A first installment of ARMENIA International Music Festival and Competition will be held on 4-12 July. This event is an initiative of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (SYOA) and the European Foundation for Support of Culture. The panel of judges will comprise five famous musicians-performers from various countries. News.am
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani Film Festival took place in Italy. The event was co-organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Ministry of Couture and Tourism, Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Italy, Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC), Italy-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce, “AGI” News Agency, “Azerbaijannews” news portal, as well as “Casa del Cinema” organisation. This festival supposed to strengthen cultural relations between the two countries, as well as promote Azerbaijan’s rich cinema culture in Italy. Moreover, organizers tried to popularize Azerbaijan`s history, ancient heritage and realities in Italian society. Azertac
Culture minister discussed culture cooperation with Germany’s ambassador. Abulfas Garayev, Azerbaijani culture and tourism minister, met with Michael Kindgsrab, Germany’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, on 19 June,azerbaycan24 reports. The sides discussed the measures to be taken within “200 years of German settlements in South Caucasus region” programme. azerbaycan24
Belarus
Decentralisation of culture necessary, Art Village manager says. Artur Klinau, a manager of Art Village project, stressed in a conversation with EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme that the decentralisation of culture is a very important goal. “Everything happens in Minsk, whereas in regional cities, towns, there’s almost nothing. In Europe, things happen differently. Culture there is distributed in a uniform way. In a small town, there could be a festival of an international scale held and attended by all the famous stars,” Klinau emphasized. He underlined that Art Village project is an effort to achieve that. EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme
Minsk hosted the festival of Lithuanian culture. The event took place on 24 June. It featured master classes on arts, as well as a concert programme. The festival was organized by the Minsk City Hall, the Belarusian Community of Lithuanians and the National Center of National Cultures. BelTA
Georgia
Experts discussed culture’s influence on the economic development of Georgia. EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme conducted a round table meeting with cultural and creative organizations. The experts discussed whether the culture could influence Georgia’s economy positively. Maka Dvalishvili, the president of the Georgian Arts & Culture Center, underlined that first signs of such influence are already visible, but they should be nurtured and developed. She argued that the society itself does not fully understand the potential of culture yet. Nato Tsintsabadze, the Secretary-General of ICOMOS Georgia, stressed there should be more research on this topic so that statistical data could prove how influential culture is. Newsgeorgia.ge, Tbilisi.media, aspny.ge
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Prominent Spanish university library set to feature Georgian authors’ books. Georgia’s foreign ministry announced the cooperation between of Spain's University of Alicante and the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia,agenda.ge writes. Some of the most prominent examples of Georgian literature will become part of the collections of Spain's University of Alicante. Moreover, archaeologists from the two countries will also hold joint works on sites in Georgia and Spain. agenda.ge
Moldova
Exhibition dedicated to Moldovan-Polish diplomatic ties opened in Chișinău. The exhibition is entitled “The 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations’ establishment between Moldova and Poland,” Moldpres reports. Numerous Moldovan and Polish officials visited its opening. Andrei Chistol, State Secretary of the Culture Ministry, stressed that this exhibition has contributed to a better knowledge of Polish culture and reflected common history of two nations. In his turn, Artur Michalski, Poland’s ambassador to Moldova, expressed his gratitude for the support he enjoyed in his work from the Culture Ministry, the National Library and other cultural institutions. Moldpres
Moldova, Hungary discussed cooperation in culture sphere. Monica Babuk, Moldova’s culture minister, receivedMátyás Szilágyi, the Ambassador of Hungary to Chisinau, Moldova’s Ministry of Culture informs. The sides focused on the common actions undertaken on different levels of the bilateral relationship in the culture field. The officials remarked cultural exchanges in the field of theatre, cinematography, and fine arts. Moldova’s Ministry of Culture
Ukraine
Government announced launch of Ukrainian Institute to promote country abroad. Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers approved a decision to create a Ukrainian Institute to present the country abroad and promote its image in the world, Euromaidan Press informs. According to the report, it is envisioned to be similar to Germany’s Goethe Institute, Polish Institute, British Council, Institut Français and others. Therefore, it has the goal to advance the understanding of modern Ukraine as a tourism- and investment-attractive country in the international cultural and intellectual environment, author notes. Euromaidan Press, Ukrayinska Pravda
Culture generates 4% of Ukraine’s GDP, culture expert says. Tim Williams, team leader with the EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme, underlined that the programme is trying to create a picture of the cultural sector in Ukraine. The findings show that culture generates around 4% of Ukraine’s GDP, Williams noted. It also employs at least 3% of the country’s workforce. So it’s bigger than the construction industry. That’s why this sector should be looked at seriously,” Culture and Creativity team leader emphasized. EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme
Cultural manager: We need to change our vision of EU-Ukraine culture relations. Yuliya Fediv, the head of Creative Europe Desk Ukraine, stressed that Ukrainians need to change their vision from “Ukraine in Europe” to “Europe in Ukraine.” Fediv argued that Ukrainian cultural organisations should be integrated into Europe, particulary in terms of their mindset. “When analysing the comments from the programme Desk in Brussels, it becomes clear that in Ukrainian applications innovative approaches, sustainable development and understanding the European context are the weak components,” Fediv underlined. EU-EaP Culture and Creativity Programme
