International News in August 2004
Show all of 2004
Goverment will not come to aid of Irish film industry
Irish Arts minister John O’Donoghue has ruled out any special measures to revive the Irish film industry, currently experiencing a worrying decline in major production projects. more >
Broadcast treaty battle rages on
An international treaty to give broadcasters the right to control who may record, transmit, or distribute their signals is reaching a crucial stage of negotiation by the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva. more >
Convention approved on intangible cultural heritage
China's top legislature on Saturday voted to approve UNESCO's convention on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. more >
Heritage month to focus on Gauteng's cultural capacity
Gauteng's Heritage Month celebrations are set to focus on unearthing and promoting the province's cultural capacity. A government statement said the approach the province had adopted would help it meet its mandate of creating jobs and fighting poverty through arts and culture. more >
Infrastructural reform in tourism, cultural heritage a priority
The Deputy Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organisation has prioritised the strengthening and reform of infrastructures in tourism and the cultural heritage sector. more >
S Korea, Hong Kong to Sign Cultural Accord with Hong Kong
The South Korean government will conclude a memorandum of understanding on cultural cooperation with China's Hong Kong special administrative region, officials at the Foreign Ministry said Monday. more >
World Culture Open due in Seoul
This fall, amidst all the Olympic hype the world will once again be treated to another borderless global festival - the World Culture Open, a multi national non-profit, non-governmental organisation to promote the value of cultural diversity, more >
Namibian artists receive training
More than 200 rural musical performers and dancers are to benefit from an exchange programme effort between the Oruuano Artists Union and Finnish artists. more >
South Africa and UK join forces in arts and culture
The South African and British governments have agreed that a Memorandum of Understanding in relation to consolidating the two country's partnership in arts and culture will soon be signed. more >
All-Armenian Festival will be held biannually
The all-Armenian One Nation - One Culture festival will be held biannually, Lilit Asatryan, Armenian deputy minister of culture and youth has announced. more >
Minister Of Culture to meet with artists, composers
Angolan Minister of Culture, Boaventura Cardoso, is meeting today in Luanda with members of the National Union of Artist and Composers to discuss the development of arts in the country and aid to artists. more >
The importance of excellence
Of what should an arts policy consist? Since 1997, the Scottish Office, the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Arts Council have spent countless hours on a bewildering variety of cultural-strategy documents in order to find out. more >
Department for Culture abolition plans
Proposals by the Conservative Party to abolish two government departments if it returns to power, with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport a likely target, have come under fire from the National Campaign for the Arts. more >
Institute of Puerto Rican Culture calls for public policy
Teresa Tio, executive director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, said the local government urgently needs to develop a clear public policy on cultural matters, which could serve as the basis for creating an industry of culture to advance the island’s economic development. more >
Ceiling falls on 'cultural olympics'
They studied the London Millennium Dome as an example of how not do things but, as more bits of ceiling fell off its emblematic Blue Triangle building, the organisers of Barcelona's "cultural olympics" were piling up their own list of woes yesterday. more >
Cultural attachés gather in Tehran
Iran’s Cultural attachés have gathered for the fifth time at the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation in Tehran. more >
Cultural properties institute preserves sounds of yesterday
Back about 35 or 40 years ago during Korea's postwar recovery period when the nation was rushing toward modernisation and industrialisation, scholars of folklore and ethnology began to realise that the country was in danger or losing its traditional cultural heritage. more >
Needed: a Ministry of Culture
There should be a new and separate Ministry of Culture with a stronger relationship to all other government ministries, as well as a wider mandate than exists at present, as a vital element in Trinidad-Tobago's puch for developed country status by the year 2020. more >
Sport and the arts 'can help health and self-confidence'
Taking part in sport and the arts can have a positive impact on nearly every aspect of life, according to new research. A Scottish Executive-funded study has found that participation in cultural activities can improve health and education, boost self-confidence and even reduce crime. more >
Artists urged to restore cultural 'richness'
'The richness of our culture has been eroded and it is upon artists to restore it,' said Botswana Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Daniel Kwelagobe at a workshop organised by the Vision 2016 Council. more >
China prepares for French culture year
Chinese State Councilor Chen Zhili Friday urged Chinese ministries and local governments to prepare well for the upcoming French culture year in China. more >
Collectors hand cultural relics to the Russian Culture Ministry
Russian and foreign private collectors have handed over cultural relics to the Russian Culture and Mass Communications Ministry. more >
Fringe director blasts arts council
The director of the Edinburgh Fringe has accused the Scottish Arts Council of ignoring the festival, which this year received £25,000 in funding, compared with the £1.1m given to the Edinburgh international festival. more >
Indian artists to give 13 concerts during days of Indian culture in Russia
During the Days of Indian Culture in Russia Indian artists will give 13 concerts, Nina Ranjan, Indian Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism, has revealed. more >
Minister calls for bolstering of Iran-Afghanistan cultural ties
Iran Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Ahmad Masjed Jamei, has called for bolstering of Iran-Afghanistan cultural and art relations. more >
MUSE spearheading 'cultural' revolution
A cultural revolution is going on in the coal city of Enugu. There is a conscious effort now to revive, the cutural, literary and artistic life of the former intellectual city of the East of Nigeria. more >
New museum captures diversity of American Indians
After more than 15 years of planning, raising money, and construction, the National Museum of the American Indian is set to open next month. more >
President calls for commitment to promote Pakistan’s culture
President Pervez Musharraf urged Pakistan on its Independence Day to promote and protect its culture, to improve country’s image internationally and develop harmony internally. more >
Theatre - Zimbabwe's last free speech?
In world terms, the theatrical scene in Zimbabwe is so small as to be almost insignificant - but it reflects a society that has, for all the wrong reasons, grabbed the news headlines internationally. more >
Tourists queue for culture in Switzerland
Switzerland has become a cultural destination, attracting tourists with a growing selection of exhibitions, concerts and festivals. more >
Urban renewal through the arts
Engineers and urban planners were once seen as the creators of great cities. They imposed shape and order on the burgeoning population centres of the industrial age. But the cities of the knowledge era need new experts with new tools. more >
Artists' squat to become cultural venue
An illegal Parisian artists' squat is to be transformed into an official and permanent cultural centre, designed as a counterpoint to more traditional galleries like the Louvre, at a cost of up to €7m. more >
Just who works for the new creative class?
It was cultural critic Meaghan Morris, I think, who observed that for all the talk of inner-city 'edginess' and bohemia, we are reaching the point where for many of those privileged enough to now live, work, and play almost exclusively in our inner cities, it is difficult to imagine a more homogenous, less diverse lifestyle. more >
Museums must find other sources of revenue
South African Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan has called for museums to explore alternative sources of funding. more >
Quango bonfire 'could hit arts'
Political interference could harm arts and culture in Wales if Rhodri Morgan presses ahead with his 'bonfire of the quangos', claim the Welsh Conservatives. more >
Reorganising support for culture in Germany
New data, revised legislation and enhanced funding support are all part of German efforts to revitalise and reshape the national cultural landscape, according to the latest edition of the Compendium Newsletter from Cultural Policies in Europe. more >
Tehran to host National Congress on Museums in 3rd Millennium
The Iranian Secretary of the congress has announced the National Regional Congress and Exhibition on Museums in the 3rd Millennium, to be held in Tehran from August 10-12. more >
Young Japanese-Americans honor ethnic roots
Young Japanese-Americans, perhaps bolstered by the new cool factor of anime and karaoke and other things Japanese, are joining the fight against the 'extinction' of their cultural heritage. more >
Frank Gehry's mideast peace plan
In the Middle East, a building is never just a building, just as a national boundary is never just a boundary and a religious shrine is never just a tourist attraction. Frank Gehry is finding this out the hard way, as his design for the new Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance draws fire. more >
Pak, Indian artists join up to showcase Punjab culture
With a smile on their faces and a warm welcome from their hosts, a 25-member delegation from the National College of Arts in Lahore crossed the Wagah checkpost earlier this week to play their bit in strengthening ties with India. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >