International News in May 2007
Show all of 2007
Better protection for performing artists working outside their home country
The employment conditions for performing artists who move around Europe as part of their work should be improved, and they should be better informed on how to transfer their social rights, says the Culture Committee in a report adopted on Monday calling for better protection for artists and the introduction of a special electronic social security card. more >
Entertainers Day proposed
The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry has suggested that the Government set aside a “Hari Seniman” (Entertainers Day) to mark the contributions of those in the entertainment industry. more >
NEW ARTS FUNDING PROGRAM TO FAN INNOVATION AND RENEWAL
The Beattie Government has announced a new funding program for small to medium arts organisations to further strengthen and develop this vibrant component of the arts industry. more >
New Resource on Laws for Protection of Traditional Culture
A new resource, accessible on the WIPO Website, provides a selection of national and regional laws, regulations and model laws on the protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions (expressions of folklore) against misappropriation and misuse as well as legislative texts relevant to IP and genetic resources. It also includes complementary resources, such as comparative tables of laws. more >
Sarkozy backs France's "unique cultural identity"
French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised on Sunday to maintain state support for France's cinema industry and pledged to keep up the country's traditional notion of its own "unique cultural identity". more >
The Obasanjo Years: Motion without movement for arts, entertainment
Akintayo Abodunrin appraises arts and entertainment during the eight years of the Obasanjo government and concludes that it has not been a sweet tale for the sector. more >
Together we can create a better world
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development celebrated for the first time in Azerbaijan. more >
VAT rebates for sports and cultural activities
VAT rebates and exemptions along with other fiscal incentives are at the heart of Labour’s plans for sports and culture to encourage people to take more part in sporting and cultural activities. more >
ALBANEL APPOINTED MINISTER OF CULTURE
Newly elected French president Nicolas Sarkozy has named Christine Albanel as minister of culture. more >
Amateur hours
When everybody is an artist, what happens to the art? more >
Arts nonprofits fuel economy
Nonprofit arts groups, including museums, orchestras, theaters and dance companies, contributed $166.2 billion and 5.7 million jobs to the U.S. economy in 2005, according to an advocacy group urging more funding for the arts. more >
Cultural Exchange Programmes Vital, Says Minister
Cultural exchange programmes and the teaching of languages enhance bilateral co-operation and project implementation. more >
Fighting arts cuts with fun and games
First the Olympics slashed our funding, now artists are hosting their own sports day. Handbag hurling or invisible discus, anyone? more >
Government Clarifies On Sponsorship of Arts
The Ministry of Education and Sports has refuted press reports that the government will stop sponsoring arts courses. more >
Iran and Spain discuss cultural ties expansion
The Iranian Ambassador to Madrid Seyyed Davud Salehi and director of the Casa Asia in Barcelona, Ion de la Riva, have met to discuss the expansion of cultural ties. more >
Minister Launches Culture Week
The arts and cultural industries are critical in nation building as they enable us to have a sense of belonging by motivating us to define ourselves as a people, uniting and rallying us towards a shared vision, a Cabinet minister has said. more >
SURVEY REVEALS ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF ADULTS USE MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES
A new survey published by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) shows that over 12 months, 64 per cent of adults, almost two thirds of the population, visited a museum, a library or an archive. more >
Venice Biennale proposes becoming a selling show again
People who say that biennials have become covert art fairs may be surprised to know that the Venice Biennale used to sell art openly. more >
Irish Arts Council opens public debate on ‘crucial role’ of the arts
The Irish Arts Council has launched a public debate on the value of the arts as the opening salvo in its bid for an increase in annual funding from central government to €100 million (£68 million) in 2008. more >
Nigerian gov't urges banks to support culture-based entrepreneurship
The Nigerian government has urged the banking sector to assist culture-based small and medium scale enterprises with soft loans to kick-start the processes of industrialization, official said on Monday. more >
State Committed to Funding Museums
Government is committed to the funding and development of museums at all levels, Manicaland Governor and Resident Minister Cde Tinaye Chigudu has said. more >
TURKMENISTAN: WHERE AUTHORITIES EMPHASIZE THE CULT IN CULTURE
Despite its inconsistencies, the goal of Turkmen cultural policy has always been clear: to establish a uniform myth of national identity that is closely identified with the country’s dictatorial first president, Saparmurat Niyazov. more >
A Cultural Crossroad for Romania and Bulgaria
What is the role of state support for this sector today and is there any promising future? This and other questions were put to prominent artists, arts managers, curators, researchers and policy-makers from Romania and Bulgaria. more >
Are you a network junkie?
Many cross-European cultural networks have moved quickly to extend their online presence, but this has had the side-effect of throwing a considerable amount of information into the public domain in an unregulated fashion under the name of 'knowledge', when it is really only 'data'. more >
Cultural Policy of Papua New Guinea
Ever since Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia in 1975, the country's government has faced a complicated challenge: which language will unify the country? more >
Jordan, Japan discuss cultural cooperation
Japanese Cultural Attaché, Amman Susumu Yamashita, has expressed his country’s desire to contribute to celebration marking Irbed the “City of the Jordanian Culture” as one of the projects that move cultural activities to areas outside the capital city of Amman. more >
New International Initiative: Museums & Community Collaborations Abroad
The American Association of Museums (AAM) is pleased to announce a new partnership in cultural diplomacy with the US Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), called Museums & Community Collaborations Abroad (MCCA). more >
Nicholas Motsatse about the World Arts Summit in Johannesburg
The eyes of the culture world are on South Africa as the country prepares to host the fourth World Summit on Arts and Culture in 2009. more >
Raising Japan's Cool Quotient
Japan, long admired for its manufacturing excellence, is boosting its cultural influence globally by exporting its particular brand of hip. more >
State Too Dumb to Respect the Arts
There are hardly any governments which can claim to have "the soul" - or the heart - to appreciate good art, music, literature or drama. more >
12 nations put on copyright piracy list
China, Russia and 10 other nations are targeted by the Bush administration for failing to sufficiently protect American producers of music, movies and other copyrighted material from widespread piracy. more >
Artwork - Tool for Fighting Food Insecurity
Artwork is emerging as a pivotal aspect of winning the war against hunger. more >
Can culture dictate the way we see?
A new study suggests that culture may shape the way our brains process visual information. more >
City plans to fall for free arts events again
For the second straight year, arts organizations in Baltimore plan to offer free performances, lectures, exhibitions, workshops and other creative experiences in the fall. more >
Government to Stop Sponsoring Arts Courses
Uganda's leading university "may soon have no arts students admitted". more >
Iranian culture minister meets Tajik counterpart
The Culture Ministers of Iran and Tajikistan have met to discuss ways to boost cultural cooperation. more >
Ottawa eyes new copyright, museums policies
The federal Department of Canadian Heritage is planning a new museums policy and revamping the nation's copyright law. more >
Rock 'n' roll PM: Blair's cultural legacy
Ten years after Tony Blair's first election win, we perhaps forget how much the cultural mood music of government changed. more >
Saving libraries from extinction
In many countries, libraries are being closed because of a lack of resources. Jay Jordan is promising to save them from extinction, but to do so he is planning to completely change the way the library is constituted. more >
The gift that keeps on giving
The Royal Opera House's new £10m endowment shows the way forward for the arts - a future in which there’s no need to rely on state handouts. more >
Tunes That Pay
Just as the rapid growth of piracy and illegal online downloading appeared to be strangling the music industry, a share rise in publishing has thrown a vital lifeline to the recording industry. more >
Uniting People Around Culture
The uniqueness of African culture is in gradual decline. more >
What happened to dance under Blair?
Our venues are shinier than ever, but the recent cuts in funding could spell disaster for the next generation of dance talent. more >
Do not neglect culture
The Rand Corporation's recently published 'The Beginner's Guide to Nation-Building' covers the basics with clarity and objectivity, but contains almost nothing about what is clearly the Achilles heel of recent nation-building adventures: culture. more >
Culture department ‘is wasting millions renting swanky offices across London’
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is wasting millions of pounds on lavish offices at some of the best addresses in London. more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >