International News in June 2009
Show all of 2009
Nelson Fernandez OBE
Nelson Fernandez, former director of cultural operations at Visiting Arts, has been awarded the OBE in recognition of services to the Arts in the Queen's 2009 Birthday Honours List. more >
The new European Parliament - Perspectives, challenges and opportunities
The recent European elections and the joyful result of the Greens might change the cultural order within the European institutions. more >
2011 to be the European Year of Volunteering
The European Commission has decided to propose that 2011 be designated the "European Year of Volunteering". The Council is expected to endorse this decision, after the European Parliament has been consulted, by the beginning of next year. more >
Why Richard Florida's honeymoon is over
The urban guru arrived two years ago as the toast of the town. Today, his critics argue he is a glib salesman and elitist. How did such a sweet marriage go wrong? more >
At the art of a resurgent Wales
As a new survey reveals that, in spite of the recession, more people than ever before are attending and taking part in arts events, Dai Smith, chairman of the Arts Council of Wales, argues that it’s proof more money needs to be invested in the sector. more >
Turkish novelist cleared of inciting religious hatred
An Istanbul court has acquitted the Turkish novelist Nedim Gürsel of inciting religious hatred with the publication of his novel The Daughters of Islam. more >
Helen Clark’s legacy to the arts
Helen Clark’s legacy to the arts, and will it survive her? While Helen Clark’s status as a Prime Minister will be debated for some time to come, her choice of the arts portfolio perhaps best illustrates her claim to a personal legacy. more >
Millions of dollars renewed in arts funding
Cultural community relieved as Heritage Minister unveils $500-million over five years for key programs. more >
Coping with the financial crisis: a creative response
It is important to recall that the creative economy is omnipresent in our daily lives, providing stimulus for our happiness and well-being. Every individual in any part of the world consumes creative products every single day through education or work, as well as in moments of leisure and entertainment. more >
Cross-strait cultural summits on horizon
Top governmental cultural agencies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are expected to meet in September in Beijing and October in Taipei for cultural summit conferences. more >
Heritage minister pledges 5 years of stable arts funding
Saying the cultural sector needs "stability," Heritage Minister James Moore has announced a five-year funding package for the arts. more >
Scots government unveils £5m recession fund for arts
The Scottish government has announced details of a £5 million package of funds aimed at helping the arts and cultural sector through the current economic downturn. more >
Angola in Euro-African meeting for co-operation
Angola participates since this Monday until the 26th June, in Maputo, Mozambique, in the first Euro-African Campus for Cultural Co-operation, which is to discuss, among other subjects, migration and culture in both continents. more >
Bahrain looks to heritage strongholds
Bahrain is hoping to secure UN protection for several ancient sites to save them from private developers and preserve the makings of a lucrative tourism industry, writes Digby Lidstone. more >
Culture Ministry wages war on web?
Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has prepared an amendment the media law obliging all web sites register with the government. more >
French govt reworks 'three-strikes' law
The "three-strikes" saga continues in France following the Constitutional Council's recent decision canceling the sanction side of the bill (Billboard.biz, June 10), with the government attempting to find a way around the legal ruling. more >
German film fund to invest $56m in digital expansion
The German Federal Film Board (FFA) is planning to invest $56m (€40m) to help speed up the development digital cinema. more >
Police raids hit four pirate gangs in Turkey
Turkish police have conducted major anti-piracy operations against four organised criminal syndicates that effectively collapsed due to the numbers of arrests made and illegal product seized. more >
Romanization of Korean officially changed
Minister of Culture and Tourism Park Jie Won announced that the government had changed its official system of Romanization for the Korean language. The new system, developed by the MCT's National Academy of the Korean Language, is in largely a system transcription as opposed to transliteration, and does not use the diacritical marks used in the system in place since 1984. more >
UNESCO, Norway join hands to preserve Pak culture
Norwegian Ambassador Robert Kevile on Monday said Norway and Pakistan would carry out mapping of tangible and intangible cultural assets in NWFP, focusing initially on seven districts, in collaboration with UNESCO. more >
Warning to Treasury over peril of cutting arts funding
Shadow culture minister Ed Vaizey is to tell the Treasury that cutting arts funding is "more trouble than it's worth". more >
Arts projects compete for £3m funding
The Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and Edinburgh College of Art are in the running to secure a £3 million arts funding prize for Edinburgh. more >
Culture minister Follett joins calls for backstage
Minister for culture Barbara Follett has added momentum to Equity’s bid for “better and healthier” working conditions for West End actors, branding backstage facilities in historic theatres “shameful”. more >
Deputy Minister of Culture dismissed
Under a June 24 decree of Armenia's Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan Gagik Gyurjian was relieved of the post of Deputy Minister of Culture, reports RoA Government's press service. more >
France names new Culture Minister
Frederic Mitterrand, nephew of late President Francois Mitterrand, to replace outgoing Minister Christine Albanel. more >
Frédéric Mitterrand adds colour to Nicolas Sarkozy rainbow cabinet
Frédéric Mitterrand, the nephew of the late socialist president François Mitterrand, has been appointed France's culture minister in a highly symbolic move by Nicolas Sarkozy. more >
PetitionOnline.com goes down under attack: Countless petitions silenced for now
Allison Crowe, Canadian musician, is one of numerous artists and academics impacted by UK's controversial new anti-terrorist and immigration laws. Voices of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, petitioning online via the grassroots PetitionOnline.com, are silenced as the site tries to resolve internet attacks from unknown sources. more >
World Arts and Culture Summit for SA
The fourth triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture, taking place in Newtown, Johannesburg from 22 to 25 September, will explore ways in which the arts can help to bridge social and cultural divides in a post-9/11 world. more >
You can make a difference in tough economic times
Tamara Real: In the past week, several important reports have been released that give a somber, yet thought-provoking, picture of the state of the arts and arts funding in the United. States. As business people, you may think this information irrelevant - but make that assumption at your own risk. more >
£300,000 annual blow to new arts funding body
Scotland's arts funding body is to lose its charitable status at a cost to the arts world of around £300,000 a year, it has emerged. more >
Arts summit to look at diversity
Topical issues like cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue in a globalised world will be under the spotlight at the fourth triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture (WSoAC), which will be hosted in Africa - in Joburg - for the first time. more >
Colombian charity music to kids' ears
More than 100 children, ages 6-17, study music at a small conservatory named Proyecto Desepaz. The children come from some of Cali's humblest families, who have rarely, if ever, set foot in a theater or heard of Bach or Beethoven. more >
Iran censors newspapers amid unrest
With street demonstrations continuing in Tehran, Iranian authorities expanded censorship, banning the publication of two newspapers. The Committee to Protect Journalists called on the authorities to lift the bans and to allow international reporters to return to the country. more >
Ministry of Culture, Emirates Writers Union issue a book on Al Quds as capital of Arab Culture 2009
In a drive to mark Al Quds as capital of the Arab Culture 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development and Emirates Writers Union, have jointly issued anthology of Palestinian Poet Motawakil Tah. more >
New Acropolis Museum the perfect home for Elgin Marbles
Workmen were putting the finishing touches yesterday to Ancient Greece’s newest and most extravagant showcase, the New Acropolis Museum, due for a fanfare-filled inauguration today. But conspicuously absent are the very relics which the €130m futurist building was expressly designed for: the Elgin Marbles. more >
SA first African country to host world arts summit
The fourth triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture (WSoAC) will be hosted in Johannesburg this year – the first time the event will be hosted in Africa. more >
The Resources Centre of Banlieues d'Europe has opened!
The Banlieues d'Europe Resources Centre is in particular addressed to artists, actors in the cultural and social field, and university researchers, but also to officials of public policies and local councillors at local, national European level, and also to any curious and interested person. The collection consists of around 3000 documents (books, guides, annuals, reports, press communiqués, websites, flyers, programmes, magazines, CDs, DVDs) in different languages. more >
Conference of Parties to the Convention on Cultural Diversity
The Second Ordinary Session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions met in Paris on 15-18 June. more >
El A.B.C. de la 'Ley Fanny Mikey'
Desde hace 20 años, María Eugenia Penagos, directora del Círculo Colombiano de Artistas (Cica), ha luchado por la ley sobre derechos de autor. Solo hasta ahora ve una luz en el camino. more >
How the Economy Is Shaping Artists' Lives, Livelihoods and Creative Choices
Nearly 700 artists responded to the Artists and the Economy Survey, which invited them to discuss how the recession is affecting their income, creative work and well-being. more >
Korea to create 3,000 culture and tourism service jobs
The Korean government said Tuesday it will create some 3,000 new social service sector jobs in the fields of culture, art and tourism this year as part of efforts to fight rising unemployment amid an ongoing economic downturn, according to Yonhap News. more >
Meeting of Mercosur’s Ministers of Culture
Ministers of Culture gathered to discuss the implementation of Mercosur Cultural’s seal, Mercosur Cultural’s projects report, and the cultural policy and legislation of Mercosur member states. more >
Presentación de Iberescena en Portugal
El pasado día 5 de junio se realizó la presentación del Programa Iberescena dentro del marco del 32º Festival Internacional de Teatro de Expressao Ibérica (FITEI) de Oporto. more >
Presentation of Iberescena in Portugal
Iberescena was presented within the 32nd International Theater Festival of Iberic Expresssion (FITEI) that took place in Oporto. more >
Reunión de ministros de Cultura del Mercosur
Ministros de Cultura del Mercosur están reunidos para tratar la aplicación del sello "Mercosur Cultural", el informe de proyectos del Mercosur Cultural, y la política y legislación cultural de los Estados partes y asociados del Mercosur. more >
The Basics of ‘Fanny Mikey’s Law’
María Eugenia Penagos, Director of the Colombian Artists’ Circle (CICA), has been fighting for over 20 years to create a new copyright law. Only now has she seen the light at the end of the tunnel. more >
A new generation gets on board for the arts
WANTED: Women under 50 with an interest in the arts and a desire to "give back" to the community to join the boards of the nation's arts companies. Oh, and while handing over wads of your cash to said company will be happily accepted, it's no longer a precondition of your appointment. more >
Don't forget the cultural economy
Could the creative industries provide innovative models which will make this sector not just resilient in the current economic climate, but allow it to flourish? more >
Int'l festival of intangible cultural heritage in Chengdu
Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sichuan Provincial Government and the UNESCO, the 13-day festival includes the Tian Fu Road Show staged in the festival's opening ceremony. The road show had a length of 1,400 meters. The teams represent cultures that are included in the protection list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and they are the living fossils of human civilizations. more >
NEA reports decline in arts audiences for 2008
Audiences for the arts in the U.S. continue to decline and age at significant rates, according to a report released Monday by the National Endowment for the Arts. But the Internet holds out hope, as more people are going online to experience culture. more >
The role of culture in boosting creativity and innovation in Europe is further recognized at EU level
The Ministers of Culture of the 27 Member States recognize that a strategic investment in culture, as well as in cultural and creative industries is vital for strengthening a dynamic creative society and creating jobs in the European Union. more >
'Smear' row poet to open festival
A poet who resigned from a prestigious post over an alleged smear campaign against a rival is to open this year's Edinburgh International Book Festival. Ruth Padel is to speak about her great great grandfather Charles Darwin. She is among writers and politicians from 45 different countries taking part in the festival from 15-31 August. more >
All is set for the opening of the New Acropolis museum
A frenzy of preparations are taking place in Athens where in two weeks the new Acropolis museum is going to have its inauguration. more >
All talk, no action on arts promises
Despite all the promises in the 2020 summit, it seems the arts have again been sidelined in our schools. more >
Charities struggling
A quiet crisis is unfolding in nonprofit circles across the country, and the issue is particularly acute in wealthy Southwest Florida, where charity is a central part of life and major donors have been hit hard by the economic downturn. Big declines in charitable giving are forcing nonprofit organizations from the YMCA and Easter Seals to the Florida Studio Theatre to cut jobs and programs. more >
Deputy minister of Culture in Huambo for sector's evaluation
The deputy minister of Culture, Cornélio Calei, started this Monday morning a four-day work visit to Huambo Province, aimed at evaluating the state of the sector in this region of the country. more >
Egyptian candidate for Unesco job hits back in Jewish book burning row
The Egyptian politician who is favourite to take over at the helm of the United Nations' education body has defended himself against charges of anti-semitism after he called for the burning of Israeli books.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Farouk Hosni, Egypt's minister of culture, said his words had been taken out of context.
more >
Fete de la Musique brings free music throughout downtown
A free musical experience is what the city of Kalamazoo will offer pedestrians who venture downtown on June 21, when the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo presents "Fete de la Musique". "Fete" is an international music event which was launched in France in 1982 by the French Ministry of Culture. Also known as World Music Day, "Fete" is held in over 100 countries worldwide each year every June 21, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. more >
Foreign minister of Azerbaijan receives chief secretary of national council of ministry of culture, arts and heritage of Qatar
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammmadyarov received the Chief Secretary of the National Council of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar Mubarak Bin Nasir Khalifa, the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan reported. more >
French court to pirates: three strikes and ... then what?
France's highest legal authority has ruled as unconstitutional a government plan to cut off, without trial, Internet users accused of copyright infringement. more >
German culture minister slams own government for inaction over piracy
We talk about governments reaching agreement with ISPs and the music industry over what to do about online piracy, but perhaps we should make sure governments agree with themselves first. German minister for culture Bernd Neumann has criticised his own ministry of justice for not doing enough to combat illegal file-sharing. more >
Going cuckoo over crime
An artistic collaboration between Malaysia and Singapore delves into crime, violence ... and perhaps some deeper issues. more >
Helping hand
An Italian team of experts prepared the strategy for the development and management of cultural tourism in Bulgaria, to support the activities of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and other Bulgarian stakeholders, including Bulgaria’s State Tourism Agency. more >
Ignatieff woos Quebec with arts vow
Little by little, Michael Ignatieff is unveiling his strategy to win in Quebec, and last night he said he will restore arts funding that all but sunk the Conservatives here last fall. more >
Information Ministry names spokesman
Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Hazza, assistant undersecretary for internal information, has been appointed the spokesman of the Ministry of Culture and Information. “The appointment was made to unify the ministry’s source of information as well as to reply to media queries on public matters,” the Saudi Press Agency said quoting a statement by the ministry.
more >
Iran’s “Ashura” puppet show to go on stage in Italy
Deputy Culture Minister for Artistic Affairs Mohammad-Hossein Imani-Khoshkhu met with Italian deputy culture minister last week and proposed to stage Behruz Gharibpur’s opera puppet show “Ashura” in Italy. The two parties discussed boosting artistic and cultural relations and joint projects in preserving Iran’s cultural heritage. more >
Luanda governor defends more divulgence of cultural heritage
provincial governor of Luanda, Francisca do Espírito Santo, defended on Thursday here the need for more diffusion and information to citizens about the existing cultural heritage in Luanda. more >
Ministry of Culture awarded ISO certification for integrated management
The Ministry of Culture becomes the first government institution in UAE to obtain ISO's integrated certification in a single installment. The award is considered a testimony for the ministry's dedicated efforts to develop governance performance. The ministry had embarked upon an eighteen-month long concerted work to improve the standards in every aspect of its functioning. more >
Mussolini is dead; we are still here!
The British Council now operates in 110 countries worldwide. Its residence abroad has not always been a smooth one. Neil Kinnock (Lord), chair of the British Council, argues, that the institution is independent of the British government in its operations and approximately 12.6 billion Br or 70pc of its annual turnover income is self-generated. more >
Narayansamy made MoS culture
V Narayansamy, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Planning, has also been given charge of Culture Ministry. There is no Cabinet Minister for Culture Ministry. In the previous UPA government, Ambika Soni was the Minister for Culture when it was clubbed with Tourism. The Ministry of Culture has now been separated from Tourism. more >
Notebook of sketches by Picasso worth £7m stolen
A notebook containing 32 sketches by Pablo Picasso, valued at about €8m (£7m), vanished yesterday from the Picasso Museum in central Paris. more >
Plans adopted for Hilandar restoration
Serbia's Republic and Provincial Institutes for Protection of Culture Monuments, the National Library of Serbia, with support of a group of Greece's leading experts in the field, are all taking part in the reconstruction works at Hilandar, ravaged in a fire five years ago. more >
Thailand returns 7 stolen artifacts to Cambodia
Thailand on Friday handed over seven pieces of Cambodian artifacts stolen by illegal smugglers upon request of the Cambodian government. It is a positive gesture from Thai side in friendship and cooperation, said Hor Nam Hong, deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation.
more >
The value of arts (funding)
The recession has squeezed state budgets across the country, and different governors have taken different approaches to how they treat the funding of their state arts agencies. Citizens can look at how leaders are treating the arts during the recession to gauge how the arts might be valued in their states (or at least by their leaders). more >
Travel writers hit out at 'exclusive' WHS/Penguin deal
The British Guild of Travel Writers has questioned W H Smith's decision to sign an exclusive arrangement with Penguin that will see only its 'foreign' guides available for sale at WHS' travel outlets. Guild chairman Melissa Shales said the decision could damage rival publishers and called for a boycott of Penguin's guides and WHS. Guild member, and travel writer, Hugh Taylor, who has has written to Scotland's Culture minister protesting the move, said he would no longer work for Penguin. more >
Treasure hunter Odyssey ordered to give booty back to Spain
Did an American treasure hunter plunder Spain’s cultural heritage? Or should private companies have a right to profit from historic vessels sunk in international waters? more >
House Subcommittee Sets Budgets for Arts Groups
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior has approved a bill that sets the annual budgets for the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities at $170 million each for the 2010 fiscal year. more >
Obama Plays It Safe With the Arts
Now that President Obama has picked Mr. Leach for NEH and Rocco Landesman, a successful Broadway producer, to head the National Endowment for the Arts, the Obama cultural team is complete. more >
Review to cut costs and 'refresh' Opera Australia
At Opera Australia, they are calling it a "renewal process" but maybe it's a rebirth. Since Dr Ziggy Switkowski took over as OA chairman last year, the company has, in his words, "embarked on a process of engaging with the community" and is "seeking fresh perspectives". more >
Cultural profile to increase in the education sector
A strategy that aims to strengthen the role of Pacific culture in and through all levels of education is a step closer to completion after a group of specialists met recently to examine it. more >
50,000 Norwegian books available on the net
The Norwegian National Library has just made 50,000 Norwegian books accessible on the net - at no charge and perfectly legal! The service, Bokhylla.no was officially opened by Minister of Culture Trond Giske. more >
Africa Day website launch
To coincide with Africa Day on 25 May, the ARTerial Network launched is Arts in Africa website at the Goethe Institute in Johannesburg, with Lupwishi Mbuyamba, Executive Director of the Observatory for Cultural Policies in Africa (OCPA) as the guest speaker. more >
Cunningham to play star role in creation of new arts funding body
One of Scotland's leading traditional musicians is to play a huge part in forming the nation's new arts funding body. Phil Cunningham, the multi-instrumentalist and composer, perhaps best know for playing the accordion, has been appointed to the board of Creative Scotland Ltd, the company that is planning the £3m merger of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen into Creative Scotland. more >
Decade of French-Macedonian cultural cooperation
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the French-Macedonian cooperation in field of cultural and historical heritage. A series of events to mark the anniversary will include a conference of mayors at the Museum of Macedonia. Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska, French Ambassador Bernard Valero and Skopje Mayor Trifun Kostovski will make introductory address at the conference. more >
The UNESCO International Literacy Prizes
Applications to the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes 2009 should be submitted no later than 30 June.
Every year, the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes reward excellence and innovation in the field of literacy throughout the world.
more >
The international who's who in cultural policy, planning and research >