NEW AGORA
Quest for New Ideas and New Intercultural Practices
A Proposal by the Borderland Foundation for the European Culture Parliament
NEW AGORA is a response to the challenge of today’s Europe facing complex problems with multicultural society, integration and identity. The program is based on two different spheres of activity: reflective – the Mobile Academy, and practical - the Inter-Cultural Workshop.
Clearly visible to the naked eye, there is an ongoing social crisis of the European multicultural society. It turns out that a dose of tolerance, which a decade earlier sufficed the peoples of various nationalities, cultures and denominations to co-exist in one body of society, today is no longer satisfactory. Moreover, it appears that European openness towards the otherness has been built, in many cases, on a concept of political correctness understood superficially and absolving the citizens from any attempt at a deeper understanding and closeness to the Other.
The process of integration and opening of borders needs to be accompanied by growing tolerance, especially if no work on transformation has been carried out in the sphere of culture and mentality. Europeans have too long lived in closed national states, too many of them experienced religious conflicts, too many are entrenched in their own separate cultural identities (which are defended in the name of cultural variety) therefore the opening, experienced by them through European integration, globalization and migration, evokes in them frustration and attitudes radically averse to the Other.
The title of the program „New Agora” refers to the community space which is not just a sum of separate features, but grows out from the wealth of separateness understood as unique quality. It determines for the cultures their point of juncture, the central place, the place of meetings, common work and dialogue. The borderlands are like the land crossed with the waters of rivers, whose inhabitants must unceasingly build bridges and seek alternative ways of forcing their way from one bank onto the other to be able to live and develop. Today, it is necessary to rephrase the question about the rules and values which should organize life in such communities and about the knowledge and methods of building bridges, i.e. the relations with the Other.
The „New Agora” program proposes a long-term cycle of activities concentrated on seeking new ideas and on working out of new inter-cultural practices. It will be realized in different places in Europe in the form of a Mobile Academy, engaging outstanding representatives of humanistic thought, and Inter-Cultural Workshops, engaging the young, educators, social activists and artists. Special stress will be laid on the forms of dissemination of the results of the meetings and workshops as well as their continuation in local communities.
More details concerning the program you can find on the portal “Borderland Archipelago” – www.pogranicze.sejny.pl
The Borderland Foundation is inviting the European Culture Parliament members to discuss the proposal and to consider a partnership in the realization of the program.
European
Cultural Parliament
The Secretary General
Fourth Session in Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, 2-4 December 2005
Theme: “How can European Culture promote European Cohesion”
Preliminary Programme
Thursday 1 December (Portuguese holiday!)
Afternoon/evening Arrival of Members (about 80 persons) and Senators (10 persons who will meet early Friday morning and during Sunday)
Friday 2nd December
9.00 Registration in the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
10.00 -Opening, Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio, -Dr Emilio Rui Vilar presents the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
10.45 Key note speech by Dr Eduardo Lourenco on the theme “Culture and European Cohesion”
11.15 Plenary: Interventions by ECP-members: Moderator Leonidas Donskis, Lithuania. Speakers: Jude Kelly, UK, Andreas Pantzis, Cyprus, Marina Koldobskaya, Russia, Sion Sigurdson, Iceland, Joe Friggieri Malta, Jasenko Selimovic, Sweden, Alexandra Reininghaus, Austria, Bert Mulder, Netherlands, Yuri Andrykhovych, Ukraine and Stelios Virvidakis, Greece.
13.00 Lunch break
14.15 Plenary: Presentation by Dr Emilio Rui Vilar of the project “A Soul for Europe”.-Presentation by ECP-member Krzysztof Czyzewski, Poland of the project “New Agora” (Borderland Foundation)-Presentation of two conference papers for the working groups
14.45 – 17.30 (with short coffee break) Working groups and project groups:- Culture, Government and Civic Society. moderators Teresa Pinto Basto Gouveiea, Portugal and Ove Joanson, Sweden- Culture and Business (Including “Nomadic University”), moderator Simonetta Carbonaro, Italy- “Music and Health”, moderator Gunilla von Bahr, Sweden- “Open doors – How to live in Europe” + European Architectural Internet Contest, moderators Verena Huber, Switzerland and Eugene Asse, Russia
17.30 Plenary: ECP-members: Lone Scherfig, Denmark, Kresimir Rogina, Croatia, Patricia Portela, Portugal, Mikhel Mutt, Estonia, Lidija Merenik, Serbia&Mont, Peter Pakesch, Austria
19.00 Concert: The Gulbenkian Orchestra presents works by Mozart, Brahms and Shostakovich
After Concert Light supper
Saturday 3rd December
9.00 Plenary: ECP-Members: Lars Erik Forsgård, Finland, Jennifer Jennings, Ireland, Jahangir Selimkhanov,Azerbaijan, Marie-Louise von Plessen Germany, Anja Susa, Serbia&Mont.
10.00 Key-note speech by EU Commission-President José Manuel Barroso, followed by questions.
10.30 Coffee break
10.45 Plenary: ECP-members: Barbara Hendricks, Sweden, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Italy, Jaroslav Rudis, Czech Rep., Karsten Alnaes, Norway, Danis Tanovic, Bosnia, Antonio Ribeiro, Portugal, Txuma Sanchez, Spain, followed by group and project sessions and an editorial group preparing a possible “Lisbon Declaration”
13.00 Lunch break
14.00 Plenary: Key-note speech by Gottfried Wagner, Director of the European Cultural Foundation, followed by ECP-Members:Olivier Assouly, France, Magda Carneci, Romania, Bernard Foccroulle, Belgium, Goran Pristas, Croatia, Katia Guerriero, Portugal, David Lordkipanidze, Georgia.
15.30 Final Group and Project sessions
17.30 Plenary: “Music and Health” – A message and an event presented by Rector Gunilla von Bahr, scientists and musicians.
19.00 Reception at Lisbon City Hall
Sunday 4th December
9.00 – 12.30 (with short coffee break) Plenary: Special Guests:-Venu Dhupa, NESTA, London,-Ilona Kish, EFAH, Brussels,ECP Members: Nina Hoss, Germany, Ricardo de Cala, Spain, Alexandrina Pendatchanska, Bulgaria, Manuel Salgado, Portugal, Erzen Shkololli, Kosovo, -Group and project reports -“Lisbon Declaration of the ECP”
12.30 End of the Session, press conference and visit to the Gulbenkian Museum and the Modern Art Centre
Afternoon Departure of Members and Senators
Moderators:
Leonidas Donskis, Klaipeda
Teresa Pinto Basto Gouveia, Lisbon
Ove Joanson, Stockholm
Simonetta Carbonaro, Milan/Karlsruhe
The ECP expresses its gratitude to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, for hosting and financially supporting the fourth session.